Second. A similar field return of the prisoners of war under his charge.

Third. A list of all prisoners who have been received, sent off, escaped, or died since the last return.

Fourth and fifth. Rolls of officers and detailed men on duty similar to those called for in the preceding paragraphs, numbers 2 and 3.

III. Whenever any prisoner escapes the officers from whose command he may have escaped will at once furnish to these headquarters a descriptive roll of all the circumstances attending the escape, and designating the party through whose neglect it occurred, with a view to holding him to a strict responsibility for his offense.

IV. The rolls of Federal prisoners called for in paragraph I and II will not be required to include prisoners temporarily received in transitu who have been already taken upon the registry of another prison; commanding officers will however make special reports of all prisoners who have escaped while en route.

By order of W. M. Gardner, brigadier-general:

WM. G. BARTH,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Washington, D. C., March 23, 1865.

Lieutenant General U. S. GRANT,

Commanding U. S. Armies, City Point, Va.:

GENERAL: I have the honor to report that I have to-day furnished with an authenticated copy of the proceedings of a military commission which sentenced Walter H. Pierson to be confined at Fort Delaware during the war. From these proceedings it appears that he was at the time of his capture, in June, 1863, a private in Company H, First Maryland Artillery, rebel Army, and understanding your recent instructions in regard to prisoners of war of this class as requiring all held under such circumstances to be forwarded for exchange, I have directed that Pierson shall be sent to City Point with the first party from Fort Delaware. He is not confined in a cell nor is he in irons, but he is held in close confinement as prisoners under sentence usually are, and not as a prisoner of war. He has heretofore been reported as a citizen prisoners.

I understand your instructions to cover all prisoners of war, no citizens, who at the time of the agreement under sentence, or held under any special confinement, not as other prisoners of war. Some were in close confinement, not in cells, nor in irons, waiting trial, some were waiting sentence, some were under sentence but were not in irons nor in cells, other were under sentence and wearing ball and chain. All these classes I have considered to come within the spirit of your instructions, but to guard against misunderstanding I have directed that a history of each case should be sent with the rolls to City Point, so that the propriety of delivery might be decided on there.

I presume it is desirable that Mr. Ould should have no pretext for holding Union soldiers in special confinement on the plea that men of the rebel Army are not released according to agreement.

I will report in relation to the cases referred by Mr. Ould as soon as I have obtained the necessary information.

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

W. HOFFMAN,

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