manufacture of this article was carried on to a great extent at the Knoxville Arsenal before our forces took possession of the place. All of these machines that were completed were taken away by the rebels, but some rough castings remaining, they were preserved, and it was intended to complete one of the machines for the purpose of experiment or use. It became necessary, however, to destroy the arsenal before an opportunity offered for its completion.

* * * * * * *

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

WM. H. HARRIS,

Captain of Ord., Senior Ord. Officer, Dept. of the Ohio.

Major General AMBROSE E. BURNSIDE,

U. S. Volunteers.

Numbers 8.

Report of Captain William G. McCreary, U. S. Signal Corps, Chief Signal Officer.

CAMP IN THE FIELD, EAST TENN., DEPT. OF THE OHIO,

October 10, 1863.

COLONEL: In obedience to Special Orders, Numbers 144, issued from the office of the signal officer and approved by the War Department, bearing date August 31, 1863, I left Washington with the signal party named in the order to report for duty to Major-General Burnside, commanding Department of the Ohio.

On arriving at Cincinnati, I sent the party, under charge of Captain Daniel, acting signal officer, to Nicholasville, Ky. (Camp Nelson), for the purpose of obtaining the necessary transportation from that point (the outfit post of all trains) to Knoxville, Tenn., General Burnside's headquarters in the field. I remained in Cincinnati until the arrival of my stores, which, on account of the quartermaster's refusal to ship by express train, were detained eleven days in reaching Cincinnati. Captain Swigart, transportation quartermaster, refused to send them to Nicholasville, 110 miles distant, by express, and they were again detained four days, making in the 20th before I was ready to leave for headquarters.

On the 19th, I received a dispatch from Lieutenant Barrett that the trains shipped from New York would arrive in Cincinnati next day. On reporting this fact to General Fry, the commandant of Camp Nelson, he thought it advisable to await there and have the whole party move together. I accordingly made requisition for horses and harness for the train, which arrived on the 25th. The 26th was spent in making repairs, and on the morning of the 27th commenced our journey. Of the many difficulties and accidents that happened it would be too tedious to mention, as I am making this report at the camp fire and expecting to go into battle in the morning, our forces having moved this p.m. from Bull's Gap toward Greeneville, the rebels retiring, but expected to make a stand on the morrow.

But my report would be imperfect should I not mention the unfitness of the present signal wagons for this mountainous country.

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*For continuation of Captain Harris' report, including the siege of Knoxville, see Series I, Vol. XXXI, Part I, p. 324.

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