arrival at Baltimore to Major-General Dix and be subject to his direction while remaining in that city. Any failure to observe this order will be taken as a forfeiture of the parole or exchange.

The regulation heretofore existing which required passes across the military lines of the United States to be signed by the Secretary of State and countersigned by the general commanding is rescinded. *

By order of the President:

EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

WASHINGTON, D. C., February 13, 1862.

General BUELL, Louisville, Ky.:

I have directed the regulars at Columbia to go to you. Anticipate the order if necessary. Have you arranged an exchange of prisoners? If you can exchange for Merrill you can have him too.

GEO. B. MCCLELLAN.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,
Saint Louis, February 13, 1862.

Brigadier General GEORGE W. CULLU, Cairo:

The commissioned officers prisoners of war at Paducah will be permitted to go to Cincinnati on parole. If they decline to do this they will be sent under guard on one of the return steamers to Alton.

H. W. HALLECK,

Major-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF VIRGINIA,
Fort Monroe, Va., February 13, 1862.

Major General B. HUGER, Commanding at Norfolk, Va.

GENERAL: In reply to your communication of the 9th instant I am instructed to inform you+ that no authority was conferred on the Honorable Messrs. Ames and Fish in regard to t he exchange of prisoners or for any other purpose than the simple one of providing for the comfort of prisoners if allowed to do so. This having been declined their mission has terminated.

I am, however, instructed to inform you that I am alone clothed with full powers for the purpose of arranging for the exchange of prisoners. Being thus empowered I am ready to confer with you on the subject or the Honorable Messrs. Seddon and Conrad or any other person appearing for that purpose. I am prepared to arrange for the restoration of all the prisoners to their homes on fair terms of exchange, man for man and officer for officer of equal grade, assimilating the grade of officers of the Army and Navy when necessary and agreeing upon equitable terms for the number of men or officers of inferior grade to be exchanged for any of higher grade when the occasion shall arise. That all the surplus prisoners on either side be discharged on parole with the agreement that any prisoners of war taken by the other party shall be returned in exchange as fast as captured, and this system to be continued while hostilities continue.

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*See also Vol. II, this Series, p. 221, Executive Order, Numbers 1, relating to political prisoners.

+See Stanton to Wool, February 11, p. 254.

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