stancy worthy of his highest admiration the disappointment of withdrawing from you the furloughs to visit your homes which the Government promised you, and which the present dangers of our beloved country alone forbids it to grant.

When the war is ended, in that hour of triumph you will be proud to remember that by your sufferings and sacrifices, no less than by your valor, you conquered.

Soldiers! though reverses and disasters have recently befallen us, let us remember that trust is eternal and that God is just. His arm is our trust, and the Great Ruler of nations and of men will protect the right and crown with victory the noble and the brave. Let us take courage, then. Our enemy, dead to the spirit of liberty, can only fight while their coffers are unexhausted. Commerce is their king. Their god is gold. They glory in their shame. The war which intensifies our devotion and concentrates our resources scatters theirs. The day of retribution will come. The struggle will not always be defensive on our part. We will yet strike down our ruthless invaders amid smoking ruins of their cities, and with arms in our hands dictate terms of peace on their own soil.

J. BANKHEAD MAGRUDER,

Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF NORFOLK,
Norfolk, Va., March 5, 1862.

Honorable J. P. BENJAMIN, Secretary of War:

SIR: I send inclosed a report made to me by Lieutenant Talcott, on engineer duty, who had been sent by me to Roanoke Island, and who assisted in the service of the guns at the Pork Point Battery.

This is the only report I have received from any one. General Wise, as I telegraphed yesterday, has made no official report to me. I had a letter from him on his arrival at Poplar Spring, in Currituck County, informing me of the capture of the island, his information being received from a Sergeant Metzler, who left the island at 5 p. m. on the 8th February, which information I reported at once to the Department.

I remain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

BENJ. HUGER,

Major-General, Commanding.

[Inclosure.]

ROANOKE ISLAND, February 9, 1862.

Major General B. HUGER,

Commanding Department of Norfolk:

GENERAL: In obedience to your order of the 1st instant I visited Roanoke Island, and, arriving there on the 4th, commenced the discharge of the duties imposed.

After paying off all the duly-certified claims against the Engineer Department that were presented I made an inspection of the batteries and a general reconnaissance of the position.

On Thursday, the 6th instant, I had taken passage for Elizabeth City, on my return to Norfolk, when the enemy's fleet hove in sight. Believing that very strenuous efforts would be necessary to resist successfully an attack for which the island was still unprepared, I deemed it my duty to return.