I need not call your attention tot he necessity of striking off the irons from those men whom you hold thus in retaliation.

Please advise me that it is so done that I may inform the friends of the prisoners.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

BENJ. F. BUTLER,

Major-General Commanding and Commissioner for Exchange.

OFFICE COMMISSIONER FOR EXCHANGE,

Fort Monroe, Va., January 12, 1864.

Honorable ROBERT OULD,

Confederate Agent of Exchange Richmond, Va.:

SIR; Will you be so kind as to furnish me with all the information you may be able to obtain concerning William Nelson, now supposed to be a prisoner in your hands!

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

BENJ. F. BUTLER,

Major-General and Commissioner of Exchange.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE GULF,
New Orleans, January 13, 1864.

Major General W. B. FRANKLIN,

Commanding Nineteenth Army Corps:

GENERAL: By direction of brigadier-General Stone, chief of staff, &c., I have the honor to forward to you lists of prisoners captured by the command of Major-General Banks from the command of Major General R. Taylor, and to be embraced in the terms of a cartel lately executed between Major W. M. Levy, commissioner on the part of Major-General Taylor, and myself, on the part of Major-General Banks.

That cartel provides that lists of prisoners shall be furnished by said commissioners, respectively, to each other, and I have the honor to request that you will cause the accompanying lists to be furnished to Major Levy by the first opportunity, under flag of truce, and will receive from major Levy, in return, the lists of the prisoners to be exchanged for them by major-General Taylor.

It will be seen that the greater number of prisoners embraced in the accompanying lists have been sent to Fortress Monroe and New York. Measures have already been taken to procure the return to this department, for exchange, of such of those prisoners as have not already been exchanged or delivered on parole by the authorities to whom they were sent.

You will please communicate this fact to Major Levy, with the lists of prisoners.

I am, general, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,

CHARLES C. DWIGHT,

Colonel, &c.

WASHINGTON, D. C., January 13, 1864.

Honorable EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War:

SIR; The offer of Mr. Silas E. Burrows, by letter to the President of the 31st ultimo, to visit Richmond to effect the liberation of the prisoners of war in rebel hands is very noble, and altogether in character and keeping with the world p wide reputation of Mr. Burrows for benevolence