rations of hay for our animals (being about the first they had since leaving Rappahannock Station), and they improved rapidly.

At 7.30 this morning we left Gainesville for Catlett's Station. Part of the way the road was bad, and we had our usual luck in the shape of a rain-storm in the early part of the day, but great improvement in the condition of our animals was apparent int he movement of the trains, and at 4.45 p. m. everything was in park at this place.

We rarely make a move over these Virginia roads without more or less breakage of poles, hounds, reaches, &c., particularly on the chess-wagon, and our trains will require about the usual repairs to-morrow. These wagons are of the very poorest quality, and, notwithstanding the repairs and improvements which have been made on them, are hardly fit for the service.

Our men are generally in excellent health and spirits.

Very respectfully,

I. SPAULDING,

Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding Detachment 50th New York Vol. Engrs.

Brigadier General H. W. BENHAM,

Commanding Engineer Brigade.

HDQRS. DETACHMENT 50TH NEW YORK VOL. ENGINEERS,
Near Brandy Station, Va., November 21, 1863.

GENERAL: At the date of my last report* (November 9), I had four companies in camp near Rappahannock Station, two bridges across the river at that place, and Captain McDonald was at Warrenton Junction with his company in charge of a reserve train. Captain Mendell, with the U. S. Engineer Battalion, had also two bridges across the river at Kelly's Ford.

On the 11th instant Captain McDonald was ordered up with the reserve train, and rejoined me at Rappahannock Station.

On the night of the 13th instant I sent Companies F and K, Captain McDonald in command, to Kelly's Ford to relieve the battalion of U. S. Engineers in charge of the two bridges at that place.

That portion of the upper pontoon bridge at Rappahannock Station, consisting of the four pontoons captured from the rebels, was removed on the 14th instant and replaced by other boats, the rebel pontoons being brought to camp preparatory to sending them to Washington with other surplus material.

Finding that the twelve wagons sent up from Washington for Lieutenant Manger were sent without tail-boards, feed-boxes, bows, or covers, six of them being reported as unserviceable, and Lieutenant Manger having reported to me that he had sixteen army wagons in Washington complete in every respect, at his request I telegraphed for these wagons to be sent up. Sixteen wagons arrived on the 18th instant, only ten of these being Lieutenant Manger's, and these were nearly stripped of covers, bows, tail-boards, and feed-boxes. Out of the sixteenth additional wagons which this gave us, I turned over four more to Lieutenant Manger and four more to Lieutenant Templeton.

During the night of the 18th instant I sent to Warrenton Junction, to be forwarded to brigade headquarters by railroad, eight army wagons, ten pontoon wagons, seventeen pontoons, and a

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*Not found.

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