and General Ruger's division, of the Twenty-third Corps. Leave at 3 p.m. on steamer Escort, General Palmer being himself on board with his wife and several of the staff officers and their wives who came on a visit to General Schofield. We reach Federal Point just before dark. The weather is threatening, and the pilot advises to delay going to sea till to-morrow.

Sunday, February 26. - Stormy, and the captain of the vessel will not risk starting. We spend the day pleasantly, visiting the fleet, which is also waiting for better weather to go to sea.

Monday, February 27. - Still stormy in the morning, but clears about the middle of the forenoon. The wind, however, is still so high that both the admiral's fleet and our vessel are kept in port. Take the party to visit Fort Fisher, and witness the terrible effects of the bombardment on that place.

Tuesday, February 28. - Still stormy, but the wind has moderated, and we go to sea. Have rather a rough voyage, but reach Beaufort before dark, and thence take the cars to New Berne; put up at the Gaston Hotel.

Wednesday, March 1. - Issue orders, assuming command, &c. Meagher is relieved and sent home, and his troops are mingled for the present with those of General Palmer, and the whole are divided into two divisions, one of which General Palmer takes, and the other is given to General S. P. Carter, lately from East Tennessee, a commander in the Navy. My task is to cover with my troops the reconstruction of the railroad to Goldsborough as a means of supplying General Sherman when he shall arrive there, and to co-operate with General Terry's column in the advance upon that place. Both columns are almost entirely without wagons, and this will make our movements less rapid and energetic than we should like to have them. Upon the union of our troops at Goldsborough it is arranged that I shall have permanent command of the Twenty-third Corps. At present my command is nominally the District of Beaufort.

Thursday, March 2. - Troops slowly getting in motion. Those which have been a long time in this district require a good deal of time to put themselves in condition for field service. All the departments here are in the same condition, and a movement which our old troops would have made in a day, it will take these two or three days to make.

Friday, March 3. - The movement continues, but the roads are reported very bad, and the bulk of the command will not be beyond Batchelder's Creek to-night, that being nine miles from New Berne. Leave town myself to-night and make headquarters in the old camp of the One hundred and thirty-second New York at Batchelder's Creek. It is one of the neatest permanent camps I have seen. The weather, which has been stormy ever since we left Wilmington, continues rainy to-day, but clears up at nightfall.

Saturday, March 4. - Still at Batchelder's Creek, the command moving up in detachments to Core Creek.

Sunday, March 5. - Leave Batchelder's Creek in the p.m. and make headquarters at Core Creek to-night. The whole country is one great swamp, with occasional dry spots in it, and few roads. The railroad runs through the center, the Neuse road on the right, and the Trent road on the left. A few paths and cart tracks connect these, and troops can only advance by head of column along the roads mentioned.