Gettysburgh Pa Dec. 5^th 1863           

 

Sir,

            I have just received your communication stating that you were "instructed by the Act. Surg. General to call my attention to a letter written by me to the Commissary General of Prisoners".

 

            The rolls alluded to in my letter were sent by Express several days ago.

 

            I am not aware of any "persistent delay" in forwarding reports to Col Hoffman. About the 10^th of August I received some blank Muster rolls of prisoners; Lists of those remaining were immediately made out and sent to Washington.

 

            All the prisoners sent off by me previously (as well as subsequently except two or three car loads of seventy wounded) were turned over to the Provost Marshall and duplicate lists given him, which he promised to forward to the Commissary General.

 

            Col. Alleman 35^th Pa In., at that time commandant of the Post sent off a large number without giving me notice. He would send detachments from his regiment to the various hospitals in the country, some fifty in number, and collecting the wounded confederates able to travel, as well as many of the nurses, he would send them off without my knowledge. When he and the Provost Marshall his Lieut. Col. were relieved on the 8^th of August, they left no records for their successors.

 

            Since the blank forms were furnished me monthly returns have been regularly made. In the first return a mistake occurred which was subsequently corrected.

 

            Since coming here I have had no clerks except privates / taken from the ranks, none of whom had any knowledge whatever of the reports or other papers of the office consequently they are rather slow in transacting business and not infallible.

 

            I wrote Capt. Hartz in answer Col. Hoffman in answer to a letter from Capt Hartz that if he wished I would have the clerks copy our register of prisoners as soon as they finished the Muster rolls and pay accounts. When the pay accounts 1500 in number were made out the clerks went to work on the rolls. At that time we were sending off the patients and property and the clerks were liable to continual interruptions so that it was a considerable time before the rolls were completed.

 

            If the Provost Marshall had not promised to forward the lists which I furnished him for Col Hoffman I should have sent on a copy of our register a long time ago.

                                                                                   

Respectfully your obt servt

 Henry Janes Surg USV

 

Surg Jos Sampson Med. Direct.                                

 

[endorsement]

 

[note: P.O.W's Gettysburg]

Gettysburgh Pa. Dec. 5^th, 1863

Henry Janes Surg U.S.V.

 

Letter to J. Sampson Med.

Direct Baltimore in relation

to reports to Com Gen.

of Prisoners

SOURCES