BATTERY STEVENS.

Immediately to the left of Battery Reno; distance from Fort Sumter, 4,320 yards; from Battery Gregg, 2,950 yards; from Fort Wagner, 1,860 yards.

Armament.-Two 100-pounder Parrott rifles.

Garrion.-Detachments Company C, First U. S. Artillery, and Seventh Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Firt Lieutenant James E. Wilson, Fifth U. S. Artillery.

BATTERY STRONG.

Immediately to left of Battery Stevens; distance from Fort Sumter, 4,345 yards; from Battery Gregg, 2,950 yards; from Fort Wagner, 1,900 yards.

Armament.-One 10-inch Parrott rifle.

Garrison.-Detachment Seventh Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, commanded by Captain S. H. Gray, Seventh Connecticut Volunteer Infantry.

BATTERY KIRBY.

One hundred yards to the left of Battery Strong; distance from Fort Sumter, 4,400 yards, from Battery Gregg, 3,000 yards; from Fort Wagner, 1,960 yards.

Armament.-Two 10-inch seacoast mortars.

Garrison.-Detachment Eleventh Maine Infantry, commanded by First Lieutenant Charles Sellmer, Eleventh Maine Volunteer Infantry.

Most of this heavy artillery had been brought from Hilton Head, and all of if landed on this island since the 24th of July. The place of landing for our artillery, and, indeed, of all our supplies, was at the south end of Morris Island, in Light-House Inlet, a narrow, confined stream, approached from the sea only through a crooked, narrow channel, and over a bar admitting at high water vessels of only 8 and 10 feet draught. Nearly one-half the time there was no ingress or engross to the inlet, and much valuable time was loss in waiting for high water, on which to float our transports over the bar.

Where we landed our artillery on Morris Island to our batteries was a distance varying from 1 1/2 to 2 miles. This entire distance was heavy sand, through which all the guns were dragged into position by troops at night. Seventh heavy guns were thus dragged to the immediate front of Fort Wagner, put in position, equipped, magazines filled, and the batteries served for seven days, through within half range of seven heavy pieces of artillery with which that place was garnished and within 400 yards of their sharpshooters, with their whole front covered with marksmen armed with telescopic rifles of extraordinary power.

On the evening of the 16th of August, a sufficient number of batteries being completed and in readiness to warrant the opening of the bombardment, final orders were issued to open fire upon fort Sumter at daybreak on the morning of the 17th from all the batteries which were completed, opening the other batteries as fast as they were finished.

Accordingly, on the morning of the 17th---

Battery Brown opened with one 8-inch, throwing shell. A gunner's gimlet having been accidentally broken off in the vent off the other piece of this battery, its service was lost for three days while drilling it out.