Today in History:

767 Series II Volume V- Serial 118 - Prisoners of War

Page 767 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. -UNION.

have been called to General Orders, Numbers 67, of June last, I have the honor to inclose it herewith* together with a copy of the regulations I issued by the authority place in my hands by said order for the creation and disbursement of a prison fund, and I would respectfully inquire whether the system now in force under these regulations at the several prisons is to be set aside by the order issued from your headquarters.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. HOFFMAN,

Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Washington, D. C., June 9, 1863.

Brigadier General A. SCHOEPF,

Commanding Fort Delaware, Del.:

The enlisted prisoners of war ordered from the West to Fort Delaware will be ordered forward for delivery at City Point in a few days and I have to request you will have prepared to be sent North with them duplicate parole rolls signed and a roll for this office. These rolls should be made by regiments and companies. Please inform me when the rolls are completed.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. HOFFMAN,

Colonel Third Infantry, Commissary-General of Prisoners.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Washington, D. C., June 9, 1863.

Lieutenant Colonel W. H. LUDLOW,

Agent for Exchange of Prisoners, Fort Monroe, Va.

COLONEL: Your two letters of the 7th are received. I have forwarded to you at three different times orders which have been published, announcing of courts-martial in the cases of rebel spies and others sentenced to death, all of which I hope reached you safely. General Orders, Numbers 100, went into effect with us as soon as published. We hold the enemy bound by it from the time you presented it to Mr. Ould and it is as operative against us as for us. Its provisions so far as paroles are concerned are about the same as General Orders, Numbers 49, which I stated in my letter to you of the 20th ultimo was in force from the time it was published to the army, and all paroles taken or given in violation of it are not binding except in some particular cases when for special reasons generals commanding think proper to recognize paroles heretofore given by our troops. The enemy can take no exceptions to our recognizing irregular paroles which they have exacted. No such cases will occur hereafter. A few days since I returned to the Army of the Potomac a roll of prisoners of war captured and paroled by General Stoneman's command with the decision of the General-in-Chief that the paroles were not valid inasmuch as they had been taken in violation of General Orders, Numbers 49.

The State of Maine will leave to-morrow with some 300 prisoners of war and about forty citizen prisoners for delivery at City Point. Among them is Surg. W. A. McCorkle, Second Tennessee [Cavalry] Regiment, who under the cartel should be unconditionally released,

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*Omitted here; see Vol. IV, this Series, pp. 30 and 152 for this order and the regulations.

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Page 767 CORRESPONDENCE, ETC. -UNION.