in August have received, to say the least, scant courtesy, and have been carried under circumstances of not a little peril to the vessel bearing them, and to those on board. The time has come when there shall be some guaranty or safeguard given against such course in future.

Orders will be given to receive and communicate with a flag of truce at the buoy indicated by Admiral Dahlgren on a former occasion, for the purpose of receiving explanations and assurances, that our flags hereafter shall be received in good faith-that is, in the spirit in which they have been sent-in every instance. Unless this is done, the commanding general will find it necessary to disregard any flag coming from the authorities of the United States.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

THOMAS JORDAN,

Chief of Staff.

HDQRS. DEPT. SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA, AND FLORIDA,
Charleston, S. C., September 9, 1863.

D. B. HARRIS,

Lieutenant-Colonel, and Chief of Engineers;

COLONEL: I am instructed by the commanding general to direct you to suspend the execution of the order issued some time since in reference to blowing up the foundations of the old Marsh Battery.

He also directs that the Half-Moon Battery be fitted up for one 10-inch columbiad and one 7-inch treble-banded Brooke gun, expected to arrive from Richmond. He furthermore desires the battery at the foot of Laurens street to be fitted up for two 10-inch guns, instead of for one 10-inch and one 32-pounder, rifled, as before directed.

The following additional instructions the commanding general also desires you to carry out:

First. That the parapet at Battery Haskell shall be strengthened, and a bomb-proof erected as soon as your labor resources may permit.

Second. That, if practicable, an engineer be sent to the Battery at White, Point, to supervise the work.

third. That traverses be put up at Battery Haskell, to protect some of the guns from fire of Batteries Wagner and Gregg.

Fourth. That, as it is probable the enemy will soon establish his long-range Parrott guns at or near Wagner and Gregg, to dismount the guns on Sullivan's Island, it is positively ordered that all guns exposed to such a fire, be put immediately in embrasures, and, where practicable, protected by high and strong merlons and traverses, even at the risk of much diminishing their field of fire.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN F. O'BRIEN,

Major, and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. DEPT. SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA, AND FLORIDA,
Charleston, S. C., September 9, 1863.

Brigadier General R. S. RIPLEY,

Commanding First Military District:

GENERAL: It is the wish of the commanding general that the order shall again be extended to commanding officers of batteries, direct