Rabb, forwarded by Major Guerin, chief commissary of subsistence, and that you furnish to the Federal prisoners at Florence as many of the cooking utensils and cook-sheds as possible or as may be necessary, and to place an active officer of your department at Florence.

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I found them in a very destitute condition; they have been receiving enough to eat, but are entirely without cooking utensils. I would urge the necessity of furnishing them with cooking utensils, or if Florence is to be made a permanent camp,

I would recommend that cook-sheds (say one to every 1,000 men) be erected, and that a large boiler (say thirty gallons with a baking arrangement attached be built under these sheds, and that the cooking be superintended by a man or men to be selected from prisoners. I think a great quantity of meat might be saved by making this arrangement, by feeding them on soup.

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Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JNO F. LAY,

Assistant Adjutant and Inspector General.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF S. CAROLINA, GEORGIA, AND FLORIDA,
Charleston, S. C., September 21, 1864.

Colonel G. P. HARRISON, Commanding at Florence, S. C.:

COLONEL: The major-general commanding desires me to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 20th instant. He finds it out of his power to send you any more troops. You will have to do the best you can with your present force.

The only feasible method of increasing your present force would be by your taking charge of the 6,000 now confined on the race course, Charleston, if you think the stockade large enough to contain that additional number; the guard, consisting of some 600 soldiers, could accompany them.

The Surgeon-General has ordered that the medical officers from Andersonville are to accompany the prisoners and remain with them. Whenever they arrive you must not permit them to leave With an epidemic in this city, it is impossible to spare any medical officer from here.

An engineer officer has been ordered to report to you and the quartermaster has also been ordered to make arrangements.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. W. FEILDEN.

BENNNETSVILLE, S. C., September 21, 1864.

His Excellency M. L. BONHAM,

Governor of the State of South Carolina:

MY DEAR SIR: I do not know whether or not I violate any of the rules of propriety in writing you on the subject I am about introducing to your consideration. If, unfortunately, I should in the smallest degree transcend the limits assigned to the intercourse between the citizens and the chief executive officer of the State, I must beg you to attribute it to anything else than a willingness to trespass on grounds which are not open to general correspondents. Without further preface I will just say that a parcel of the Yankee prisoners, recently escaped from Florence, have just been sent from our jail on their way back, and the sight of