the event their homes are, by military necessity, left unprotected by our troops. And while I must confess I place but little faith in rebel pledges, I deemed it a duty to do all I could for the protection of our loyal citizens from rebel annoyances. Hence the adoption of the fifth article. I should be glad to know if, from your experience with the rebel authorities in the matter of exchanges, you think it will be safe for me to send the hostages now held at the North to the rebel lines immediately after their arrival at Knoxville, or should they be kept here until the rebels comply with their part of the agreement by delivering the Union prisoners at our lines? While I desire to be careful not to violate any part of the obligation for which I pledged the faith of our authorities,nor give the rebels the slightest pretext for failing to release the Union citizens from East Tennessee held by them, I do not wish to act otherwise than in strict compliance with the rules you have found it necessary to adopt in exchanging prisoners unless I have the sanction of the Government in so doing. General Vaughn stated that he supposed that the citizens held by the rebels would reach our lines about the middle of December, but to this date I have heard nothing of them. It may be that the destruction of the Virginia and East Tennessee Railroad in the recent raid of General Stoneman has caused delay in delivering them. I will at least hope so, although I cannot but entertain some fears that they will fail to comply strictly with the agreement. I would suggest that Captain Battle be continued in close confinement and in irons at Fort Delaware until Captain Harris is either released or it is certainly known he will be. When Captain Harris was last heard from,about 1st of December, 1864, he was still at Columbia, S. C., and in irons.

I am,general, respectfully, your obedient servant,

S. P. CARTER,

Brigadier General and Provost-Marshal-General of East Tennessee.

HEADQUARTERS 111TH U. S. COLORED INFANTRY,
Nashville, Tenn., January 5, 1865.

Major General B. F. BUTLER,

Commanding Department of East Virginia:

SIR: I have the honor to inform you that I have in my possession a copy of the Mobile Advertiser and Register of October, 1864, which contains a printed order from D. H. Maury, major-general, C. S. Army, giving the names of about 570 of our colored soldiers who belong to the One hundred and sixth, One hundred and tenth, and One hundred and eleventh U. S. Colored Infantry Regiments, and notifying the former owners of said soldiers that they were at that time employed by the engineer department at Mobile, Ala., and for the owners to report and receive the pay due for the soldiers' services. If you desire me to send you the paper which contains the order, or a copy of the order, I will do so.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

O. O. POPPLETON,

Lieutenant and Acting Adjutant, 111th U. S. Colored Infantry.

[Indorsement.]

Respectfully forwarded to Major-General Hitchcock, commissioner of exchange of prisoners.

BENJ. F. BUTLER,

Major-General.