Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia,
October 1, 1864
Lieut. Gen. U. S. Grant, Commanding Armies of the United States:
General: With a view of alleviating the sufferings of our soldiers, I have the honor to propose an exchange of the prisoners of war belonging to the armies operating in Virginia, man for man, or upon the basis established by the cartel.
With much respect, your obedient servant,
R E Lee,
General
Source: The War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 7, pp. 906-907
Transcribed by Colin Woodward, 2017 August 16