more than 1,000 of them need depend on the spring which supplies the stone fort.

The 30-pounder battery. - This battery is well located, but it will be advantageous to have at least one gun at the higher point we examined. It might be surrounded by a wall of sand-bags, and arranged to fire not only at Loudoun Heights but into either of the valleys east and west of Maryland Heights. The 24-pounder siege gun in this battery is useless.

The magazines should be adequately covered, or, more properly, have their doorways changed.

The naval battery. - I attach very little importance to this battery at present. It operates principally upon the town. It enfilades the railroad approach from the short tunnel, an sees a portion of the railroad bridge.

The spur on the left of where the Sharpsburg road turns off from the river answers all these purposes equally well or better, and has a most excellent and close flanking fire upon the front of the lines I propose to hold west of the tower (Kenly's lines, as we called them). Whether this last point is permanently occupied with guns or not, I think the site should be cleared and an earthen battery thrown up. I did not have time to study this matter so as to say what I would leave that two naval guns in the naval battery simply under guard; move the 24-pounder siege gun from it, and the 24-pounder siege gun from the 30-pounder battery to the point I speak of, and add to these two 10 or 20 pounder Parrotts.

Fort Duncan. - It a most important work. It is liable to be subjected to a powerful converting artillery fire form the other shore of the Potomac, but its superior elevation shelters it in some degree from its effects.

It requires emplacements for a numerous battery, and which do not seem to have been at all contemplated in the design. In this connection I also remark that nothing is gained (except more room) in putting the battery intended to operate on Bolivar Heights outside of the fort. Most of the guns of this batter are subjected to an enfilade fire from the other shore, form which it is extremely difficult to protect them. I would bring four of those 30-pounders into the work, providing siege platforms (14 feet wide), with embrasures of 60 degrees flare (at angles still more, the angle being coupeed).

map

At 2 is at present a platform and embrasure for a field gun. by coupeing it and cutting the embrasures, as represented by the dotted line, a fifth gun might be put here; but, while it might be well to arrange the place for it, I would only place four guns (1,2,3 and 4),