U. S. agent for the exchange of prisoners, with a suggestion that he should see Mr. Ould and propose an especial exchange in these cases, general exchanging having been stopped for reasons unknown to me. If you desire to forward a letter upon the subject to Richmond I will have it placed in the hands of Mr. Ould. You and your officers are detained in consequence of the authorities at Richmond declining to respond to any action on the part of this Department to effect exchanges.

Neither this paper nor the proposition it embraces ever reached Mr. Ould or this Department. Mr. Ould informs me that some six weeks ago he made a verbal proposition to Major Mulford, an agent for the exchange of prisoners, being precluded from communicating in writing with General Butler to exchange mutually all naval officers and men, and to give an equivalent to whichever side might hold an excess. No notice whatever has been taken of this proposition.

A letter from Mr. Fox, dated the 25th of June last, marked unofficial, and addressed to Captain W. A. Webb, and which has been transmitted to me by Commander Webb, C. S. Navy, contained the following paragraph:

I again repeat, by authority of the Secretary of the Navy, that you and your comrades can be exchanged collectively or individually at any convenient Southern port for naval equivalents; and that you may be convinced that the responsibility of your future detention does not rest with this Department, I am authorized to forward your communication to Mr. Mallory, and if you see fit you can send him a copy of this note.

Regarding this proposition as embracing the exchange of all our naval officers, and as coming with your authority, it is accepted; and I will further propose that it be extended to marines and all others in the naval service. To avoid delay and the possibility of a misunderstanding of any desire for this exchange Lieutenant-Commander Williams is released on his parole to proceed to Washington and deliver this communication.

I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,

S. R. MALLORY,

Secretary of the Navy.

CITY POINT, VA., August 21, 1864-5 p. m.

Honorable EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War:

Please inform General Foster that under no circumstances will he be authorized to make exchange of prisoners of war. Exchanges simply re-enforce the enemy at once, whilst we do not get the benefit of those received for two or three months and lose the majority entirely. I telegraph this from just hearing that some 500 or 600 more prisoners had been sent to General Foster.

U. S. GRANT,

Lieutenant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH,
Hilton Head, S. C., August 21, 1864.

Major General SAM. JONES,

Commanding Confederate Forces in S. Carolina, Georgia, and Florida:

GENERAL: Being credibly informed that the U. S. soldiers prisoners of war at Andersonville, Ga., are dying rapidly for want of the comforts and necessaries of life, I feel anxious to send them such aid as we can. I therefore respectfully ask permission to send at once about ten wagon loads of sanitary stores, and that one or more of the U. S.