the Government in the examination of the cases of the prisoners sent to the various prisons in Richmond on charges of being spies, enemies, traitors, &c., with a view of discharging all such as ought not to be held in custody and bringing to trial and punishment such as seem to be guilty of the charges. Please make your reports to me as promptly as possible. Thanking you in advance for your tender of services in a matter for which you undetake on purely patriotic grounds,

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. P. BENJAMIN.

HEADQUARTERS BRIGADE,
Camp Recovery, One Mile from Prestonburg, Ky.,

December 10, 1861.

S. COOPER, Adjutant and Inspector General, Richmond.

GENERAL: I have the pleasure to inform you that I have been located here for several days. * * * I think I have established friends for the Confederate States on a sound basis wherever I have been. My effort has been to conciliate the people and to teach them by example that the Army of the Confederate States comes not to maraud and oppress, but to protect and to respect the constitutional rights of the people. The Army of the United States invited here to defend this people halted at no excess. They burned and ravaged the towns, insulted females and violated their persons, stole wearing apparel and killed stock and frequently deprived poor people of the means of subsistence. I have sought to impress all this course on their part as a true representation of the despotic principles their master seeks to establish on a permament basis, while the respect I and my men pay to persons and property without regard to mere opinion is thereflex of the principles we represent. The effect has been exceedingly favcontrast is striking and visible to the commonenst man in the communicty.

I found prisoners at Pound Gap arested for their active pursuit of their opinions. I released them and sent them home after explaining to them the principles I advocate. They said the veil had been removed from their eyes and I afterwards found them well disposed and active in getting recruits for my command. * * *

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

HUMPHREY MARSHALL,

Brigadier-General, C. S. Army.

HEADQUARTERS, Pocahontas, Ark., December 11, 1861.

General A. SIDNEY JOHNSTON,
Commanding Western Department, Bowling Green, Ky.

GENERAL: * * * Besides these my returning force received the surrender of fifty-seven prisoners and brought them to this place for my diposal. Upon inquiring into the character and antecendents of these fifty-seven men I do not find that any of them have been guilty of such overt acts of disloylty as would warrant any severity of punishment. The most of them are ignorant men, and although they have continued to be over since the accession of Arkansas to the Southern Confederacy Union man in their associations at least if not in their