session in this city. The sentence was approved by me,with the view of commuting it to confinement and hard labor during the war, which was done day before yesterday.

JOS. HOOKER,

Major-General.

WASHINGTON, D. C., February 7, 1865.

Bvt. Major General M. C.. MEIGS,

Quartermaster-General U. S . Army, Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: I am directed by the lieutenant- general commanding the Army to forward the prisoners of war at Fort Delaware to City Point, and I have therefore the honor to request that a ship that can carry about 1,000 prisoners,with a guard of 200 men, may be ordered to report to the commanding officer at Fort Delaware for this service. There are about 8,000 prisoners at the fort, ad it is possible that all will be transferred to City Point by successive trips of the ship.

There are several thousand prisoners of war to be transferred from the West to Point Lookout or City Point via Baltimore, and I would respectfully suggest that two river steamers be provided for this service. I have notified the chief quartermaster in Baltimore of this movement.

I am,general,very respectfully, your obedient- servant,

W. HOFFMAN,

Bvt. Brigadier General, U. S. Army, Commissary- General of Prisoners.

37 BLEECKER STREET, New York, February 7, 1865.

General STEWART VAN VLIET, Chief Quartermaster, New York:

GENERAL: I have the honor to request that you will, if practicable, permit General W. N. R. Beall, without special requisition in each case, transportation to the several prison depots of the United States for such of the articles enumerated in General Orders, Numbers 299, Adjutant- General;'s Office, December 7, 1864 (inclosed*), as he may from time to time turn over to you, whether such articles may have been purchased by himself or received by flag of truce from Richmond, and that you will forward them to the commanding officers of the prison depots in accordance with the regulations applicable thereto.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. E. PAINE,

Brigadier-General of Volunteers.

QUARTERMASTER'S OFFICE, New York, February 7, 1865.

Brigadier General H. E. PAINE, 37 Bleecker Street, new York:

GENERAL: In reply to your letter of this date, in reference to furnishing transportation without special requisition for such articles as General Beall may desire to send to the various prison depots of the United States, I have to state that I have hitherto invariably done so, and in no case that I am aware of have I called for a special requisition. The only thing I require of General Beall is, that he sends me a list of the boxes and packages,with the mark thereon

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*See Vol. VII, this series, p. 1198.

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