November 17, 1863, to January 5, 1864, fifty days, about 9 shells per day.

Proportion of shells which burst.- The records of this are very imperfect, and the general opinion seems to be that only one-third of the shells thrown at the city have burst. The observer's records for December are 316 shells thrown, of which 20 feel short. Of these, 123 are reported as not exploded, equal to about 39 per cent. of the number thrown, or 42 per cent. of the number which struck the city.

On January 2, 1864, 12 shells were thrown, of which one-half failed to explode.

What part of the city most frequently struck.- I have indicated this on the accompanying map* by a dotted re-ink line. It is nearly bounded north by Market street from East Bay to Meeting, down Meeting to Horlbeck's alley, and along Horlbeck's alley to King street; west by King street from Horlbeck's alley to Tradd street; south by Tradd street from corner of King to Church street; down Church street to Longitude lane, and along that lane to East Bay, and east by East Bay street. Mr. [T. S.] Hale, the observer at Saint Michael's, reports that "the enemy's principal line of fire upon the city has been Saint Michael's Church steeple, radiating to the northeastward as far as Saint Philip's Church," and generally limited enemy appears to have made Saint Philip's Church steeple their line of fire, hence the shells striking higher up in the city." On the map accompanying, the wards are marked in separate colors, and the district burned in 1861 by a dark-brown tint. The shells first thrown at the city were 200-pounder Parrotts, but afterward the 100-pounder Parrotts.

People are occasionally found living in the lower part of the city apparently indifferent to the danger of the enemy's fire. I think there are a good many west of Meeting street. The Blakely gun battery appears to be the only one in the line of fire.

Respectfully submitted.

HENRY BRYAN,

Major, and Assistant Inspector-General.

Lieutenant Colonel A. ROMAN,

Assist. Insp. General, Dept. of S. C, Ga., and Fla.

Numbers 2. Reports of Colonel Alfred Rhett, First South Carolina Artillery.

HDQRS. 5TH MIL. DIST., DEPT. OF S. C., GA., AND FLA.,
Charleston, January 1, 1864.

GENERAL: I have the honor to make the following report:

On the morning of the 25th instant [ultimo], at 12.30 a. m., the enemy commenced to shell the city, firing briskly. This shelling continued up to 1 p. m. of the same date, the enemy having fired 150 shells, 134 of which struck in the city and 16 feel short.

About 1.10 a. m. a fire, supposed to be occasioned by the enemy's shells, broke out in a building on the north side of Broad street, near

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*Not found.

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