ditch and abatis, sally-port on the east side, and mounting three guns: Two 12-pounder iron guns, old pattern - rounds solid shot, 171; rounds spherical-case, 144; rounds canister, 130; rounds shell, 150. One 6-pounder iron gun, old pattern - rounds shot, 50; rounds spherical-case, 28; rounds fuse-shell, 14; rounds canister, 36.

There are several other redoubts in the immediate neighborhood of this fort, built by the rebels before their evacuation of this place in May, 1862. There are no guns in them, nor are they manned.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. J. MORRISON,

Colonel Sixteenth New York Volunteer Artillery, Commanding Post.

HEADQUARTERS NAVAL BRIGADE,
Norfolk, January 21, 1865.

Major General E. O. C. Ord,

Commanding Dept. of Va. and N. C. and Army of the James:

GENERAL: In obedience to your verbal orders, I respectfully report that this command consists of the following boats:

(1.) Side-wheel steam-boat Chamberlain (chartered by Government); mounts one 30-pounder Parrott, two rifled Sawyers, 3.67 caliber, and one 12-pounder howitzer; boat is in fine running order; crew, forty men. (2.) Propeller Mosswoood, drawing since nine feet of water new and excellent boat (chartered by Government); mounts two 30-pounder Parrotts, crew, thirty-four men. At present boat is undergoing repairs; will be completed in ten days. (3.) Propeller Jesup; the hull of a gun-boat built by the ladies of Norfolk for the rebels; partially destroyed by rebels when Norfolk was evacuated; rebuilt by United States; mounts two 30-pounder Parrott guns; hull and engine in excellent order, but requires new boiler; crew, thirty men. (4, 5, 6, 7.) Side-wheel light-draft boats - Burnside, Reno, Foster, and Parke - built by Norman Wiard, of New York, for this department by order of Major-General Foster, and accepted by Major-General Butler after he had superseded General Foster. These boats are upward of 140 feet in length, draw three and a half feet of water, and are only suitable for river and sound navigation in fine weather. At present the Parke and Foster are on duty in the Appomattox, the Reno at New Berne, and the Burnside is undergoing extensive repairs in Norfolk. These boats are armed with four guns each, either Sawyer guns, caliber 3.67, or 12-pounder howitzers. They carry from 100 to 120 men each, well armed with carbines, pistols, and cutlasses. (8.) Propeller Shrapnel; rebuilt in North Carolina; altered from canal-boat; mounts one 24-pounder howitzer and two 12-pounder howitzers; was recently sunk near Coinjock; was raised; is now undergoing repairs at Norfolk. (9.) Gun-boat Grenade; same model as Shrapnel; is now having new boiler put it an New Berne, N. C.; will have same armament as Shrapnel. (10.) Steam launch; thirty-four feet long; will amount one 12-pounder howitzer; just completed.

In addition to these gun-boats, the command before the first expedition to wilmington has sixteen launches, the property of the department, and twenty-five launches and cutters borrowed by Major-General Butler from the Navy Department in anticipation of the expedition to North carolina. Quite a number of these boats were lost on the first expedition to Fort Fisher, and the remainder are now with the second expedition. The transport steamers Gazelle and Clinton, belonging to