J. Heopelana to William Hoffman

(copy)

B

H'd Quarters Military Station

Alton Ill May 14th 1864

Col. Wm Hoffman

Com'y Gen'l Pris

Washington D.C.

Col.

I respectfully acknowledge the receipt of your communication enclosing copies of instructions, issued from time to time, from your office to Col. Wm Weer, 10th Kan. Vols. late commanding this Post and requesting a report of the conditions in which I found the records of this Post.

I have to report that I arrived here on the 26th of April, and on the 27th I assumed command and made an inspection of the Prison, Offices, Quarters, and Hospital and I have since that time, more leisurely and thoroughly inspected all that pertains to the Post.

I find the Prison in bad repair and police -- the Prison hospital-roof leaking so badly as to make it almost uninhabitable, and the wall, on the north side weak and tottering. On a representation of these facts to the Com'd'g Officer

of the Dept. of the Missouri, he instructed the Chief Quartermaster of the Dept to have the necessary repairs made, and the work has been promptly commenced.

The Quartermaster and Commissary Depts of the Post are conducted in a satisfactory manner.

The records at the Prison, and at the Head Quarters were in a most confused and defective state; at the Prison, one book which has been used by successive Commanding Offices, purposes to contain a list of all the prisoners who have been received at the Prison with their description and what became of them. It contains the names of many not here now, and yet does not record the final disposition made of them.

Many who have been in Prison are not recorded at all, and there are some still in the Prison whose names do not correspond with the records, or are not recorded.

I have directed new record books to be started, one for each class of prisoners; which will contain all that I found in Prison when I took command.

and all received by me since -- and from the old record books, I will do the best possible to give all information that may be required.

Retained copies of rolls and returns are in many instances lost and mislaid, and the records of H'd Quarters are very deficient; - copies of correspondence have been most imperfectly kept, and many important letters and instructions are reported by Col. Weer, to have been stolen from his desk.

I shall go on under the instructions contained in your circular of April 20th 1846 and the copies of instructions to Col. Weer furnished by your Office, and get the entire business of the Post systematically arranged and organized and I hope in a short time to be able to report a more satisfactory state of affairs.

Very Respectfully

Your Obt Servt

J Hopelund

Brig Genl

I.30.AGOsl [Nov?] 2/64