OFFICE GRATIOT STREET MILITARY PRISON,

Saint Louis, Mo., December 22, 1862.

Lieutenant Colonel F. A. DICK,

Provost- Marshal- General, Department of the Missouri.

COLONEL: It becomes my duty to report to you the shooting by one of the guard on duty of a prisoner in the hospital at this post. It seems from what I can learn of the affair that William Lohmann (the prisoner killed) put his head out of the window and being ordered by the guard to take it in refused or at least did not do s, whereupon the guard fired his rifle at him, the bullet striking him between the eyes and killing him instantly. The instructions of the guard in such cases as given by Colonel Almstedt, commanding post of Saint Louis, are as follows:

Prisoners are positively forbidden to project their heads, arms or legs outside of the windows or to spit out of the windows, the sentinels being instructed to (after warning the poisoner offending) shot at any prisoner violating this rule.

This order was immediately upon its receipt copied and copies posted on the walls in the alls and rooms of the prison so that no prisoner should through ignorance of the rules be in any danger of receiving a bullet from the guard unawares. This order was received at this prison November 21, 1862.

I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. J. MASTERSON,

Commandant of Prison.

HEADQUARTERS U. S. PAROLED FORCES,
Columbus, Ohio, December 23, 1862.

Colonel W. HOFFMAN,

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

COLONEL: I have the honor to inform you that your order to send the paroled prisoners to their respective regiments and commands was duly received and has been executed except in the case of stragglers and absentees who we continue to send off as they come in. The prisoners formerly in camp here with the exception of some 300 ro 400 captured at perryville on the 8th of October and subsequently at harrodsburg and vicinity are all now on duty with their receptive commands or on their way to joint hem. There is nothing insuperable or greatly inconvenient in removing from Camp Wallace to Camp Chase according the order of the Secretary of War transmitted through you. * The principal loss in removing will consist in the buildings, hospitals, storehouses, &c., which General Wallace caused to be erected and which will be rendered useless for the present by the removal to Camp Chase. These buildings, however, can be generally taken down without great injury and removed to some other point where they are needed and put up again. The only other loss accruing from the removal is in the wood which has been purchased fort he winter, and which in anticipation o hard roads and having been cut green might have a little time to dry before being used was provided in advance. There is about 1,200 cords on hand and the distance from Camp Wallace to Camp Chase (eight miles) is too great to justify its removal to the latter place. It can, however, probably be sold with but a small loss (what the delivery

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*Camp Wallace was established by General Lew Wallace as a camp for paroled soldiers organizing for service against Indians in the Northwest. General James Cooper was assigned to command on October 3, 1862.

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8 R R- SERIES II, VOL V