On the 8th, a working party of the enemy was discovered at the east of Black Island, either building a bridge or battery. It was opened upon from Battery haskell, and the work ceased for the time. During the day, the firing at intervals from Sumter, Gregg, and Simkins was kept up; but the enemy remained comparatively quiet until evening, when he opened with mortars and Parrott guns, principally on Battery Wagner, keeping up the cannonade until near 5 o'clock on the morning of the 9th. Fort Sumter replied with three guns and two mortars.

On the 9th, operations were continued, the enemy being greatly annoyed by our sharpshooters, and occasionally opening fire with great spirit and rapidity to endeavor to dislodge them. At about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy's land batteries opened, shelling briskly from their mortars toward Battery Wagner and the landing at Cumming's Point. One man was slightly wounded at Wagner. During the night of the 9th, the Eighth North Carolina Regiment was relieved by Colonel Olmstead's command of Georgia troops, and the detachment of couriers from the Fifth South Carolina Cavalry by others of same regiment.

[On the 10th] the enemy were very busily at work, and although Fort Sumter and Battery Simkins kept up a steady fire, they caused him but little interruption, and he succeeded in approaching about 100 yards in advance of his former position of attack. During the day he kept quiet, except firing from his sharpshooters, which was replied to with spirit and effect by ours, until, at about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, his land batteries of both mortar and Parrott guns opened briskly. No great damage was effected beyond knocking off the wheel of a carronade, which was soon replaced. Colonel [George P.] Harrison, [jr.,] of the Fifty-fourth [Thirty-second] Georgia Regiment, relieved Brigadier-General Hagood in command of our troops on Morris Island; but the fire of the enemy interfered seriously with the relief of the troops on Morris Island, he having erected a large Drummond light in a position to brightly illuminate the landing. The steamers engaged in the transfer were withdrawn and the relief discontinued for the night. Colonel Olmsttead relieved Colonel [R. F.] Graham in command of Fort Johnson, which was made a depot for the troops relieving the garrison of Morris Island. Lieutenant Colonel J. A. Yates was assigned to the command of the artillery at Batteries Simkins and Cheves and at Fort Johnson.

At about 7 o'clock on the morning of the 11th, the enemy's land batteries and monitors opened heavily on Battery Wagner, but the monitors soon withdrew. The fire from the land batteries was, however, kept up with more or less spirit during the day, and replied to by Fort Sumter, Batteries Simkins and Gregg. The damage to our works was slight. During the night of the 11th, the relief of the garrison by fresh troops was accomplished, with the assistance of the boats of the navy. So soon as it had been finished, Colonel Harrison opened fire upon the enemy's working parties nearest Battery Wagner, interfering with and putting a stop for the time to their progress. Fort Sumter and Battery Simkins also kept up a steady fire on the approaches. The enemy replied from his land batteries, Parrotts, and mortars, doing some damage to the bomb-proofs, but without inflicting any casualties on our side.

On the morning of the 12th, the enemy opened with 200-pounder Parrott shot and shell upon Fort Sumter, from his batteries near the foot of Craig's Hill, on Morris Island, a distance of about 5,000