DEFENSES OF LOUISVILLE AND NASHVILLE RAILROAD.

These works, planned and constructed almost entirely by Captain Miles D. McAlester, Corps of Engineers, under orders from Major General H. G. Wright, were commenced in the winter of 1862-'63, continued during 1863, and some little work done in spring and summer of 1864. The labor performed was by details from the troops serving at the several posts. For maps see Appendix A.

SURVEYS AND MAPS OF DEFENSES.

Surveys and maps have been made under my direction of the various localities and defenses under my charge in Kentucky and will be found enumerated in Appendix A.

SURVEYS FOR MILITARY RAILROAD FROM Kentucky TOWARD KNOWVILLE, TENN.

Surveys for his road (being proposes extension of Kentucky Cental Railroad and Lebanon Branch extension of Louisville and Nashville Railroad, Kentucky, to Knoxville, Tenn.) were commenced by order of Major General A. E. Burnside, commanding Department of the Ohio, under instructions from me, dated June 23, 1863, continued under Major General J. G. Foster, and suspended by orders from Major General J. M. Schofield, commanding Department of the Ohio, February 17, 1864. These surveys were, by direction of Major- General Burnside, paid for by the Quartermaster's Department. for map showing survey and location, profiles of proposed road, and amounts of excavation and embankment done, see drawings referred to in Appendix A. For preservation of maps and profiles of the surveys I send them to be filed in the Bureau of the Engineer Department. For advantages of the proposed railroad in a military point of view and some edixucssion of the subject, I refer you to my communication to D. Richardson, esq., president Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad, dated April 21, 1864, inclosing one from Mr. William A. Gunn, chief civil engineer, copies of which I forwarded to the Bureau April 30, 1864.

U. S. ENGINEER AGENCY, ARMIES OF THE WEST.

There have been furnished to the armies in the field, as follows:

By Captain Miles D. McAlester: One pontoon train, consisting of eighty bateaux complete, with equipage and wagons, by order of Major General H. G. Wright, December, 1863, for the Army of the Cumberland; one tool train, complete, for use of the Pioneer Brigade, commanded by Brigadier General J. St. C. Morton, for the Army of the Cumberland, forwarded to General Morton in January and February, 1863; 1,000 carts, 1,000 drays, and 2,000 sets of single mule harness, forwarded in January and February, 1863, to Nashville, Tenn., by order of Brigadier General J. St. C. Morton; one pontoon train, consisting of fifteen rough wooden bateaux complete, with equipage, except wagons, by order of Major-General Burnside, for the Department of the Ohio, used as a permanent bridge across the Cumberland River, near Somerset, Ky., for the passage of supplies to the Army of the Ohio, when at Knoxville, Tenn., constructed in June, 1863; four portable steam circular saw- mills for the Army of the Cumberland, together with large quantities of tools, lumber, &c., on account of contingencies of fortifications at Nashville, Murfreesborough, and Chattanooga, Tenn.