CHAP. XIII.] CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.-UNION.

open in the rear; very flimsy and trifling affairs. River about 3 miles wide opposite the batteries. Can land midway between them. The Isle of Wight regiment is at Smithfield. the Petersburg cavalry company is at Chuckautck. There are thirteen regiments of South Carolina troops at the old brick church near Smithfield, commanded by Colonel Pender. At Suffolk there are 10,000 georgia troops. They have been coming in for the past three weeks in small detachments. This man says that the farmers are starving their negroes to feed the soldiers.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

WM. D. WHIPPLE, Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF VIRGINIA, Fort Monroe, November 26, 1861.

Colonel THOMAS A. SCOTT, Assistant Secretary of War:

SIR: Herewith I inclose to you a petition for arms from captains of the Delaware regiment, approved by the colonel and Colonel Cram, acting as inspector-general. The latter is an excellent inspector, and well qualified to judge of the quality of muskets and rifles. On the 11th November I reported to Major-General mcClellan that we required 5,000 stand of arms to replace these unfit for field service in the hands of troops under my command.

Allow me to call your attention to expeditions fitting out for the South. Without the slightest notice to myself of such expeditions or any orders to supply them, they call on me for ammunition and other supplies. I earnestly request that you will give me orders on the subject; that is, whether it is the intention that I shall supply expeditions calling at this post. With such orders I will make arrangements accordingly.

The Constitution has just arrived, with 1,900 men. In their hurry to sail large supplies wee left on the wharf, to be brought by some other vessel or vessels.

Brigadier-General Phelps has called on me for sugar, hay, coal, ammunition, and wagons. The ship has fifteen days' coal on board and ammunition for small-arms. She has no cannon except one, for which the captain said he had ammunition. The gun belonged to the ship, and not the United States. I have given for the use of the soldiers seven barrels of sugar and four tons of hay to feed their cattle, but nothing else. The ship Constitution is a very large one and I have no doubt could have carried all that might have been required for the use of the troops. It was said by Major-General butler that she could carry 3,000 troops, with supplies.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN E. WOOL, Major-General.

[Inclosure.]

HEADQUARTERS FIRST REGIMENT DELAWARE VOLS.,

Camp Hamilton, November 23, 1861.

We, the undersigned, officers commanding companies in the First Delaware Regiment, respectfully represent that the muskets in our possession are so defective that frequently one-third of the guard are