Ulysses S. Grant to H. E. PAINE, U. S. Volunteers, New York, January 15, 1865

City Point, Va., January 15, 1865.

Col. JOHN E. MULFORD, Assistant Agent of Exchange:

COLONEL: The letter of Judge Robert Ould, agent of exchange of Confederate States, of date Richmond, September 12, 1364, in answer to yours of 10th of same month, accepting the proposition made by him, under date of August 22, 1864, that— all prisoners of war on each side be released from confinement (close) or irons, as the case may be, and either placed in the condition of other prisoners of war or sent to their respective homes for their equivalen ts— has been duly referred to me for my consideration and action, and I am of the opinion that the proposition, as made by Judge Ould and accepted by the Government, through you, is just and equally fair and beneficial to both sides. You will therefore communicate to Judge Ould, without delay, that our Government stands by its acceptance of his proposition, heretofore referred to, without excepting from its operations any of the cases proposed by General Butler and referred to in his (Judge Ould’s) letter of September 12; that the parties for whose release said agreement was made shall all be mutually delivered, the party having the excess to receive proper equivalents, and that you are authorized to carry the agreement into immediate effect on our side,

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Lieutenant- General.
Fort LAFAYETTE, New York Harbor, January 15, 1865.
Brig. Gen. H. E. PAINE, U. S. Volunteers, New York:
GENERAL: I have the honor to inclose a slip from the Richmond
Examiner of the 6th instant, which shows that “the cotton has been
shipped from Mobile,” and I presume will be here in a day or so. As