U. S. MILITARY PRISON,

Camp Morton, Indianapolis, November 13, 1864.

Colonel A. A. STEVENS, Commanding Camp Morton:

SIR: I have the honor to submit the following inspection report of the condition of the prisoners of war at this station for the week ending November 12, 1864:

Conduct, very quiet, no attempts to escape; cleanliness, good; state of clothing good, except shirts of which about 500 are required; bedding, good; state of quarters, good condition except some of the roofs, which are being repaired; state of mess-houses, have none; state of kitchen, good condition; food, quality of, first class; food, quantity of, sufficient, being in accordance to orders; water, sufficient; sinks, sufficient and kept clean; police of grounds, owing to extreme wet weather not so thought as when dry; drainage, complete; police of hospital, through; attendance of sick, good; hospital diet, first class; general health of prisoners, good; vigilance of guard, ordinary.

Remarks and suggestions. -I would respectfully suggest that owing to the extreme wet weather during the week it has been impossible to keep the grounds thoroughly policed, and it has also exposed the defects in the roofs of the barracks, which are now undergoing the necessary repairs to put them in as good condition as barracks built as they are can be.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. W. DAVIDSON,

First Lieutenant, Veteran Reserve Corps, Inspecting Officer.

RICHMOND, VA., November 13, 1864.

Honorable JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War:

SIR: In the matter of the accompanying letter of Brigadier General John C. Vaughn* I have the honor to make the following report:

Several month ago a proposition came from General Carter, commanding Federal forces in East Tennessee, for the release or exchange of all non-combatant of that section held by the two belligerents. Upon my recommendation you accepted it, and a commission of officers was appointed, through General Morgan, to carry it out. Our commission met a similar one appointed by the Federal authorities in East Tennessee.

The first act of the Federal commission was to decline any negotiation with respect to such non-combatants as had been indicted for treason in East Tennessee, on the ground that the military jurisdiction had ceased and the parties had been turned over to the civil authorities. This class embraced a majority of our people. Their next proceeding was to produce a partial list of such of our friends as had not been indicted, and propose a special exchange of them, man for man, for the disloyal and traitorous crew whom we held. It was in vain that our commissioner protested that such was neither the spirit nor letter of the proposition tendered by General Carter. The meeting broke up without accomplishing anything further than a mutual promise that each commission would check further instructions and meet at a future day. Our commission reported their proceedings, and you instructed me to direct them to insist upon what was understood to be the original proposition, to wit, the unconditional release on both sides of all political or non-combatant prisoners belonging to East Tennessee, including,

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*See October 26, p. 1046.

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