of war, and suggesting that a favorable answer would remove "a principal difficulty in infecting exchanges. " My own firm conviction is that even if we were to agree to the unjust demands of the enemy in this respect we would not secure a general exchange. While the reason for their refusal is more truly stated in the letter of General Sherman to General Hood, yet I think it very doubtful whether they would agree to a general exchange, even if we consented to treat recaptured slaves as prisoners of war and delivered those whose term of service had not expire. I am satisfied their course is the result of a conviction forced upon them by the events of the war-that a Confederate soldier is more valuable than a Federal authorities by the friends and relatives of the prisoners held by us may force a change of policy.

I cannot state with any certainty the relative proportion of prisoners respectively held by the two Governments. The Federal authorities have as yet failed to furnish me with any reliable lists, although often promising to do so. They hold an excess of officers, and I think I can safely assert we have an excess of rank and file.

Lately I have consummated an arrangement for the release and exchange of all naval prisoners. A partial delivery has already been made and another is daily expected, which will fully carry out the agreement. Some deliveries and exchanges have also taken place in the trans-Mississippi country, though the agents of this office. They will probably again occur whenever the enemy has any prisoners in that region to give as equivalents. An error respecting special exchanges seems to prevail both amongst our people and captive soldiers. The Federal authorities, with a malignity congenial to them, in the hope of causing irritation of the part of our prisoners toward their Government, have basely and falsely represented to them that special exchange in any sense of the term. If the officers and soldiers sent to us had been specially asked for, or if their return had been caused by any special action of the Confederate authorities in their individual cases, there would have been ground for the belief that special exchanges were being made. the efforts of the Government have been directed to the release of all our prisoners, without any discrimination in favor of particular persons. to have pursued any other plan would not only have showed partiality and favoritism, where all have tried to do their duty faithfully, but would have given to the enemy the opportunity of making selections from their own prisoners have been considered as occupying the same position and each one on his return has been received with as much welcome as any other. I repeat, therefore, that no special efforts have been used to secure the release or exchange of particular persons, and every line of policy which would but any one of our prisoners in a more