Bruce, I will transcribe the letter and also mail you a copy.

                                       Gratiot Prison     Sept 23/63
Colonel Braudhead
Honored Sirs
I take the liberty this morning of writing you a few lines hoping that there are no impropriety in it as I have been hear some time and have not as yet been honored with your presence and thinking that it might be that you were not aware that such a man was here and more than that, I think that if I could lay my case plane before you so that we could come to some terms of release so if there are any thing rong in my taking the liberty to write to you. I hope that you will Pardon me for the first of fence as I am a stranger to the Regulations. So I shall await your dision and oblige.
Yours, Robert Paxton

I left spelling mistakes and run on sentences as they were. I don't know what he means by, "such a man." I do not believe it was abnormal to have an officer as a POW. I read that the second story of Gratiot was kept for officers. As you can see, he'd only been there from the 1st through the 23rd of September, 1863. He must not have received answer, or not one that he liked because, Oct 9th he escaped.
What do you take from this letter?
Jamie
Jamie