WASHINGTON, September 30, 1864.

Major General J. G. FOSTER, Hilton Head:

GENERAL: Your confidential letters of the 25th and 26th instant, in regard to our prisoners of war, have been received and forwarded to Lieutenant-General Grant for his information. He has heretofore directed that no prisoners be exchanged except on the field where they were captured and by the generals commanding at the time. Every attempt at special or general exchanges has been met by the enemy with bad faith, our sick and broken-down men being presented in understood that arrangements have been made to exchange for theirs who can be put immediately into the ranks. It is understood that arrangements have been made to exchange an equal number of sick and disabled men on each side.

The Secretary of War has directed that the letters and bills of exchange brought in by Mr. Sawyer and addressed to S. Smith, manager, Bank of Liverpool, be deposited with the Adjutant-General of the Army.

You do not mention by what authority Mr. F. A. Sawyer and family were permitted to pass our lines and come North. The War Department does not sanction such passes unless issued by the Secretary himself. The reason is obvious. the very worst traitors and spies we have in the Northern States are these pretended. "Unionists" of Northern birth, who have assisted the rebellion for the last three years, and who are now permitted to leave the rebel States simply because they can be of more use to them within our lines. Nearly every one permitted to come North is now acting the part of copperhead and traitor and the women are the worst of all.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. W. HALLECK,

Major-General and Chief of Staff.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE JAMES,
September 30, 1864 - 4. 50 p. m.

Major MULFORD:

Come as far as Varina with your prisoner, and without making any attempt to communicate with the enemy report to me in person.

B. F. BUTLER,

Major-General.

[SEPTEMBER 30, 1864. - For Jones to Foster, in relation to supplies for prisoners of war, both Union and Confederate, see Series I, Vol. XXXV, Part II, p. 306.]

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF WEST TENNESSEE,
Memphis, Tenn., September 30, 1864.

Colonel WILLIAM HOFFMAN,

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

COLONEL: There are now confined in Confederate prison at Cahaba, Ala., about 350 prisoners belonging to the Sixteenth Army Corps, a majority of whom were captured on the Sturgis raid. An agent of exchange for the Confederate Government has proposed to exchange these prisoners man for man, the prisoners to be exchanged for to