labor even inside the battery. The most unfortunate, event of the day was the bursting of a mortar shell in the 10-inch columbiad chamber,which destroyed the spare carriage I intended to place under the gin to-night, also injuring the pry pole of the gin. I immediately telegraphed for another carriage and pry pole. Examined the battery after the shelling ceased, and found the injury to have been but slight, requiring but a few hours' work to repair. I felt to-day completely out, and was compelled to lie upon my back all day, and telegraphed for twenty-four hours' leave of absence, for rest. Was unable to assist during the early part of the night in hurrying up the repairs, which, I am sorry to pay, progress very slowly and imperfectly under the present chief engineer, who does not spend the entire night upon the parapet, as Captain Ramsey did, but passes most of the night in sleep. During the night, a detachment from siege train under Captain Gregg, arrived, which I placed in position where a previous detachment was. A detachment of the Chatham Artillery also arrived, to whom I gave the two field howitzers at Cumming's Point, and the two on the curtain in front of the battery. Found, while placing these detachments in their positions that the working parties were doing but little, there being no engineer to oversee them, and I again worked with them until daylight.

Thursday, July 30.-Enemy again opened a little before daylight from their mortars. I discovered that they had progressed considerably during the night with their approaches, and were still working, whereupon I opened with five guns, throwing shell, and effectually stopped their working parties and drove them off, and also interfered with their mortar shelling so much as to cause them to stop entirely. During the morning, they opened with Coehorn mortars, throwing a shell about the size of a 32-pounder from a distance of about 500 yards in front of the battery. The Ironsides and one monitor approached at 10.30 o'clock, and opened a heavy shelling upon the infantry lying behind the sand-hills, resulting in the killing of 4 and wounding of 8 or 9. At 4 p.m. one monitor came up alone and again shelled the sand-hills. As she lay about 1,000 yards in front of the battery, I opened upon her with the only remaining gun on the sea face, a 32-pounder smooth-bore, firing about 12 shots at her, hitting her several times and causing her to move off. Received word that there would be a spare carriage on the steamboat for the 10-inch columbiad, and also an additional 10-inch columbiad, with chassis and carriage, to go upon the platform, which had been ready for several days. Although scarcely able to hold my head up, I was so delighted with the good news that I commenced making the most vigorous preparation to receive and mount them, procuring sufficient details of men to perform the labor, getting together all portions of the gin, the sling-cart, ropes, and skids. At dark I mounted a courier's horse and rode to Cumming's Point. On the arrival of the steamer, I did everything I could to expedite the work, suggesting to Colonel Yates to send up the carriage first, and while we were mounting that gun, the other gun with its carriage could be sent up. The colonel agreed to my suggestion, and having seen the carriage started, Captain Harleston and I rode back to Battery Wagner and commenced preparations for mounting the gun. We put up the gin, reeved the blocks, and commenced raising the gun, when the hook of the block straightened out and broke, rendering all other attempts to-night impossible. We then took down the gin and put