the capture of a town by a cavalry raid, the command remained long enough to take the paroles of the unarmed citizens there and then decamped, leaving the paroled men behind and forwarding the paroles to accumulate in your office in Richmond. Yet you have the assurance to say that you except the United States Government to exchange prisoners legitimately captured in battle and now held in custody for such paroles as these.

It is well for to write letters filled with well-figured indignation at any imputation upon the integrity or honesty of your Government or yourself for publication in the South, to delude the suffering people there into the belief that you and your Government are doing everything to cause a resumption of exchanges; but I feel it my duty to say that your principles are so flexible and your rule of action so slightly influenced by a sense of truth, honesty, or honor, that I find it almost Impossible to arrive at any fair understanding with you on the subject, and all my efforts thus far, for the above reason, have been fruitless.

In your communication of October 27 you use the following language:

I state that General Orders, Numbers 49 and 100, were not sent to me at the same time. I received General Orders, Numbers 49, long before Numbers 100 was delivered to me. Their respective dates will show that to be the fact. My own personal recollection is that General Orders, Numbers 100, was never communicated in a letter.

Your then proceed to impress the public with an idea of your careful habits as follows:

It is my habit faithfully to keep all letters written by the Federal agent of exchange.

But this most important letter happened to be mislaid, which intelligence you convey to the Southern public as follows:

A careful search of the records of my office does not disclose any letter from Lieutenant-Colonel Ludlow communicating General Orders, Numbers 100

On November 7 I sent you a copy of the letter hereto annexed, copied from Lieutenant-Colonel Ludlow's letter-book, but through fear that it might have met the fate of the original and miscarried I send it again:

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF VIRGINIA,
Fort Monroe, Va., May 22, 1863.

Honorable ROBERT OULD, Agent for Exchange of Prisoners:

SIR: I have the honor to inclose to you copies of General Orders, Numbers 49 and Numbers 100, of War Department, announcing regulations and instructions for the government of the U. S. forces in the field in the matter of paroles. These, together with the stipulations of the cartel, will govern our Army. I would invite your special attention to article 7 of the cartel, which provides that all prisoners of war shall be sent to places of delivery therein specified. The execution of this article will obviate much discussion and difficulty growing out of the mode, time, and place of giving paroles. No paroles or exchanges will be considered binding except those under the stipulations of said article permitting commanders of the two opposing armies to exchange or release on parole at other points mutually agreed on by said commanders.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. H. LUDLOW,

Lieutenant-Colonel and Agent for Exchange of Prisoners.

It appears to me that you have been unfortunate on two occasions-first, in forgetting the statement you made to me, allude to in the beginning of this communication, and, second, in your not having received the above letter. As communications between the agents of exchange go through but two hands (the assistant agents), it strikes me as a little extraordinary that out of hundreds the above should be the only one to miscarry.