RO. Ould letter June 5, 1863

War Department, Richmond, Va., June 5, 1863.
Lieut. Col. William H. Ludlow, Agent of Exchange.
Sir : You ask me for a frank statement of the reason for the detention of the officers of Streight's command. I will give it to you as I will in every case when you ask it. I think you will find it franker than your answer to my inquiry as to whether you intended to deliver the officers who have heretofore been declared exchanged.
Allegations have been officially received from the highest authority in Alabama charging these officers with grave offenses as well against the laws of that State as the usages of civilized warfare. They are detained until the proper inquiry can be made and the fact ascertained when a determination will be made by the Confederate Government whether they come within the obligations of the cartel as prisoners of war or are to be dealt with as criminals against the laws of war and the State. These men have never been declared exchanged. I believe I have given you a better and certainly a more detailed reason for their detention than you did with reference to Colonel Morehead and other exchanged officers of whom I inquired and about whom all I could learn was that they were confined in Fort Norfolk under recent orders from the Secretary of War.
Respectfully, your obedient servant,
RO. OULD,
Agent of Exchange.

Fort Norfolk Documents

Before 1794, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1802, 1803, 1804, 1805, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 1810, 1811, 1812, 1813, 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864, 1865

Source of Information

55th Congress 3d Session House of Representatives Document No. 311
The War of the Rebellion: A compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.
Published under the direction of the Hon. Russell A. Alger, Secretary of War,
By Col. Fred C. Ainsworth, U.S. Army, Mr. Leslie J. Perry, Civilian Expert, and Mr. Joseph W. Kirkley, Civilian Expert, Board of Publication.
Series II – Volume V
Washington: Government printing office.
1899