OPERATIONS IN N. C. AND S. E. VA. [CHAP. XIII.

The weather has been intolerable, and the exposures have been great. There are 90 sick of the Twentieth Regiment, and 136 sick in all.

If you can spare the lieutenant of the Ninth Regiment from your office he should be with his regiment. We want a post quartermaster, and I shall have to make a detail from the volunteers.

There is a great deal to be done here to insure a safe position. It was reported that eh enemy had landed in force at Chicamacomico, and that his steamers were off that shore. We will soon find that out.

We have now the following tugs: The Underwriter, arrived on the 8th, the General Putnam, and the Ceres. The Tempest is out of order, and will be towed to Old Point when the weather will permit.

I have no time to write more now.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOS. K. F. MANSFIELD, Brigadier-General, &c., Commanding.

Major General JOHN E. WOOL, Commanding Department of Virginia, &c.

FORT MONROE, OLD POINT COMFORT, October 14, 1861.

Lieutenant General WINFIELD SCOTT, Washington, D. C.:

MY DEAR GENERAL: I ma this morning just from Hatteras Inlet. I was there just one week, having left here on Sunday. Yesterday morning the steamer Spaulding arrived at Fort Hatteras with Brigadier-General Williams, who relieved me yesterday, and at 4 p. m. I left fort Hatteras, and got here at 6.30 a. m. At Fort Hatteras I made a report to General Wool of the retreat of the Twentieth Indiana Regiment (seven companies) from tier advanced position of 40 miles northward. Under the circumstances, Colonel Brown probably did will. No guns were fired by him at the enemy nor was he attacked. We lost some stragglers on the road; not a man killed, that i have heard of, except an old inhabitant shot by the rebels.

I do not understand the report of the Navy in this matter. The rebels had landed only about 500 our of about 2,000 supposed to be on board their fleet of 9 steamers and vessels, besides flats, that approached the landing. I did not learn that a vessel, besides flats, that approached the landing. I did not learn that a vessel of the rebels was taken or sunk or that a man was killed by the shells from the sip of war. I did hear that they carried off all the small fishing vessels belonging tot the inhabitants.

The command at Hatteras Inlet is now all well, and I presume no attack will be attempted on it. The two regiment have about 1,900 man, and are well posted at Fort Clark and Camp Wool, and with the shipping and the artillery of Fort Hatteras could repel an attack of 5,000 with ease.

This position is no base for operations in to the interior. All such commands, unless very strong, would be exposed to be cut off from supplies, and it is a circuitous route. There would be no object in disturbing a few little towns and robbing them, thereby making the people inimical. I have recommended improvements at Fort Clark. the two regiments are good pretty well drilled, and with some target practice will do well. It is not improbable on an emergency that the Ninth New York could be spared from this place, protected as it is by the naval tugs. I will remark here that the tugs draw too much water and cannot effectually