FORT SUMTER, S. C., February 21, 1861.

General JOS. G. TOTTEN,

Chief Engineer U. S. A., Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of a roll of letter paper from the Engineer Office. The work on the hostile batteries on Cummings Point continues slowly.

This morning a flag was raised up on a flagstaff situated nearly in the middle of the north front of the portion of the entrenchments denominated the "field work" in my letter of the 27th January. The body of the flag is red, with a blue union in the upper staff corner, having upon it the palmetto and crescent in white.

*MAP.

My operations continue. The plating of the outer gate with half-inch iron will be completed at noon to-day. The placing of the cheek irons for the embrasures in the recesses of the windows on the gorge, second tier, has been carried as far as the main gate from the southeast angle. The irons are placed as shown in the margin. Stones are placed in the recesses on the first tier. These, although not as good as they might be, will answer for the present, and if broken by a breaching fire can be more easily replaced than they could be if they were on the second tier.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. G. FOSTER,

Captain, Engineers.

HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, New York, February 22, 1861.

[Colonel L. THOMAS, A. A. G.:]

SIR: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your confidential letter of the 21st instant, conveying instructions of the General-in-Chief. I have already taken steps towards executing those instructions, by conferring with Captain Ward, of the Navy, and the quartermaster and commissary of subsistence on duty in this city. I shall see Major Thornton to-morrow. Captain Ward will not be able to take any bales of hay for bedding purposes, and at his suggestion I propose to send mattresses to Fort Sumter instead, unless objected to by the General-in-Chief. Captain Ward will provide the coal and wood which Lieutenant Hall's memorandum calls for. In relation to clothing, I am unable to make out what the memorandum requires. Instead, therefore, of writing myself to Philadelphia, I beg that the necessary orders may be given from Washington to the clothing officers in Philadelphia to send to Colonel Tompkins here the clothing required by the memorandum, and the garrison flag and cord for lanyards on this same memorandum. I shall see that everything else on the memorandum is provided here, including such groceries as might be for sale to officers, &c. The clothing should be put up in small bales, so that it may be distributed among the vessels. Colonel Tompkins will attend to its proper marking after its arrival here. Please let me know as soon as you give the