officers - some who were sick and unable to march and some who thought they ought not to be made to march; and finally some five or six conveyances were provided - mule wagons - which were used for all the field officers and those who were sick and a light board wagon was given to General McCall and myself, and in that way we were conveyed to Aiken's Landing. The weather was extremely hot, and on the road down the officers and the guard who were marching were halted some three miles out of town in the shade and detained there until late in the afternoon, having given out in marching. We started between 12 and 1 o'clock in the middle of the day and we arrived at Aiken's Landing that night and we arrived at Harrison's Bar the next morning, the 12th or 13th of August I think.

Question. What was the character of the rations allowed to you by the authorities in Richmond?

Answer. The rations consisted only of bread and meat and was said to be the same as was allowed to their own soldiers. I do not know the amount of it; I never saw it; we would not touch it at all. If it was sent to the prison it went into the general mess of the officers and they used it there. Having our meals brought to us I did not see the rations at all. The bread I know was very good.

Question. What was the character of the quarters in which you were placed? Was it suitable all circumstances considered for officer of your rank?

Answer. The character of the quarters was very filthy and unsuitable to the character of a general officer in every way whatever. We all washed, ate, sleep, &c., in the same room. The room consisted of the entire floor al a large tobacco warehouse, unobstructed except by the rows of posts supporting the upper part of the building. The reason the gave for it was that it was necessaria to keep the officers under guard in that way - at least we understood that was the reason - because the people were so excited that it would not do to allow the officers any greater privilege.

Question. Can you describe the treatment of our private soldiers?

Answer. I only know that the men were encamped on an island in the James River above the town. I have personally no means of knowing what the treatment of the men was. I must say, however, that I consider the treatment of the officers unjustifiable for various reasons. There was no necessity for removing us from the first prison; especially the general officers. With the ordinary treatment of prisoners according to the rules of war we ought not to have been made responsible for any of the acts of those officers who escaped form the prison under any circumstances. We were kept under guard all the time and if the guard failed to do their duty there was no one to blame but themselves. If any pledge had been exacted from us to remain in a certain place without guards at all we would have felt bound as a matter of course to have kept that pledge. But the action of the prison authorities there implied a connivance on the part of the general officers which was entirely gratuitous, for which there was of course no foundation whatever so far as the general officers and a majority of the other officers were concerned. If those who escaped had any accomplices in the matter it must have been confined to one or two confidants.

Question. What was the rank of the officers who escaped?

Answer. There was one lieutenant-colonel-Lieutenant-Colonel Hatch-a captain I think, and the rest I think were subalterns. Two of them were recaptured. The others got away and joined the Army at Harrison's Landing.

Question. What was the treatment of the men who were retaken?

Answer. It was very harsh and barbarous. They were taken every night under guard out of the prison and confined in some close dungeon or something of that kind and brought back in the morning. They were not put back at any time with the other officers who were prisoners but were put in with the men or teamsters, that is Colonel Hatch and the other officer with him - I do not recollect his name or grade. The discipline of the prison and the control of the prisoners were vested in a very young officer whose character I myself know from transactions at West Point while he was a cadet under me. This officer and some persons from Maryland had the control in the prisons. The character of this officer had been such at West Point that when I met him in Richmond I refused to hold any intercourse with him. Those persons had the entire control so far as I could understand and were only responsible to the provost-marshal-general for the safe keeping of the prisoners.

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