Secretary of War, as he will not grant them. We have a superabundance of female spies among us now.

Very respectfully,

H. W. HALLECK,

Major-General and Chief of Staff.

HDQR. DEPT. OF S. CAROLINA, GEORGIA, AND FLORIDA,

Charleston, S. C., September 23, 1864.

General SAMUEL COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General C. S. Army, Richmond, Va.:

GENERAL: There are now here 8,000 Yankee prisoners, including 1,800 commissioned officers. I had hoped that they were sent hare only temporarily, and that they would soon be removed to some more suitable place. A telegram from you, received yesterday, informed me that Brigadier-General Winder had been directed to take from here to Millen, Ga., as many as he can take care of, but I am not informed that it is in contemplation to remove any of the commissioned officers. I respectfully ask that some other place than this be designated where they can be confined, and that they be sent there with as little delay as possible. Their presence here is a serious embarrassment to me now, and in the event of an attack in force, which I confidently expect, they will still more embarrass and trammel me, and perhaps endanger the city. My force, as, you know, is very small, and I need every man I have and many more to defend the many points exposed to attack. There is, besides, at present an additional and strong reason for their prompt removal. The yellow fever prevails here to a considerable extent, and it was pronounced by the board of health epidemic on the 16th instant, but I requested the mayor not to publish it and it was not done. The medical director of the department informs me that there is every indication that the disease will spread, and the presence of so many unacclimated prisoners, necessarily very much crowded, is calculated to increase it. I respectfully ask that the suggestions I have made be considered and acted on with all convenient dispatch.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

SAM. JONES,

Major-General.

[First indorsement.]

ADJUTANT AND INSPECTOR GENERAL'S OFFICE,

September 28, 1864.

Respectfully submitted to Secretary of War.

By order.

JOHN W. RIELY,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

[Second indorsement.]

OCTOBER 16, 1864.

The prisoners have been removed I understand.

J. A. S.

RICHMOND, VA., September 23, 1864.

Lieutenant C. W. READ, C. S. Navy,

Fort Warren, Boston Harbor:

SIR: Your letter of the 7th instant has been received. It is the distinct understanding of the Confederate authorities that the recent