of our flag or obtaining a short respite from confinement after he had himself obtained from the rebels a special parole. I neither allowed nor disallowed his act in this respect, but left it to the Government to complete or annul such inchoate exchange. I desire to fully carry out the wishes of the Government and respectfully ask whether I am to decline to receive any U. S. officer coming to my lines under a special parole. Permit me to add, that while I trust that all obstacles to a general exchange of our brave officers and men suffering in rebel prisons may be removed, I would respectfully state that special exchanges are liable, according to my experience, to produce discontent among our prisoners and a distrust of the justice of the Government. These, both officers and men, continually ask,passing through my headquarters, that they may be released in the order of their capture.

I am, very respectfully, yours,

J. G. FOSTER,

Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH,
Hilton Head, S. C., September 25, 1864.

Major General H. W. HALLECK, U. S. Army,

Chief of Staff of Armies of United States:

GENERAL: I have received recent information from refugees and deserters respecting our officers and soldiers prisoners of war.

There are now 1,800 officers in Charleston and from 600 to 1,00 in Savannah. Their condition and treatment is tolerable. All the privates have been removed from Andersonville - 6,000 to the "race course," three miles from Charleston; 2,500 to Savannah, and about 20,000 to Florence. The reason for the removal of the privates is said to be the fear of a raid to liberate the prisoners, made from Sherman's army.

All reports unite in describing the condition of the privates as deplorable in the extreme. They are ill-fed, destitute of clothing, and rapidly sickening and dying. those that were brought To Charleston were of the stronger class among them, as none were permitted to come who could not get along without a cane; of these one whole car-load was naked. All, as they passed along the streets, clutched ravenously at the food that many people brought out to them. All tenderness for each other seemed to be blunted by the brutalizing effect of starvation and misery, and the strong would crowd aside the weak in the struggle for food.

Many of these men, about 700 in number, have volunteered to work upon the fortifications in the harbor (Charleston), being induced to do so by promises of better treatment, more food and clothing, and by being told that their Government refuses to exchange them and has abandoned them. These poor fellows, being thus deceived, have accepted these rebel conditions, and are, I am told, many of the, now on Sullivan's Island at work repairing the batteries.

The presence of our prisoners in Charleston in their miserable plight has developed the Union sentiment, which is found to be quite considerable, and aid in the form of clothing, food, and money has been freely given. On the other hand, the vile and cursed secession sentiment has been intensified. The following scene is describe to me: A Union prisoner sinks down on the sidewalk exhausted; a poor woman carries him bread and milk, and while feeding him is accosted by one of the self styled "lady of the better class," with the question, "Feeding him, are