Urgent duties calling me to DIVISION headquarters at New Orleans, I left at night with Lieutenants Burnham and Allen detailed instructions as to the distribution of guns, working of details of troops, and the other matters relating to the engineering operations of the siege. I directed them to locate the mortars (not yet arrived) at 500 to 800 yards from the fort, placing them immediately behind the sand-hills for their only cover against fire from the fort, placing them immediately behind the sand-hills for their only cover against fire from the fort. Lieutenant Burnham reports for August 10 that he and Lieutenant Allen staked out the six batteries connected with the first parallel, and commenced work upon them and the parallel, and commenced work upon them and the parallels (see map herewith, marked A*); the two batteries on the right (marked G and H) were designed for four 9-inch Dahlgren guns, borrowed form the fleet. The guns were to be brought up in scows along the shore and landed at this point, the sand-hills and ridges varying from fifteen feet to twenty-five feet in height, affording complete cover to the landing and its water approach from the fire of the fort. The battery on the left (marked R) was designed for 3- inch rifles, and the others for the eight 30-pounder Parrotts. Sharpshooters pushed up to line Q E.

Lieutenant Burnham reports for August 11, 12, and 13, "continued work on this line (first parallel) and the batteries, no incidents happening out of the usual run. " During these days the monitors Chickasaw, Winnebago, and Manhattan, the two former carrying 11- inch guns and 100-pounder Parrotts, and the latter 15-inch guns, relieved each other at a position a little east of north from the fort, and distance of 1,800 to 2,000 yards, in throwing shells at the fort, one every half hour, during four or five hours in the morning, and the same length of time in the evening. On one occasion this fire was continual during a portion of the night.

August 14 I reached Mobile Point, and found the left siege gun battery (H), two 30-pounder Parrotts, ready to open fire. The others were all ready for their platforms. Only four mortars had arrived, and these I directed to be placed in position immediately at the points A and B. Our sharpshooters were occupying all the most advanced sand-hills, and in some cases points still nearer the fort, as the ruins near the point P, 250 yards distant. The fire of the fort had annoyed us very little, our sharpshooters rendering it hazardous for the besieged to man their guns, which were not in embrasure. We opened fire with the two 30-pounders, in position at 6 a. m., by way of trail. Three of the fort's barbette guns appeared to be dismounted, and the parapet considerably injured by the fire of the monitors. August 15, work commenced on Batteries A and B. At night commenced second parallel from the left extremity of sand ridge, behind which the mortars had been located. Depot for material established. (See map.) August 16, twelve additional siege mortars arrived (making sixteen in all), which I directed Captain John C. Palfrey, Corps of Engineers (who had arrived with me from New Orleans), to locate behind the sand-hills, near Batteries A and B, without delay. Captain Palfrey reports that during the previous night the besieged had placed upon the chases of some of their guns rope mantelet rings, and many sand-bags (for the protection of sharpshooters in the covered way) upon the crest of the glacis. Materials came up rapidly to the depot (see map) with perfect security, both by the beach, in wagons, and by scows skirting along the shore, the sand-hills affording good protection from the fire of the fort. Returned to headquarters military DIVISION in the evening, leav-

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*To appear in the Atlas.

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