I regret to see the tone and temper in which you write to Mr. Baxter about other public functionaries as anxious to discharge their duty to the public as you can be. I consider that you have written the letter under a misapprehension of the powers committed to you and of the circumstances under which those powers were annulled.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

E. A. HITCHCOCK,

Major-General of Vols., Commissioner for Exchange of Prisoners.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Washington, D. C., February 7, 1863.

Colonel W. H. LUDLOW,

Agent for Exchange of Prisoners, Fort Monroe, Va.

COLONEL: I inclose herewith a list* of rebel officers captured by General Rosecrans' army. I have not yet received a list of those captured in Arkansas. I inclose also rolls* of rebel prisoners of war captured at different places in the West. I have not yet been able to obtain all the information requested in your letter of the 28th ultimo. We have in the West 1,200 or 1,500 citizen prisoners and it is proposed to select from those as many as may be necessary to balance all held by the rebels at Richmond. You will probably be called to this city before the exchange is consummated in order that the announcement may be clearly understood.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. HOFFMAN,

Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners.

P. S. --I gave to-day to Mr. Child, the gentleman about whom I wrote to you a few days since, a pass to Fort Monroe where he is to report to you for exchange.

W. H.

WASHINGTON, February 7, 1863.

Lieutenant Colonel W. H. LUDLOW, Agent for Exchange of Prisoners:

Your letter of 5th is received. I am making arrangements to collect citizen prisoners here and will let you know when they arrive.

W. HOFFMAN.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,
New Orleans, February 7, 1863.

Major General N. P. BANKS, Commanding Department of the Gulf.

GENERAL: I have the honor to report that in obedience to your instructions I yesterday proceeded to Lake End to receive the flag of truce under which the letter of Lieutenant General J. C. Pemberton was sent to you. I found Major Watts, of C. S. Army, and delivered to him your answer to General Pemberton's note. Major Watts' especial business, however, was to confer in relation to exchange of prisoners, he being the accredited agent of the Confederate Government and charged with that duty. I found him to be intelligent, affable and courteous.

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*Omitted.

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