mington. The only duty done by the Indian Chief is sending out three picket boats every night. Two of these, each carrying two officers and ten men, are posted between Sumter and Battery bee; the third, carrying one officer and six men, between Sumter and Johnson. They report the harbor full of torpedoes, both inside and outside of Sumter-so much so that the officers and men of the picket boats feel very uncomfortable about coming down to their posts. The rebels have been diligently planting these torpedoes for the past two months. At low tide they are only eight to ten inches below the surface of the water. These torpedoes consist of an elongated shell, about the size of a 200 or 300 pounder shell, round at both ends, having percussion tubes or fuses at the upper ends and sides, fastened at the lower end into a sabot, and anchored with a grapnel. There are some twenty or thirty cigar-shaped torpedo boats, calculate to carry four men each, laying around the ship-yards on Ashley River. Probably about eight or ten of them only are serviceable. No volunteers from the navy have been called for this duty during the past seven or eight months. The only obstructions reported in the harbor are palmetto logs anchored and running in a line from the northeast angle of Sumter to within 200 or 300 yards of the Sullivan's Island shore. This is not a continuous chain, the logs not being connected with one another by ropes or chain, the logs not being connected with one another be ropes or chains, but anchored singly. When the tide is running very strong these logs are pulled under water, leading to the supposition that there may be netting under them, to which they merely serve as floats. The navy has recently been quite busy taking soundings up Cooper and Ashley Rivers. These men, not having been engaged on this duty, know nothing particular about these soundings, nor how far up the parties were sent.

I have the honor to be, with highest respect, your obedient

servant,

EDW. W. SCHAEFFER,

First Lieutenant, 127th New York Volunteers, and Aide-der Camp.

HDQRS. NORTHERN DISTRICT, DEPT. OF THE SOUTH,
Norris Island, S. C., February 16, 1865.

CAPTAIN: I have the honor respectfully to acknowledge the receipt of orders of February 15, from the Major-general commanding, in regard to the continuance of demonstrations on my front. These were delivered to me at 8. 30 this p. m.

I had already thought it proper to take the responsibility of continuing to harass the enemy. On the 11th instant I held the same position on James Island during the day that Colonel Hartwell had occupied the day before. The enemy was in stronger force on the 11th than he had been on the 10th. After dark on the 11th my command retired to Cole's Island, taking up the bridges behind them. On the night of the 11th to the 12th Major Hennessy, Fifty-second Pennsylvania Volunteers, made a demonstration in boats against Battery Simkins and Fort Sumter, which most thoroughly alarmed the enemy, as may be seen from the dispatch of General Hardee to the commanding officer of the iron-clads. The enemy opened a lively Artillery fire from Simkins and Sullivan's Island and a musketry fire from Simkins and Sumter. Having perceived by the enemy's dispatches of the 12th and 13th that he was taking troops-Artillery and infantry-back from James Island to Mount Pleasant and Andersonville, I ordered Colonel