truce rode up to the outpost before Jacksonville, delivered a letter, and rode off. Brigadier-General Vogdes, commanding District of Florida, being absent from the post, I opened the letter and found it contained a simple announcement that about 3,200 paroled prisoners were on their way to our lines, and requested that transportation should be sent for about 300 sick. Shortly after they commenced to arrive in crowds, and continued coming in all the next day. They said the guard had left them about ten miles from our lines. I sent out all available wagons and a railroad train for the sick, and made the best arrangementsin my power for the comfort of the whole.

On the 30th of April Major Thompson, provost-marshal-general, Department of the South, arrived at Jacksonville, and under orders from General Gillmore took charge of the prisoners. He attended to the making of rolls and conveying the men North. Some men belonging to the Seventeenth Connecticut Volunteers, to Seventy-fifth Ohio Volunteers, and to One hundred and seventh Ohio Volunteers were permitted to remain with their regiments, then stationed in the District of Florida. All the sick able to bear transportation have since been removed.

I respectfully refer you to Major Thompson, provost-marshal-general, Department of the South, for more detailed information as to the particulars of their being paroled, and to Surgeon Applegate, chief medical officer, District of Florida, for the names of any who may have been detained at Jacksonville from sickness.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

B. C. TILGHMAN,

Colonel Third U. S. Colored Troops, Bvt. Brigadier General, U. S. Vols.

[Indorsement.]

OFFICE COMMISSARY-GENERAL OF PRISONERS,

Washington, D. C., June 15, 1865.

Respectfully submitted to Lieutenant General U. S. Grant, commanding U. S. Army.

From the within report it appears that the paroled prisoners heretofore reported by this office as having arrived at Annapolis from Jacksonville, Fla., were taken charge of at Jacksonville, Fla., by major Thompson, provost-marshal-general, Department of the South; that most of them were forwarded by him to Annapolis, and that he permitted some of them, though on parole, to join their regiments. Major Thompson has up to this time furnished no roll of the prisoners received by him, nor has he made any report of the disposition which he made of them. He seems to have been aware of the order regarding paroled prisoners to be sent to Annapolis, but, notwithstanding, he allowed some of them, in violation of that order, to join their regiments. It is impossible that this office can account promptly for paroled troops if officers who receive them are so negligent in the performance of their duty as Major Thompson has been in this case. Other reports received in this office show that there were fifty to sixty of these prisoners then remaining at Jacksonville, Fla.

Major-General Gillmore, commanding Department of the South, has been requested to order the paroled men who joined their regiments to be sent to Camp Parole, near Annapolis.

W. HOFFMAN,

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