HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,
New Orleans, April 6, 1863.

Brigadier General T. W. SHERMAN,

Commanding Defenses of New Orleans.

GENERAL; The commanding general directs me to communicate as follows:

You will please instruct the commanding officers at all our outposts that no flag of truce is to be received by them or any person accompanying the flag permitted to land or to enter our lines until the arrival of the flag, its purport and any communication accompanying it shall have been duly made known through the proper channels to you and until your orders in the case are received.

If necessary you will communicate with these headquarters before giving such orders.

I all cases where prisoners of war taken from us by the enemy are sent here paroled or exchanged you will please see that their wants are supplied.

The commanding general has addressed a letter to Lieutenant-General Pemberton, commanding the enemy's forces at Vicksburg, requesting that all communications in relation to the exchange of prisoners may be sent to our lines near Baton Rouge and that all future deliveries of prisoners paroled or exchange may take place at some suitable point in that neighborhood.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant

RICHARD B. IRWIN,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

RICHMOND, April 6, 1863.

Lieutenant Colonel WILLIAM H. LUDLOW, Agent of Exchange.

SIR: I herewith inclose to you the receipt of Major Hall for the fifty dollar Federal note sent to him by you.

I will be much obliged to you if you will cause to be sent to City Point Thomas, J. Dunn, Company E, Eighteenth Mississippi Regiment, captured and wounded at Antietam. He is now at Locust Springs, about two miles from Frederick, Md. I am very anxious about this mater and will take it as a great favor if you will give it you attention.

I have declared exchanged Private Walter Overton, Third Confederate Cavalry, captured and paroled at Murfreesborough.

Of course the citizen prisoners are released upon delivery from their paroles and every obligation contained in them, including any oath of allegiance. This is our district agreement. Why do you limit this release to such political prisoners as are delivered at City Point? Our clear and indisputable understanding was that all civilians who should be released or had been released upon giving a parole or any obligation should be considered as absolved from that parole or obligation. It made no difference where the parties were delivered or whether they had ever been in actual confinement even. It was a necessary indecent to our agreements for the release of political prisoners. I have already acted upon this and given notice that all civilians whenever and wherever released were discharged from any parole or any obligation or any oath into which they may have entered before their release or at the time they were released. The parole and oath of Wardener only operated until he was delivered to you at City Point.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

RO. OULD,

Agent of Exchange.