NOTE Numbers 17.

BROAD WHEEL SLING-CARTS.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH,
Morris Island, S. C., July 22, 1863.

Brigadier General Q. A. GILLMORE,

Commanding Department:

SIR: I have the honor to state that the labor of transporting heavy guns in this department would be greatly diminished by the use of sling-carts having much broader tires and fillies than those now furnished by the Ordnance Department. The roads here are either sand or mud; hence the utility of the broad wheel.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

T. B. BROOKS,

Captain, and Aide-de-Camp.

This was indorsed by General Gillmore:

Approved, and strongly recommended.

And sent to the Ordnance Department by Brigadier General T. Seymour.

T. B. BROOKS,

Major, and Aide-de-Camp.

NOTE Numbers 18.

WORKING PARTIES, AND HEALTH OF THE TROOPS.

The total number of soldiers' day's work of six hours each expended in the execution of the work herein described is 23,500. This does not include about 3,900 days' work expended at the engineer depot and elsewhere int he preparation of material employed in these operations, only a small portion of which was under my direction. Of the first number, 5,500 were by the New York Volunteer Engineers, and 18,000 by infantry troops from various regiments; 9,500, or more than half the infantry, were furnished from colored troops. About two hundred and twenty tours of duty were performed by the officers of the New York Volunteer Engineers in the direction of this labor. The day's work of the infantry soldier above mentioned is about one-fifth that which is ordinarily accomplished by a citizen laborer on civil works.

Over eight-twentieths of the labor directed by me was expended in the operations against Fort Wagner, about seven-twentieths in the establishment of defensive lines, and nearly five-twentieths in the erection of batteries against Fort Sumter.

The approximate amount of labor actually expended on the more important works is as follows:

Days.

One emplacement for a siege piece.................... 40

One emplacement for a heavy breaching gun............ 100

One bomb-proof magazine.............................. 250

Construction and repairs of each yard of approach

having splinter-proof parapet........................ 2

A linear yard of narrow splinter-proof shelter....... 4

A linear yard of wide splinter-proof shelter......... 8

To make and set one yard of inclined palisading...... 2