be placed under parole to go no farther than City Point, unless accepted and exchanged on the other side.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

E. A. HITCHCOCK,

Major General of Vols., Commissioner for Exchange of Prisoners.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Washington, D. C., February 22, 1864.

Colonel E. D. TOWNSEND,

Assistant Adjutant-General, Washington, D. C.:

COLONEL: Lieutenant Colonel H. C. Hobart, Twenty-first Wisconsin Volunteers, and Colonel J. F. Boyd, assistant quartermaster, have just reported to me as escaped from Richmond, and, by direction of the Secretary of War, I have the honor to request that the former may be ordered to join his regiment, with permission t delay en route thirty days, and that the latter may be ordered to report at such station as he may be assigned to by the Quartermaster-General, with the authority to delay.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

W. HOFFMAN,

Commissary-General of Prisoners.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE MISSOURI,
OFFICE OF PROVOST-MARSHAL-GENERAL,

Saint Louis, Mo., February 22, 1864.

Colonel W. HOFFMAN,

Commissary-General of Prisoners, Washington, D. C.:

COLONEL: I have the honor to report that I have made a thorough inspection of the military prisons in this city, a detailed report of which I forward herewith. As Lieutenant-Colonel Marsh, acting assistant provost-marshal-general, accompanied me on my inspection, when I called his attention to such necessary reforms as came under his jurisdiction, and as the sanitary reforms required are only such as may be readily perceived by an energetic and capable medical officer, and such I understand Surgeon Bred to be, I have not deemed it necessary to give any written instructions on the subject, being only careful to draw the attention of both these officers to the necessary points. Benton Barracks I did not visit, they being now occupied by Federal troops. Would it not be practicable to transfer these prisoners to Benton Barracks? A portion of that camp could be readily prepared to receive them, and would not require a much greater guard than is now employed. Neither of the buildings now in use are well adopted to their purpose. The main building of the Gratiot Street Prison might be retained for sentenced prisoners, or still better, retain the penitentiary at Alton for such prisoners, and dispose of the remainder among the other prison camps. I ask pardon, colonel, if, in presuming to offer these suggestions, I exceed my duty. There being a prospect of Alton being placed within General Rosecrans' department, he has requested me to furnish him with an abstract of my report on the condition of that post, and also with the same in reference to this post. I shall leave to-morrow morning for Rock Island, stopping at Chicago to obtain any communication which may be there awaiting me from your office.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

A. M. CLARK,

Surgeon and Acting Medical Inspector of Prisoners of War.