heart of Charleston City, and have opened with them, after giving General Beauregard due notice of my intention to do so.

My notification to General Beauregard, his reply thereto, with the threat of retaliation, and my rejoinder, have been transmitted to army headquarters.

The projectiles from my batteries entered the city, and General Beauregard himself designates them as "the most destructive missiles ever used in war."

The report of my chief of artillery* and an accurate sketch of the ruins of Fort Sumter, + taken at 12 m. yesterday, six hours before we ceased firing, are herewith transmitted.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

Q. A. GILLMORE,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

Major General H. W. HALLECK,

General-in-Chief, U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.

[Inclosure.]

OFFICE CHIEF OF ARTILLERY, DEPT. OF THE SOUTH,

Morris Island, S. C., August 23, 1863.

GENERAL: I have the honor to report the effect that our breaching batteries have had upon Fort Sumter, and the condition of that work to-night at the close of the seventh days' bombardment.

The gorge wall of the fort is almost a complete mass of ruins. For the distance of several casemates, about midway on this face, the ramparts are removed nearly, and in places quite, to the arches, and but for the sand-bags with which the casemates were filled, and which have served to sustain the broken arches and masses of masonry, it would have long since been entirely cut away, and with it the arches, to the floor of the second tier of casemates. The debris on this front now forms a ramp, reaching as high as the floor of these casemates.

The parapet wall of the two northeasterly faces in completely carried away, a small portion only being left in the angle made with the gorge wall, and the ramparts of these faces is also a total ruin. Quite one-half of our projectiles seem to have struck the parade and parapet of these two faces, and, judging from the effect they have had upon the gorge wall, within our observation, the destruction of masonry on these two sides must be very great, and I am of the opinion that nearly every arch in these fronts must be broken in. But one gun remains in position on these two fronts, and this in the angle of the gorge, and, I think, unserviceable.

The ruin extends around, taking in the northeasterly face as far as can be seen. A portion of this face, adjoining the angle it makes with the southeasterly face, is concealed, but from the great number of missiles which have struck in this angle during the last two days, it cannot be otherwise than greatly damaged, and I do not think any guns can be left on this face in a serviceable condition.

The ramparts in this angle, as well as in the southeasterly face, must be plowed up and greatly shattered, the parapet on this latter face being torn off in many places, as we can see, and I hardly think the platforms of the three remaining guns on this face could have escaped. With the assistance of a powerful glass, I cannot deter-

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*See also Turner's report, p. 212.

+Made by W. T. Crane. See p. 601

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