CLARKDALE, SAYVILLE, L. L., March 6, 1863.

Colonel W. HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners.

COLONEL: I expect to leave here to-morrow and am going to West Point to visit my son, a cadet there. I shall start for Fort Monroe on Tuesday morning. I do not know of any necessity calling me to Washington. Orders have been given for the steamer to be at Washington on Tuesday to convey the prisoners to be exchanged to City Point and the officer in charge is directed to report to you. Will you please send to me by him lists of the prisoners with statements opposite each name of all charge against them. Also please return me the list or memoranda I grave you and which was furnished by Mr. Ould with statements opposite each name, of charges, and whether included in the delivery, and if not, why not. I shall also by happy to receive any other information which in your judgment will facilitate the exchange.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. H. LUDLOW,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Agent for Exchange of Prisoners.

RICHMOND, VA., March 6, 1863.

Lieutenant Colonel WILLIAM H. LUDLOW.

SIR: Your several communications and lists have been received.

First. You send a list of seven U. S. officers who you say are now in the Libby Hospital wounded. All of these officers were sent to you on the 20th ultimo.

Second. You send a list of eighteen U. S. officers headed by Major Withers who you say are now in the Libby Prison. Of these twelve, being captures at Fredericksburg, have already been sent off. The other six were captured in Virginia sine December 1, 1863, and several of them since January 1, 1863.

Third. I think you have a right to complain of your informants in the above matters. Not one undelivered is entitled to exchange under our agreements.

Fourth. Surgeon Marvin I send to you; also Lieutenant Bruck (not Brooks) who has just sufficiently recovered. I also send you some 300 non-commissioned officers and privates, being all that we have on hand.

Fifth. You say we have a number of your men who were captured as stragglers from the Army of the Potomac last summer and that some of your officers just released from Richmond have seen and talked with theses men. Your informants have again deceived you. I defy them or any human being to point out one name. I have made the most rigid personal scrutiny and have found out that the intimation is grossly unfounded.

Sixth. I must express my profound astonishment at your extraordinary declaration that we have a larger number of officers and men and civilians who have been declared exchanged than you have. 'This true we have some officers and you well know how that happened. Their number, however, is not a tithe of yours. I have offered to deliver every one of them and now only await the same act on your part. As to men who have been declared exchanged we have none. If we wished to retain your men why wounded we send them off when you had no equivalent to offer? The deliveries we have recently made on parole furnish a sufficient contradiction. On the other hand, you captured some 4,000 of our men at Arkansas Post and have made no sort of effort to deliver them. I send you now men that have been captured