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 Communication o 
 Conf Pam #444 
 
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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Jax. 17, ISOo.— Referred 
 to Select Committee of three, anrl onlereJ to be printed. 
 
 [By the Chair.] 
 
 MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT. 
 
 RICHMOND, Va., Jan. 14, 1865. 
 To the House of Repre sent n fives : 
 
 In response 'to your resolution of the 24tb ultimo, I 
 herewith transmit for your information a communication from the 
 Secretary of War, relative to the passports which have been issued 
 ib certain youths to leave the Confederate States. 
 
 JEFFERSON DAVIS. 
 
 COM]\[UNICATION OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR. 
 
 War Dei'art.mknt, C. S. A. 
 
 Richmond, Jan. 11, 1865. 
 
 To the President of the Confederate States : 
 
 Sir : 
 
 I have received the following resolution of the House 
 of Representatives, referred by your Excellency to this Department: 
 
 "Rt solved, That the President be respectfully recpiested, if not 
 incompatible \uth the public interest, fo infonn this House whether 
 or not the Secretary of War, or any other officer of the Plxecutive 
 Government, has ever granted permits or safe conducts to one or 
 more youths of the Confe<lerate States, wlio were about to attain the 
 age that would render thoiii liable to conscription or military service, 
 to go beyond the liniits of this Confederacy; and if any vonth or 
 youths of the age designated have been, (»r are about to be suffered 
 to depart the Confederacy, to inform this House of the reasons for 
 tlieir being permitted to go abioad.'' 
 
 Some delay in replying has been caused by the desire to make as 
 thorough a research as possible for any cases to which the resolution 
 may be applicable. The only officers, besides myself, who, in the 
 practice of the Department, exercise the power of granting [)assport8 
 to leave the Confederacy, are the Provost Marshal of this city and the 
 Assistant Secretary of War. Reports from both accompany this, and 
 give full information of the only cases acted on by them, to which 
 
the resolution can be supposed to have application. Tliese cases 
 were acted on in the reuniar course of official business, without 
 reference to me, and without knowledge on my part until the en- 
 quiries caused by the resolution of the House. 
 
 The only cases which are recollected, or after search, can be found 
 to have been acted on by me, are two : 
 
 1. That of John C. Poulson, allowed in March 18G4. He was the 
 son of a citizen of Accomack county, resident within the lines of the 
 enemy, represented at that time to be sixteen yeare of age, and satis- 
 factoril)' sliown, by medical testimony, to be a victim of epilepsy, of 
 weak intellect and [diysical disability. It was sought to restore him 
 to his fatiier's care, and a passport was given him to pass by the boat 
 bearing flag of truce. As this required the assent of the federal au- 
 thorities likewise, it seems^to have been ineffectual, as the same youth 
 appears subsequently to have applied to the Provost Marshal for a 
 more general }>ass, and is among those named by him as having re- 
 ceived passports. He had then attained the age of seventeen years; 
 but as ai)pears from tlie Provost Marshal's report, was from disease 
 unfit for military service. 
 
 2. The case of Henry Grant, a youth of sixteen years of age, on 
 the 24th September ISG-i, the son of a most estimable and loyal citi- 
 zen of this city. He was stated to be backward in his studies, and* 
 so diverted by the incid(!nts and distractions of the times as to make 
 his application almost hopeless. His uncle, formerly an officer of 
 our army, now residing in England, in the prosecution of business 
 important to the Department, had offi^-ed to n^ceive him, and see to 
 his proper training and education. His passport was allowed Decem- 
 ber Gtli, 18G4, on the understanding, however, that should the,war 
 continue, he should be liable to jecall on attaining ujilitarynge. I 
 am not positively informed whether this passport has been used, but 
 presume it has been. 
 
 It' will be thus seen, that no passports have be(m granted in cases 
 where it can be properly said "youths were about to attain the age ^ 
 that would render them liable to conscription," to go beyond the 
 limits of the Confederacy. Where there was even an approach to 
 that age, care was observed to obviate evasion of fnture liability to 
 service. At the same time, it is deemed not inappropriate to add, 
 .that no law or obligation exists by which the Department is required 
 »to refuse passports to go to neutral counti'ies to any loyal citizen of 
 the Confederate States, not liable to military service. Passports are 
 required from consideration of military police alone, to preclude the 
 passage of dangijrous or disaffected persons; and it might, perhaps 
 with Justice, be deemed an offensive and gratuitous presumption to 
 attribute to any loyal citizen the design of evading a patriotic duty, 
 as also^M unwarrantable assumption of authority by the Department, 
 to preclude ex[)atiiation or intercourse with neutral countries, by the 
 refusal of passports to those not liable to military service. So high 
 a prerogativtj, it may be justly claimed, can only be imparted, and 
 should only be exercised, under the regulation of law. If, therefore, 
 it be deemed important that passports be refused (except from mill- 
 
taiy police) to^aiiy class of our citizens, it is duo alike to tlie Depart- 
 ment and the citizen, that it should be prescribed by appropriate 
 legislation. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 Ynur obedient servant, 
 
 JAMES A. SEDI^ON, 
 
 Secretary of War. 
 
 REPORT FROM ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF WAR. 
 
 Confederate States of America, 
 
 War Department, i 
 
 Hi /imond, Fa., January 7, 18G5. 
 
 Hon. Jamks A. Seddon, Secretary of War: 
 
 Sir: 
 
 I have examined the resolution of enquiry of tiie House 
 of Representatives, relative to the allowance of passports to persons 
 liable to military duty under the Act' of Congress of the 17th Feb- 
 ruary last, or who were about to attain the age of conscription under 
 that act, to enable them to complete their education. 
 
 The passport usually issued from this Department contains a per- 
 mission to the bearer to leave the Confederate States, subject to the 
 military regulations of the commander through whose lines he is to 
 pass. If the ap[>licant be of the class described in the Act of Con- 
 gress, enquiry is made whether he be exempt; and if not, the pass- 
 port is denied. I do not know of any person not exempt from mili- 
 tary service, of the class mentioned, who has had a passport. 
 
 The Department is not advised of any Act of Congress that pro- 
 hibits their citizens from leaving the Confederate States, and has 
 granted^passports to persons not belonging to the military class, when 
 properly assured that they are loyal, and that there is no reason to 
 apprehend any detriment to tlte Confederate States by their departure 
 from its limits. 
 
 I have signed passports in a few instances for persons" not belong- ^ 
 ing to the military class, residing in different parts of the Confederacy, 
 to go abroad to complete their education. The persons have been 
 generally youths from ten to fifteen years of age. A few weeks ago 
 there was an application on behalf of a youth represented to be six- 
 teen years of age. In this case there was a medical certificate from 
 two ph3'sicians of eminence who examined hin^,and who represented 
 that he was of " feeble constitution," of a " scrofulous tendency," 
 "under size," "deficient in muscular activity," and who would be 
 " inefficient as a soldier." 
 
 Tins is the closest approximation that I have been able to discover 
 to the case made in the enquiry of the House of Representatives, in 
 my action. 
 
I have no acquaintance wiHi any of the persons to whom the pass- 
 ports were issued, and liavt; had no intercourse with tlieir parents or 
 guardians, and cannot say whether they have been used or otherwise. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 J. A. CAi\[PRELL, 
 
 Ass't Sec. of War. 
 
 REPORT FROM I^JOVOST MARSHAL. 
 
 , The following is a list of passports to pass from the Confederate 
 States, issued from the oflice of tli;^ Provost ^Nfarsha I at Richmond, to 
 males who were beneath, bui near the age of conscription, and citi- 
 zens of the Confedei-ate States. 
 
 1. July 2G, 1864; Frank AVhitehead ; 1-5 years of age ; a native 
 of Georgia ; an orphan ; delicate in health; his father was a native 
 of New York, and all his relatives reside there ; destitute. 
 
 2. John C. Poulson; 17 years of age; August 9, 1S()1-; granted on 
 application of Hon. Robert Ould, and on a passport issued by the 
 Secretary of War in May 1S64. The record does not state whether 
 citizen Or not. The records in the office of the Secretary of War 
 will show. He was represented to be diseased and unfit for military 
 service. 
 
 3. Benjamin G. Osborne; 1-3 years of age; granted 8th Septem- 
 ber 1864; he is stated by surgeons to be of delicate constitution; 
 sent to N(5w York to his grandparents, who reside there, and who 
 will educate and provide for him. 
 
 ^ 4. Frankfin Stearns, jr.; 16 ye^irs old; granted Se[)tember 17,. 
 1864; has a brother at school in Paris ; allowed to go to France to 
 join his brother and be educated. > ^ 
 
 5. John H. Capitaine; 15 years old ; 30th September 1864 ; al- 
 lowed to go to his relations in Switzerland to be educated. 
 
 6. Wilham A. Shafer ; 1-5 years old ; 3d November 1864 ; allowed 
 to go to Europe to be educated. 
 
 IS. H. CARRINGTON, 
 
 Provost Alanhal. 
 Richmond, January 7, 1865. 
 
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