Creek receives its crew. One of his guard boats and 17 men, sent out daily from the hulk, have been taken by the enemy. They were attacked apparently by a large scouting party. I have always recommended that position to be held by a gunboat. At the time the very poor substitute of an old hulk was resorted to no gunboat was available, I suppose. The position is by no means secure from attack in small boats, of which he enemy is known to have a good supply in Saint Augustine Creek and adjacent waters. The hulk when first sent there was intended principally to prevent small steamers communicating with Fort Pulaski through Turner's Creek, and not to guard McQueen's Island Marsh against the approach of foot passengers, on which extra and extended duty the boat and guard were lost. I urgently recommend that the service of a gunboat in Wilmington Narrows be at once secured. I do not consider the property (guns and ammunition) on Goat's Point safe from a foray without this precaution.

I recommended some days ago to General Viele and also to General Sherman to picket McQueen's Island from Bird Island battery, to which place it is convenient. I could put some siege and field guns in position on Goat's Point (screened from view from the fort) to cover Lazaretto Creek and send out every evening a boat guard from that point up the creek to remain out twenty-four hours. A small steamer like the Mayflower or Honduras is wanted here very much. If no gunboats can be had the steamer is indispensably necessary, and could be armed. This would help matters some by placing her near the hulk. I have made repeated applications for a steamer, but thus far without success. I sent this afternoon to Warsaw Sound, requesting that a gunboat from that place be sent up Wilmington Narrows until advices can be had from division headquarters. The messenger has not returned. Should the hulk be overpowered our batteries against Fort Pulaski would be exposed to a very annoying fire from here. The place should be held by us securely.

I trust these matters will command you immediate attention.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Q. A. GILLMORE,

Brigadier-General, Commanding Post.

Brigadier General H. W. BENHAM,

Commanding First Division, Dept. of the South, Beaufort, S. C.

Numbers 2. Report of Colonel Rudolph Rosa, Forty-sixth New York Infantry.

SHIP MONTEZUMA,

Gibson Cut, April 1, 1862.

GENERAL: In accordance with your orders, I arrived here on Saturday evening with a detachment of 30 men and 2 commissioned officers from the Forty-sixth Regiment. On Sunday I made a reconnaissance on Whitemarsh and Wilmington Islands, pushing in both cases out to Thunderbolt and Saint Augustine Creeks, opposite to Thunderbolt and Carston Bluff batteries. Nothing remarkable occurred, excepting that the small stern-wheel steamer did show herself near to our boats left at Gibson's, in the Oakland Creek, which is not spiked, and turned back after receiving three of our musket shots from a point of land. For particulars apply preliminary to Lieutenant Metzner.

On returning, I learned that, by an unaccountable hallucination of