ALTON, ILL., November 27, 1862.

Colonel WILLIAM HOFFMAN,

Commissary-General of Prisoners, Washington, D. C.

COLONEL: I have completed by inspection of military prison and have the honor to submit the following statement of the condition and of the causes of the confused and incorrect manner in which returns were made and forwarded to your office:

The commanding officer has not given as much of his personal attention to the prison as was required. He has attempted to take the entire charge of his regiment, of the prisoners, the duties of the adjutant and of the provost-marshal of the prison. The colonel was the only field officer here. He has had but little experience, and in taking upon himself the entire charge he has undertaken more than he was able to perform. He has now the lieutenant-colonel and major to assist him. The colonel, while he endeavors satisfactorily to perform his duties, has but little system or organization in his office and there is a culpable want of discipline in his command.

The adjutant's office has been under the charge of Major W. B. Mason, late adjutant of the prison. Here there was a terrible lack of system. During the excess of business caused by forwarding prisoners to Vicksburg for exchange affairs became so confused and retarded that I have found it impossible to procure the correct prison records of the month of September and part of October. This arose form incapacity, want of order and of system. The major pleads as his excuse want of information of the proper manner of discharging his duties, confliction of instruction s form different authorities, excess of business in his office, and the ignorance of the clerks under his charge. He has undoubtedly labored hard and accomplished little. I do not consider him competent for the position. I had given Major Mason every necessary instruction and had he properly devoted his attention to his duties ho could have satisfactorily fulfilled every requirement. It is to be hoped that since his promotion he will be more fortunate in his new position, but he has just returned from the command of the guard in charge of the detachment of prisoners sent to Sandusky, in which there were 300 prisoners, with four companies (200 men) as guard, and yet the notorious guerrilla chief, Colonel Faulkner, escaped after having publicly asserted his intention of doing so. Colonel Faulkner has under an assumed name since written a letter to a fellow-prisoner as per agreement made before leaving Sandusky.

Captain I. B. Kinkead has been appointed adjutant of the prison and he conducts the business of his office with ability. He has now been fully instructed and there can be no excuse of want of information hereafter. Captain Kinkead is attentive and energetic in the performance of his duties. Lieutenant E. R. Moore has had immediate charge of the prisoners as provost-marshal. I do not consider him a competent officer for the position. He is not sufficiently attentive to his duties and does not properly enforce his authority. At the time of my arrival the prisoners had not yet been reorganized into squads, which had been broken up y sending 300 prisoners to Sandusky, so that on Sunday night when some four escaped he was unable to discover who had gone. The prisoners left for Sandusky on Friday. This manifested inexcusable neglect. So incomplete and incorrect were the rolls that at this time there is no positive proof of the number that escaped. Four names were found on the rolls who were not found in the prison, and three persons were found on the rolls who were not found in the prison, and three persons were found in the prison whose names were not found on the rolls. The constant changes that occur here prevent the officers of the prison from