CHARLESTON, S. C., August 18, 1863.

Brigadier General W. S. WALKER, Pocotaligo, S. C.:

Send the Charleston Light Dragoons (by land), to report for temporary service to General Ripley.

THOMAS JORDAN,

Chief of Staff.

HDQRS. DEPT. SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA, AND FLORIDA,
Charleston, S. C., August 18, 1863.

Brigadier General R. S. RIPLEY,

Commanding First Military District:

GENERAL: Lieutenant-Colonel Kemper, it appears, is confined to the command of the light artillery under General Hagood. The commanding general prefers that he should, as an assistant to the chief of artillery, have the command of all the light artillery on James Island, and be responsible for its discipline and efficiency. Please give the necessary orders to that end.

Major Elliott will also be ordered to report to Brigadier-General Taliaferro for assignment to command of such heavy artillery as may be without proper commander.

The south end of the quarters of Fort Moultrie, next to the guns, should be torn away and removed without delay, otherwise the battery may be made untenable.

The chief engineer will be instructed to examine Fort Moultrie, to determine what additional traverses shall be constructed in that work. The commanding general is convinced that one well-protected gun is worth ten exposed to a flank fire, and is keenly solicitous that all should be done to guard against such an event. Therefore, it will be probably necessary to remove some guns to make room for the traverses which the chief engineer may wish to thrown up. In that event, no time must be lost in taking the guns down when the engineers are ready to do the work. Colonel Butler should be instructed to confer with Colonel Harris, touching the guns to be displaced.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

THOMAS JORDAN,

Chief of Staff.

CHARLESTON, August 18, 1863.

Brigadier General THOMAS JORDAN, Chief of Staff:

GENERAL: I have the honor to submit to you the following statement of my operations on Light-House Inlet, from Saturday last, 2 p. m., to this morning, the time I returned to the city:

Started on Saturday, 2 p. m., from Chisolm's Mill. I landed at Fort Johnson with eight torpedoes and two boats, and arrived at Secessionville at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. I had with me Captain Mickler and 10 of his men, to protect our operations, Lieutenant Ch. De l'isle, my assistant, and 6 boat hands. I first examined, from the top of the lookout, the surrounding creeks, leading to the Yankee fleet, numbering at the time twenty-six vessels, big and small, and took, with the military authorities, the proper arrangements for the safety of the expedition and to avoid the fire of our own pickets. At 8 p. m., being full high water, I started from our landing in the following order: Mr.