right to issue my own orders, as I was responsible for what my regiment did. There was a lady there by the name of Burns, who had been pleading with tears in her eyes to get possession of her house, which was being occupied by the wife of a rebel officer. I believe that General Montgomery had consented that she should have her property. This Freeze interfered, and, having entire control over the general, prevented it. While I was there, one day she saw Freeze, who insulted her. As she was returning to her home, one of the sentinels, who had been frequently kindly treated by her as he passed her door on his beat, seeing she was in trouble, asked her what the matter was. She said she had just been to see Captain Freeze, to see if there was any possibility of her getting her house. They owed her $114 rent then. The last thing her husband had done in Alexandria was to vote for the Union, and he had done all he could for that. The sentinel said, "Why don't you go to my colonel?" At that time, fortunately, I was temporarily in command there. She came to me and related her story, and I gave notice to this wife of the rebel officer to vacate the premises in forty-eight hours, or suffer the consequences. The father of this lady, who was also in the house, went to Freeze about it. Freeze wrote to me saying that Mr. Lovejoy-the father of this rebel officer's wife-should not be interfered with, either by military or civil authority. I ordered the one who brought me the note to say to Mr. Freeze that I was then in command; that he had about as much to do with the matter as a boy in the street; that I had issued my order, and should see that it was carried out. He called in the evening himself, and told me that it was as much as my commission was worth to do that thing. I told him my commission did not come from him, and that if any one interfered with me he should be shot. The result of it was that I handed the house over to Mrs. Burns.

The chairman: You have said that General Montgomery was under the influence of this man Freeze. Explain that.

Colonel McLane: I have always had the kindest feelings towards General Montgomery, and I desire to believe that the general means to do what is right. But I am not of the opinion that this Freeze desires to do what is right. General Montgomery is old, and he is easily persuaded. This Freeze has no military knowledge whatever, but he is there as his assistant adjutant general, and whatever Freeze proposes is carried out. I have had to submit as well as all the rest. And my hands are now so tied that I dare not give an order to my own officers and men; and I will not for all the money in the United States be held in that position long. I conceive that it is my right as commanding officer of my regiment to issue orders to my own command. My reason for having hesitated to speak of this was because I did entertain kind feelings towards General Montgomery, and I do not want to believe that he is not a loyal citizen. But I have seen very strange things there.

The chairman: What strange things have you seen?

Colonel McLean: I have seen privileges granted to secessionists that I think they ought not to enjoy, giving them passes, &c. We have had rebel prisoners there, and the secessionists there have been allowed to visit them, and entertain them sumptuously. That came to my knowledge when I was temporarily in command, and I issued an order at once that these things should not be permitted. Secessionists were inviting out the rebel prisoners to their residences, and entertaining them at dinners, while our guards were sent to escort them. I issued an order to stop that, and not only that, but that the rebel prisoners should have the same rations as our men did, and why they should be sumptuously entertained more than our soldiers is more than I could understand, and I determined that it should not be while I was in command, and I would not allow them to visit them; they were not on exhibition, and we were capable of taking charge of our prisoners. The result of it was that some ladies called upon me, and asked me if they could go and see the prisoners. I asked if they were

relatives, and they said they were not. I then told them I could not allow it. They then asked me when General Montgomery would be back. I told them that he would be back before long, as his leave of absence would expire in a few days. Seeing an order to send prisoners to Washington, I took occasion, before General Montgomery returned, to send to Washington every prisoner in Alexandria. I am free to say that things have occurred in Alexandria since I have been there that, under my oath, with my disposition to do my duty as a soldier, my conscience would not allow me to do. This Freeze has been there so long that he has become familiar with the secessionists, and I am satisfied that he ought not to be there. He has no military knowledge, in the first place; never was a soldier, and had no experience, and I do not know why the government should be paying a man there who can perform nothing.

The witness, (Dr. Seltzer:) If this committee will send to the sanitary board they will be able to obtain an elaborate report of their investigations in this

matter.

By the chairman:

Question. When were the sanitary board down there?

Answer. Dr. Parrish left there this morning, and said that he would write out a report on this slave pen.

WASHINGTON, February 12, 1862.

Lieutenant D. D. JONES sworn and examined.

By the chairman :

Question. What is your position?

Answer. I am quartermaster of the 88th Pennsylvania regiment.

Question. You are stationed at Alexandria?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. What do you know about the manner in which soldiers are imprisoned there?

Answer. I can say that I concur fully in the testimony of Colonel McLane and Dr. Seltzer.

Question. You are knowing to the facts, and concur in what they have stated? Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Do you know anything about passes having been granted to secessionists, or to those who would not take the oath of allegiance?

Answer. I have seen such passes granted at different times by General Montgomery's aid to persons who would not sign the obligation. I saw, what I term very loosely conducted, in the office of General Montgomery, men receiving passes there without any obligation being signed by them, and others who simply stood back and touched the pen without looking at it, under the pretence that they could not write; persons, too, who were doing such a business as to naturally require them to have some education, and at least to know how to sign their names. They would hold the pen while the aid made the mark, and turn their backs to it the while. That I have seen myself. When the colonel was in command I frequently saw them bring in passes that had no obligation signed, and ask the colonel to renew them, they having expired. This he positively refused to do, unless they would sign the obligation. They endeavored to persuade the colonel to do it, using, as an argument, the fact that General Montgomery had not asked it of them. They were secessionists, and known to be such by the Union people there. You asked the colonel if he knew anything about any other slave pen there. I would remark that there is a slave pen

further on in the same street. I was in General Montgomery's headquarters when a captain reported to him the existence of such a slave pen, and he has visited it. It belongs to a secessionist, and has many comforts in it. He reported that to General Montgomery about two weeks ago.

Question. Why did he not take that?

Answer. I do not know.

Question. Do you know anything about the jail there?

Answer. I know that there is a jail there, and that the colonel has on more than one occasion spoken to the mayor about using it; to which the mayor consented.

Question. Do you know any objection to using the jail?

Answer. No, sir; General Montgomery remonstrated about the colonel interfering in reference to the jail. There was an article in the paper some two weeks ago about this slave pen being used to confine soldiers in. General Montgomery spoke about officers interfering with his command, and said, “There is an article in the paper saying that Colonel McLane is using his efforts to get possession of the jail for the confinement of these prisoners. I don't see what he has got to do with that." Those are the words he used.

Colonel McLane: The general put me under arrest for interfering with his duties.

The chairman: In what particular?

Colonel McLane: There was a lady called on me and said that she was a Union lady and that she had two sons who were selling waffles up at the corner of King and Royal streets, and she desired to have them allowed to remain there. She said they were driving them off. I was going out at that time in company with the quartermaster. I turned around to one of my men and asked him to go out and see that this lady was not imposed upon. During my absence my adjutant issued an order that these boys should be allowed this privilege. It appeared that the general had previously issued orders that they should not be allowed to sell waffles there. But that I knew nothing at all about. This was one of the charges against me. Another charge was that I had not issued an order to my surgeon to vaccinate the men of my regiment. Now, in fact, I had issued that order; now, I knew that it was a matter of spite on the part of some one, for there was no foundation for the charges, and the general voluntarily withdrew them. I told him that if I had committed any breach of discipline I wanted to be tried and punished; that I did not want to be excused myself any more than I would excuse any of my men, He concluded that I had not and with

drew the charges.