morning of the 10th instant, at 8.15 o'clock, commencing with the 13-inch mortars. When the range of these pieces had been approximately obtained by the use of signals, the other batteries opened in the order previously prescribed in General Orders, Numbers 17, from these headquarters, hereunto appended as part of this report,* so that by 9.30 o'clock all our batteries, eleven in number, had commenced their work. The breaching batteries opened at 9.30. With the exception of four 10-inch columbiads, dismounted at the outset by their own recoil in consequence of their having been supplied with unsuitable pintles, and from very serious defects in the wrought-iron chassis, which will be noticed more fully in any detailed report, all the pieces were served through the day.

With few exceptions, strict regard was paid to the instructions laid down in orders for regulating the rapidity and direction of the fire. At dark all the pieces ceased firing except two 13-inch mortars, one 10-inch mortar, and one 30-pounder Parrott, which were served through the night at intervals of twenty minutes for each pieces. The only plainly perceptible result of this cannonade of ten and a half hours' duration (the breaching batteries having been served but nine and a half hours was the commencement of a breach in the easterly half of the pan-coupe connecting the south and southeast faces, and in that portion of the southeast face spanned by the two casemates adjacent to the pan-coupe. The breach had been ordered in this portion of the scarp so as to take in reverse through the opening the magazine located in the angle formed by the gorge and north face. Two of the barbette guns of the fort had been disabled and three casemate guns selected. The enemy served both tiers of guns briskly throughout the day, but without injury to the material or personnel of our batteries. The result from the mortar batteries was not at all satisfactory, notwithstanding the care and skill with which the pieces were served.

On the morning of the 11th our batteries again opened a little after sunrise with decided effect, the fort returning a heavy and well-directed fire from its barbette and casemate guns. The breach was rapidly enlarged. At the expiration of three house the entire casemate next the pan-coupe had been opened, and by 11 o'clock the one adjacent to it was in a similar condition. Directions were then given to train the guns upon the third embrasure, upon which the breaching batteries were operating with effect, when the fort hoisted the white flag. This occurred at 2 o'clock. The formalities of visiting the fort, receiving its surrender, and occupying it with our troops consumed the balance of the afternoon and evening.

I cannot induce in details, however interesting and instructive, in this hasty and preliminary report, but the pleasing duty of acknowledging the valuable services of the officers and men under my command during the laborious and fatiguing preliminaries for opening fire, as well as during the action, I do not feel at liberty to defer.

The labor of landing the heaviest ordnance, with large supplies of ordnance stores, without a wharf, upon an open and exposed beach remarkable for its heavy surf, taking advantage of the tide night and day; the transportation of those articles to the advance batteries under cover of night; the erection of seven of the eleven batteries in plain view of Fort Pulaski and under its fire; the construction over marshy ground in the night-time exclusively of nearly 1 mile of causeway resting on fascines and brush-wood; the difficult task of hauling the guns, carriages, and chassis to their positions in the dark over a narrow road bordered by marsh by the labor of the men alone (the advance batteries being 2 1/2

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*Embodied in report following.

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10 R R-VOL VI