They must have been delayed by some interruptions of the railroad communications. Captain Mulford reported to me, and I directed him to ask Colonel Donaldson to inquire for the whereabouts of the prisoners. I inclose a letter containing a small amount of Confederate money belonging to a rebel soldier who died at Pittsburgh for you to return through Mr. Ould, if you think proper. I send by this mail roll of paroled troops at Benton Barracks whose names have not yet been reported.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. HOFFMAN,

Colonel third Infantry and Commissary-General of Prisoners.

CINCINNATI, June 18, 1863.

SECRETARY OF WAR:

Can I have authority to arrest Judge Trimble, of Kentucky, candidate for Congress? Declares himself opposed to the war, and if elected will oppose furnishing supplies of any kind.

A. E. BURNSIDE.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington City, June 18, 1863.

Major-General BURNSIDE, Cincinnati:

The President, to whom your telegram has been submitted, directs me to say that if Mr. Trimble is found encouraging desertion from your army or in any way interfering with or endangering your military operations you will be authorized to place him in arrest; but the mere declaration of his opposition to the war or that if elected he will oppose furnishing supplies of any kind is a good reason why loyal men should not vote for him but is not sufficient ground for military arrest.

EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Washington, June 18, 1863.

Honorable GIDEON WELLES,

Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D. C.:

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 17th instant, accompanying a descriptive roll of 113 soldiers of the rebel army captured and paroled at the Yazoo hospital on the 21st May last.

I have the honor to inclose herewith General Orders, Numbers 49,* of the 28th February, and Numbers 100* of the 24th April, 1863, from the War Department, establishing rules for the government of the armies of the United States under which paroles are to be given or received, and I have also the honor to submit extracts from a letter which, by authority of the General-in-Chief, I addressed to Lieutenant-Colonel Ludlow, agent for the exchange of prisoners of war, instruction him how said orders are to be put in force. +

It is now understood by Colonel Ludlow and the agent for the rebel Government that with the exceptions provided for in the foregoing

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*See Vol. V, this series, pp. 306 and 671, for these orders.

+For full text of letter, see ibid., p. 670.

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