shell from the Brooke gun, and also 6 mortar shells. The fire from these batteries did not appear to be very satisfactory.

Battery Cheves, not being supplied with 8-inch shell, did not participate in the defense to-day.

Major Elliott compalins that not one captain in the Georgia battalion stationed in Fort Sumter is present with his company, and if the company commanders are not present, he cannot be responsible for the result. Most of these officers, he states, are absent on sick certificates, but he has reason to believe they are fit for duty. Orders were accordingly issued for the arrest of these absentees, and for their return to their posts.

Major Manigault reports the arrival at Battery Haskell of a 24-pounder smooth-bore, with carriage, ammunition, and implements. The gun is damaged, having the knob of the cascabel broken off, and also part of the breech. It is, besides, old and worn. Major Manigault thinks the gun scarcely fit for use, and the carriage is defective.

October 30, 1863.-The enemy commenced a very heavy bombardment about daylight from Wagner, Gregg, and the intermediate battery, directing his fire exclusively against Sumter.

Battery Simkins replied during the day with 31 mortar shells and 5 shell from the 8-inch columbiad. Ten shells were fired from the Brooke gun at Fort Johnson, but, owing to the defective character of the fuses used, the effect was not satisfactory.

Battery Cheves was again silent for want of 8-inch shell.

About 12 m. three of the monitors joined in the attack, which was continued until 5.30 p.m., when fire gradually ceased, but was slowly resumed in about two hours, and continued at intervals during the night. The only casualties during the day were 3 men slightly wounded in Sumter.

From sunrise to sunset, 955 shots were fired by the enemy, 68 of which missed. The effect of this heavy fire upon the gorge wall and sea face was to render them still more accessible from the outside, and to very much break up and interfere with the interior communications of the fort.

About 11 a.m. a floating pile-driver of the enemy came to a point in the creek to the southwest of Black Island, and commenced to drive a pile. Fire was opened upon her from Redoubt Numbers 1, with an 8-inch navy shell gun and a 30-pounder Parrott. Eight shots were fired from the former gun and 10 from the latter, when the vessel withdrew out of range. Only about one-half of the shells burst, and the timing of the fuses did not appear to be very accurate.

October 31, 1863.-The Federal fleet off the harbor this morning is composed of the Ironsides, four monitors, one gunboat, two mortar-boats, and nineteen other vessels inside the bar, and six blockading vessels outside.

During the past night, the enemy have fired at intervals 68 shots at Fort Sumter, 8 of which missed.

About 3 o'clock this morning, a Parrott shot struck an iron girder on the sea wall, and a moment after the roof fell in, crushing 13 men, who were posted there in readiness to mount the crest in the event of a boat attack.

About dawn, the enemy opened a heavy fire from two heavy and two light guns at Battery Gregg, three heavy rifled guns and four 10-inch mortars at the midway battery, and four heavy rifled guns at Wagner. Toward midday their fire slackened materially; but im-