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Jan 18 1863 (Sunday)

Ulysses Grant joins the Mississippi Expeditionary Force near Napoleon, Arkansas. After conferring with Generals Sherman and McClernand and Admiral Porter, Grant orders the expedition to Milliken's Bend for a renewal of the drive on Vicksburg. Grant also informs General Halleck of his plans. "Should Banks pass Port Hudson this force will be ready to cooperate on Vicksburg....What may be necessary to reduce the place I do not yet know, but since the late rains think our troops must get below the city to be used effectively." As he readies his fleet for yet another descent down the Mississippi River, Admiral Porter sends a message to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles containing his thoughts on the upcoming Vicksburg campaign.

UNITED STATES MISSISSIPPI SQUADRON, White River, January 18, 1863. - Hon. GIDEON WELLES, Secretary of the Navy. - SIR: It will be a tedious siege--the first step...toward a successful attack on Vicksburg, which has been made very strong by land and water....The operations of the Navy in the Yazoo are worthy to be ranked amongst the brightest events of the war....The Navy will scarcely ever get credit for these events. They are not brilliant enough to satisfy our impatient people at the North, who know little of the difficulties attending an expedition..., or how much officers and men are exposing themselves, while they wonder why we do not demolish mountains of granite....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, DAVID D. PORTER, Acting Rear-Admiral, Commanding Mississippi Squadron.

Yankee traders in the Mississippi Valley, eyeing the huge profits available to those who can supply cotton to Northern mills, are supplying large amounts of supplies to the Confederate army. "Cump" Sherman has even charged that Cincinnati has "furnished more contraband goods than Charleston." Trading across the lines has become so prevalent that it is now sanctioned by President Davis and Secretary of War James Seddon.

WAR DEPARTMENT, C. S. A., Richmond, Va., January 18, 1863. - Lieut. Gen. J. C. PEMBERTON, General commanding, &c.: - SIR: The President...has communicated to me the apprehension entertained by you that recent contracts made by this Department..., expecting to fulfill them by supplies illicitly drawn from within the Federal lines, had caused already...unlawful trading with the enemy....The contracts were...made reluctantly, but under a strong conviction of the necessity of resorting to such means of obtaining adequate supplies, especially of shoes and blankets, for the army....Resolving that the armies were to be maintained in comfort and efficiency at any cost or sacrifice, I embraced...irregular modes of supply as the only resource....I very much fear...it will be absolutely necessary for the subsistence of the army that contracts for the supply of meat (bacon and pork) of a similar character must be entered into if they can still be made available, to a considerable amount....With high consideration and esteem, very respectfully, J. A. SEDDON.

Seeking to reap some of the rewards of his conquest of the Post of Arkansas, John McClernand sends Brigadier-General Willis Gorman, with two gunboats, up the White River to wreck the railroad terminal at De Vall's Bluff. After completing the mission successfully, Gorman remarks, "If it were possible for me to get cavalry across this low, marshy country to...Little Rock, I would start them at once; but his is utterly impracticable at present."

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF EASTERN ARKANSAS, Devall's Bluff, January 18, 1863. - Maj. Gen. SAMUEL R. CURTIS, Commanding Department of the Missouri. - GENERAL: Our approach was sudden and rapid, and on arriving in sight two companies of infantry, who were here busily engaged in getting...two large [8 inch] guns on the cars, ran at once and scattered into the woods....I started a gunboat and some infantry early this morning up the river to Des Arc, where I hope to capture a train engaged in transporting supplies to Little Rock....I am, general, very truly, your obedient servant, W. A. GORMAN, Brigadier-General, Commanding.

Ambrose Burnside makes final preparations for the Army of the Potomac's upcoming crossing of the Rappahannock River. As they wait for their final orders, Generals Franklin and Hooker are informed that, "If any movement is made in the direction of United States Ford, it will be simply a feint, with a view to an actual move in another direction." Across the river, "Old Pete" Longstreet continues to school Thomas J. Jackson in the art of designing traverse trenches.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, January 18, 1863. - Lieut. Gen. THOMAS J. JACKSON, Commanding Second Corps: It occurred to me that we might protect our men along your line of rifle trenches from the flank fire of the batteries that the enemy might place on your right, by good traverses for that purpose, with a good traverse on the right flank of each pit. I think the men might be perfectly secure from any fire from that direction, particularly as it seems that the enemy could not use the battery against our right flank after he began to cross his troops; and as our sharpshooters would not be wanted in action, until he began to cross his troops, they could keep the shelter close under the traverses....I am almost convinced that the enemy will not make another effort against our line before spring. The relative condition of the two armies would not warrant any such effort on his part. Our line is stronger now than it was when he advanced before....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, JAMES LONGSTREET, Lieutenant-General, Commanding.


[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Jan 19 1863 (Monday)

Robert E. Lee suspects that the Army of the Potomac may be awakening from it's midwinter slumber. "Everything...seems to indicate a movement, and I believe that their army...has been re-enforced." While Lee is confident that he can hold off any Union attack, lack of winter clothing continues to be a significant problem. When the condition of General Hay's brigade is brought to his attention, Secretary of War James Seddon demands, "What is the explanation...? Find out where the fault is, and let me know, for such complaints..., if well founded, must..., be remedied."

HEADQUARTERS HAYS' BRIGADE, January 19, 1863. - Hon. JOHN PERKINS, Jr., Richmond: - DEAR SIR: Among 1,500 men reported for duty, there are 400 totally without covering of any kind for their feet....There are a large number of men who have not a single blanket. There are some without a particle of under-clothing, having neither shirts, drawers, nor socks; while overcoats, from their rarity, are objects of curiosity....This is a condition of affairs that demands...some tremendous effort for its amelioration....This destitution in the way of clothing...is not compensated by close shelter and abundant food, for the troops have no tents, and are almost totally unprovided with cooking utensils for the petty rations they receive....It is so sickening to move among our men in discharge of my duties as brigade inspector..., and see the agony they endure in this bitter cold weather, that I can refrain no longer from trying any and every expedient that holds out, however faint, a promise of bringing relief. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN H. NEW, Assistant Adjutant-General, Hays' Brigade.

In the wake of the Wisconsin Supreme Court's decision that the President does not have the power to suspend habeas corpus, War Department Special Counsel T.O. Howe recommends that the prisoners, being denied habeas corpus, be released pending a formal hearing on the matter. "I think the record in the habeas corpus cases will answer. We have agreed to argue the motion for writ for error on Friday, the 30th."

WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, January 19, 1863. -Hon. T. O. HOWE, Madison, Wis.: General Elliott is authorized to parole the prisoners if you so advise, and to do whatsoever you as counsel of the United States may deem proper to be done upon the subject. Please show him this telegram. EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.

The growing polarization between Radical Republicans and Peace Democrats, also known as Copperheads, has been further exacerbated by Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Ohio's Democratic Congressman Samuel S. Cox warns that soldiers from his state won't fight "if the result shall be flight and movement of the black race by millions northward." Attempts by several entrepreneurs to bring freed blacks north sparks rioting and violence in southern Indiana and in Cincinnati, Ohio.

WASHINGTON, January 19, 1863. - Major-General GRANT, Memphis, Tenn.: I am directed by the Secretary of War to say that if you have ordered the shipment of negroes from the slave States to Cincinnati, you will countermand the order. H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief.





[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Jan 20 1863 (Tuesday)

Ambrose Burnside's army is finally on the march. "Your place of crossing will be at a point just above Bank's Ford....This division will assist in getting the pontoons down to the river..., and will then be thrown across the river in pontoons with a view to holding the opposite bank while the bridges are being built." Even as they prepare for battle, Generals William B. Franklin and "Baldy" Smith continue to complain about Burnside's plan. Colonel Charles Wainwright is sure that Franklin "has completely demoralized his whole command, and so rendered failure double sure....He certainly deserves to be broken. Smith and they say Hooker are almost as bad." Although heavy rains slow the march, "Old Burn" is confident he can cross the river and turn Robert E. Lee's left flank.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC. - January 20, 1863--10.45 p.m. - Major-General HOOKER, Commanding Center Grand Division: - GENERAL: If you succeed in crossing your command at the designated place: You will, if possible, seize the heights upon which Decker's house is situated, occupying at the same time the wooded ground above it. The bridge over Mott Run...should be secured as early as possible, and held either under the guns of the battery or by an infantry force. You will readily see the importance of securing this bridge, as it will be the only rapid means of communication between yourself and General Franklin. These two points having been occupied, you will extend your command as much to the right and front as possible....I need not say to you that this attack upon the enemy should be a vigorous one....I will send you a guide before you commence your movement across the river to-morrow morning. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, A. E. BURNSIDE, Major-General, Commanding.

The supply of meat is so low that Commissary-General Lucius B. Northrup, "the most cussed and vilified man in the Confederacy," orders that extra sugar be issued to the troops in place of salted meat. Congressmen Henry S. Foote charges that Northrop, who believes in a vegetarian diet, hopes to "make the army into vegetarians like himself." Lee offers a plan to trade the sugar to nearby residents for bacon, but is denied by Northrup. "It is not proposed by this Bureau to diminish its supplies...by barter; it is better to use the sugar, and to impress all the bacon than can be found."

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, January 20, 1863. - Hon. JAMES A. SEDDON, Secretary of War: - SIR: The chief commissary of this army...proposes to exchange with citizens of the adjacent counties sugar for bacon, or other meat, to be issued to the troops in lieu of the sugar now proposed as a component part of the ration....They now have to pay $1.25 per pound for sugar, and bacon costs 35 cents per pound. If we could exchange one pound of sugar for two of bacon, even, it would be a saving to the Government and a gain to the army....By offering sugar in small quantities at a time, many thousand pounds of bacon can be obtained from that county alone. I have the honor to be, with great respect, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

"Sam" Grant returns to Memphis, Tennessee, from his trip down the Mississippi. Continuing his crusade against John McClernand, Grant informs Henry Halleck that, "I found there was not sufficient confidence felt in General McClernand as a commander, either by the Army or Navy, to insure him success....This is a matter I made no inquiries about, but it was forced upon me." Using this rationale, Grant decides to take command of the Vicksburg expedition in person. "I want you to know that others...agree in the necessity of the course I...[am] pursuing."

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE TENNESSEE, Memphis, Tenn., January 20, 1863. - General H. W. HALLECK, General-in-Chief, Washington, D. C.: I returned here last night from a visit to the expedition under General McClernand. I had a conversation with Admiral Porter, General McClernand, and General Sherman. The former and latter..., agree that the work of reducing Vicksburg is one of time, and will require a large force at the final struggle....But for the intolerable rains that we have had, and which have filled the swamps and bayous so that they cannot dry up again this winter, a landing might be effected at Milliken's Bend, and roads constructed through to the Yazoo...or Haynes Bluff, and the enemy's works turned from that point....U.S. GRANT, Major-General.



[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Jan 21 1863 (Wednesday)

The long overdue winter rains beat down upon the Army of the Potomac, turning the roadways in Northern Virginia to mud. "The whole country was an ocean of mud....The roads were rivers of deep mire, and the heavy rain...made the ground a vast mortar bed." Six-mule teams, pulling the pontoon trains, are doubled and then tripled to no avail; cannons require entire regiments to pull through the muck, and still sink up to their muzzles when the men stop for a rest. Chief Engineer Daniel Woodbury is incapable of getting the pontoons into position. "Before the rain began, we had every prospect of being able to throw three bridges over at daylight. The rain has...changed out condition entirely.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, January 21, 1863- 11 p.m. - Major-general HALLECK. - GENERAL: I moved the greater portion of the command, with a view to crossing above, but, owing to the severe storm which began after the concerted movement commenced, we have been so much delayed that the enemy has discovered our design. The roads are almost impassable, and the small streams are very much swollen. I shall try not to run any unnecessary risks. It is most likely that we will have to change the plan. A. E. BURNSIDE, Major-general, Commanding.

Fresh from his victory at Galveston, "Prince John" Magruder launches another successful attack on the naval blockading force. Once again using cotton-clad steamers, Magruder's men surprise and capture the sloop of war Morning Light, and the schooner Velocity, near Sabine Pass. They also capture eleven guns, and more than a hundred seamen. "We met the enemy this morning in the Gulf of Mexico. We whipped them....I fought them ten guns to our one."

HDQRS. DIST. OF TEXAS, NEW MEXICO, AND ARIZONA, Houston, Tex., January 24, 1863. - General S. COOPER, Richmond, Va. - SIR: Sabine Pass has been cleared of the enemy....Our boats pursued the enemy 30 miles at sea, during which time a running fight was kept up. Finally, getting them under fire of our Enfield rifles, they surrendered, and never turned back the Pass. This expedition was under command of Maj. O. M. Watkins, of my staff, and was fitted out under my orders....Major Watkins reports that he captured thirteen heavy guns, 129 prisoners, and $100,000 worth of stores....Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. BANKHEAD MAGRUDER, Major-general, Commanding.

King Cotton is, once again, emerging as the dominating force in the deep South. Many cotton planters, "who were so early and furiously in the field for secession," are now raising cotton in partnership with "Yankee protectors, and shipping it to Yankee markets." This "shameless moral turpitude...inflicts a heavy injury upon the general cause of the South, which is forsaken by these apostates." Many on the Union side, are equally incapable of ignoring the opportunity for making a fortune on the illegal cotton trade.

MEMPHIS, January 21, 1863. - Mr. STANTON: - DEAR SIR: The mania for sudden fortunes made in cotton..., has to an alarming extent corrupted and demoralized the army. Every colonel, captain, or quartermaster is in secret partnership with some operator in cotton; every soldier dreams of adding a bale of cotton to his monthly pay. I had no conception of the extent of this evil until I came and saw for myself....Plenty of cotton is brought in from beyond our lines, especially by the agency of Jewish traders, who pay for it ostensibly in Treasury notes, but really in gold....I...implore you to put an end to an evil so enormous, so insidious, and so full of peril to the country....Yours, faithfully, CHARLES A. DANA.



[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]

Jan 22 1863 (Thursday)

Bowing to the inevitable, Ambrose Burnside considers abandoning his plan. Seeking permission, "Old Burn" sends a message to Henry Halleck. "I am very anxious to see you. Can you come down, or shall I come up for an hour?" With his men stuck in the mud, Joe Hooker is convinced that the army should return to Falmouth. "The road will have to be corduroyed before even provisions can be hauled over." Commenting to a reporter, "Fighting Joe" is even more critical. He declares that the Lincoln administration is "all played out." What this country needs, Hooker says, is a "dictator." Finally, Burnside relents and calls off the horrible mud march. The only task remaining for the exhausted rain-soaked troopers is to retrace their steps, through the mud back to their original camps.

HEADQUARTERS CENTER GRAND DIVISION, January 22, 1863. - General WOODBURY: - GENERAL: General Burnside wished me to say to you that the whole army will move back to their old camp (probably commence the movement to-morrow a.m.), and that he wished the pontoon and bridge train moved to one side of the roads, placing the bateaux on skids, &c...., that the train may not be frozen in the mud....Respectfully, &c., N. BOWEN, First Lieutenant Topographical Engineers.

Reiterating his message, sent yesterday, to Joe Johnston, "I wish you, with the least delay, to proceed to the headquarters of General Bragg's army," Jefferson Davis writes a letter to Johnston asking him to investigate the condition of Bragg and his army. The call to Johnston is in response to Bragg's circular to his generals. "Why General Bragg should have selected that tribunal, and have invited its judgment upon him, is to me unexplained; it manifests, however, a condition of things which seems to be to require your presence." Bishop Polk adds his opinion to the mix. "The best thing to be done...would be to give...[the] command to General Joseph E. Johnston. He will cure all discontent and inspire the army with new life and confidence."

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, C. S. A., Richmond Va., January 22, 1863. - General JOSEPH E. JOHNSTON, Commanding, Chattanooga, Tenn.: - GENERAL: I desire that you will proceed promptly to the headquarters of General Bragg's army...Events...have led to criticisms upon the conduct of General Bragg, which induced him to call upon commanders of corps for an expression of opinion, and for information as to the feeling in their commands in regard to the conduct of General Bragg, and also whether he had so far lost the confidence of the army as to impair his usefulness in his present position. The answers, I am informed..., are so far indicative of a want of confidence, such as is essential to success....Though my confidence in General Bragg is unshaken, it cannot be doubted that if he is distrusted by his officers and troops, a disaster may result....You will, I trust, be able...to decide what the best interests of the service require, and to give me the advice which I need at this juncture....Very respectfully and truly, yours, JEFFERSON DAVIS.


[Sunday] [Monday] [Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
Jan 23 1863 (Friday)

Fighting the same elements that have halted his army, Ambrose Burnside makes his way to Washington for a meeting with the President. He has already forwarded his reasons ordering the Army of the Potomac back to camp. "The severe storm that set in...prevented their [pontoons] arrival at the appointed times....We used every exertion...to get them into proper positions. It was quite apparent...that the enemy had discovered our movement, and had commenced their preparations to meet us....I have, therefore, in accordance with the best judgment I can form, ordered the troops into their original positions, which, I hope will be satisfactory." However, Ambrose Burnside is not going to Washington to discuss the failure of the mud march. "Old Burn" has bigger fish to fry and their names are Hooker, Franklin, Cochrane, Brooks, Sturgis, Smith, Newton, and Ferrero. These are the generals that Burnside has decided must go if he is to remain as commander of the Army of the Potomac. After sending the President an urgent message, "I have prepared some very important orders. And I would like to see you before issuing them," Burnside is ready to give Abraham Lincoln an ultimatum. Either these insubordinate generals are relieved of their command, or Burnside must be relieved of his.

GENERAL ORDERS, No. 8. - HDQRS. ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, January 23, 1863: General Joseph Hooker, major-general of volunteers..., having been guilty of unjust and unnecessary criticisms of the actions of his superior officers..., and having, by the general tone of his conversation, endeavored to create distrust in the minds of officers who have associated with him, and having..., made reports and statements which were calculated to create incorrect impressions, and for habitually speaking in disparaging terms of other officers, is hereby dismissed from the service of the United States as a man unfit to hold an important commission during a crisis like the present....This order is issued subject to the approval of the President of the United States....Brig. Gen. W. T. H. Brooks..., for complaining of the policy of the Government, and for using language tending to demoralize his command, is, subject to the approval of the President, dismissed from the military service of the United States...Brig. Gen. John Newton..., and Brig. Gen. John Cochrane..., for going to the President of the United States with criticisms upon the plans of their commanding officer, are, subject to the approval of the President, dismissed from the military service of the United States....It being evident that the following named officers can be of no further service to this army, they are hereby relieved from duty, and will report...to the Adjutant General, U.S. Army: Maj. Gen. W. B. Franklin...; Maj. Gen. W. F Smith...; Brig. Gen. Samuel D Sturgis...; Brig. Gen. Edward Ferrero...; Brig. Gen. John Cochrane...; Lieut. Col. J. H. Taylor, assistant adjutant-general...By command of Maj. Gen. A. E. Burnside: LEWIS RICHMOND, Assistant Adjutant-General.

William Rosecrans' efforts to procure transports with bullet-proof boilers and pilot-houses ends in failure. Chief Quartermaster Montgomery Meigs explains, "The Navy employs all the workmen, buys all the iron, and all the boats....For the Army to enter the market would only delay them in preparing those they have in hand." "Old Rosy, suffering from "lung fever," needs to protect his river based supply line from the Confederate cavalry which is still harassing Union transports on the Cumberland River. "Something must be done to clean out the rebels at the Shoals. There is a large force there, and will burn every fleet we send down the river." Seeking relief, "Old Rosy" turns to the Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles.

NAVY DEPARTMENT, January 23, 1863. - Capt. A.M. PENNOCK, Senior Naval Officer, Cairo, Ill.: It is imperative that more gunboats should be sent in the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers to protect the transports. Send a steamer immediately, with this telegram, to Admiral Porter....GIDEON WELLES, Secretary of the Navy.

With the mud swallowing up General Burnside's army, Robert E. Lee turns his attention back to the care and feeding of his own army. "The Yankees say that we have a new gen'l in command of our army & say his name is General Starvation." Hindering the flow of supply to the Army of Northern Virginia is the superintendent of the R.F. & P. Railroad, Pennsylvania born Samuel Roth, who is "giving as little support to the Confederacy" as is possible.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA, January 23, 1863. - His Excellency President JEFFERSON DAVIS: - Mr. PRESIDENT: Unless regular supplies can be obtained, I fear the efficiency of the army will be reduced by many thousand men, when already the army is far inferior in numbers to that of the enemy....Great delay in the running of the freight trains has been reported to me, which could be avoided by zeal and energy on the part of the agents....I have the honor to be, with great respect, your obedient servant, R. E. LEE, General.

The railroad system in the entire Confederacy is growing progressively worse, "with broken rails, flat wheels, rotten crossties, wheezy old powerless engines, and ramshackle cars," the speed of trains has slowed to "a snail's pace." Trains that were averaging twenty-five miles an hour in 1861 are now making only ten miles an hour and the lack of equipment and repair facilities threaten to make the situation much worse.

OFFICE MISSISSIPPI CENTRAL RAILROAD COMPANY, Grenada, January 23, 1863. - Hon. J. A. SEDDON, Secretary of War, Richmond: - DEAR SIR: I find it almost impossible...to keep our road and its equipments in repair and running order. We are in great need of all materials used in repairs and construction. One-half of our engines are now useless for the want of materials to repair them; our cars are in a dilapidated condition and cannot be repaired from the same cause; a considerable quantity of the rails on our road have been permanently injured by our own army and that of the enemy. All of our workshops and many of our passenger and freight houses have been burned by direction of our military authorities. Unless we can procure articles necessary for the repairs of our road and equipments, I do not see how our road is to be kept in running order for more than six months longer.....It will require an expenditure of $500,000 to put our road and its equipments in as good repair as it was one year ago. I am, with respect, your obedient servant, W. GOODMAN, President.



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Jan 24 1863 (Saturday)

General Pemberton's scouts report that the "enemy is endeavoring to get below Vicksburg." He quickly orders "all steamboats in the Mississippi River between Vicksburg and Port Hudson...[to] pass up the Red River." Pemberton's plans are aided by the recovery of a Union colonel's memoranda book. "On 18th Grant arrived. Told McClernand Vicksburg must be taken; if necessary, would send his entire force. A special order orders opening the canal. Main force is now encamped along it." The soldiers working on the canal belong to "Cump" Sherman. Unfortunately, high water and unrelenting rains force his army to camp atop the levees. An unhappy Sherman complains, "If this rain lasts much longer we will not need a canal. I think the whole point will disappear, troops and all, in which case the gunboats will have the field to themselves."

HEADQUARTERS FIFTEENTH ARMY CORPS, Camp, January 24, 1863. - Major-General MCCLERNAND, Comdg. Mississippi Expedition : - SIR: I have just ridden my line. General Stuart's division occupies the line of the canal, and is at work widening the canal 9 feet and throwing up the earth on this side, to make a parapet and to prevent an overflow. They are also shoveling down the earth on the other side of the canal, so, if it fills, it will overflow the other side first. About 2 feet of water is in the canal now, and moving at a current about the same as the main river. With our tools, we cannot attempt much more....I have never seen men work more grudgingly, and I have endeavored to stimulate them by all means....Very heavy snow and rains have fallen above us, and floods will come pouring down from White, Arkansas, and may be the Ohio in the next ten days, and may drown us out....I am, &c., your obedient servant, W. T. SHERMAN.

Lieutenant-Colonel William Ludlow prepares for the arrival of the 5,000 Confederate soldiers captured at Arkansas Post. For privates, the exchange cartel is still in operation. However, President Davis' recent proclamation may interfere with the parole and exchange of captured officers.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF VIRGINIA, Fort Monroe, January 24, 1863. - Col. W. HOFFMAN, Commissary-General of Prisoners. - COLONEL: Will you please inform me how many commissioned officers there are among them...? You are aware that the Confederate authorities have refused to release our captured officers on parole and intend to hand over to...the States where captured all taken after the 12th....This latter intention indicated by Jeff. Davis...is now under debate in the Confederate Congress, but I have no doubt that it will be carried out....I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, WM. H. LUDLOW, Lieutenant-Colonel and Agent for the Exchange of Prisoners.

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