surgeons of this army lately captured at the battle of Chickamauga. From the reports of four of our medical officers exchanged yesterday, those yet remaining in their hands will, as soon as their services to the wounded can be dispensed with, be confined and held as prisoners of war. The rebel officers, assigning as the cause, state that seventy-two of their surgeons and assistant surgeons captured at the battle of Gettysburg in the Legitimate discharge of their duties are now held by the United States Government as prisoners of war, and that the cartel has in this been violated on the part of the United States. They further state that they shall retain all U. S. medical officers captured, whether or not in the discharge of their duties as such, until the United States Government releases their medical officers captured at Gettysburg.

I have the honor to remain, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. S. ROSECRANS,

Major-General of U. S. Volunteers, Commanding Department.

[Inclosure.]

Copy of parole administered to surgeons and assistant surgeons of the U. S. Army captured at the battle of Chickamauga, Tenn., September, 1863.

I,--, of the U. S. Army, captured at the battle of Chickamauga September, 1863, solemnly swear that I will not bear arms against or give any information detrimental to the Government of the Confederate States, nor in any manner assist the United States Government in any service whatever until exchanged as a prisoner of war, and as I am only paroled to attend to the sick and wounded prisoners from the U. S. Army, as soon as I am relieved from that duty I will report to the commandant of the post at Atlanta, Ga., this to cease and be void when the cartel of exchange is fully observed toward such surgeons and assistant surgeons as have been captured in the legitimate discharge of their duties.

Subscribed and sworn to before me, Crawfish Springs, September 26, 1863.

ALEX. McKINSTRY,

Colonel and Provost-Marshal-General Army of Tennessee.

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, October 2, 1863.

Brigadier General E. B. TYLER, Commanding at Baltimore:

The parole of Lieutenant-Colonel Alston is satisfactory explained. It was by order of General Burnside, of which notice had not been given to the commissioner of exchange nor to the Department. You will release him and allow him to proceed to Fortress Monroe in accordance with the terms of his parole, explaining to him the cause of his detention. The honorable conduct of Colonel Alston on a former occasion induced the indulgence of parole to him as an excepted case.

EDWIM M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

WASHINGTON, D. C., October 2, 1863.

General S. A. MEREDITH:

SIR: Colonel Hoffman has just shown me another "declaration of exchange," made by Mr. Ould, in which you do not appear to have been consulted.