OFFICE U. S. ENGINEERS, DEPT. OF KENTUCKY, AND U. S. ENGINEER AGENCY, ARMIES OF THE WEST,

Cincinnati, Ohio, April 8, 1865.

General RICHARD DELAFIELD,

Chief Engineer, U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: I have the honor to make the following report of operations for the month of March, 1865:

LOUISVILLE, KY.

Mr. John R. Gillis, assistant U. S. engineer, reports:

Fort Elstner.- Revetment of parapet tree-fourths done. Earth-work of parapet one-half done. Terre plain all graded. Magazine put in, finished, and covered. Traverse finished. Drain of terreplein finished. Drains for ditches dug.

Fort Saunders.- Ditches, glacis, parapet, and of end of bankquetts with palisades, finished. Side slopes of ramps and barbetts revetted, with hurdles to save loom. Bridge, traverse, and revetment at entrance finished. Infantry parapet 150 feet in length, to protect ascent to hill, finished. The fort only requires sodding and laying platforms.

Fort McPherson.- Foundation for platform of 100-pounder Parrott laid. End of traverse in front of magazine revetted.

East Philpot.- Revetments of embrasures and ends of banquettes finished. Parapet and ditch trimmed. Traverse three-fourths done.

Forts Karnasch and Clark.- Ventilators to magazines altered according to General Delafield's plan.

Fort Southworth.- Revetments of parapet and embrasures finished. Abatis and fraise finished. Four hundred feet of infantry parapet revetted and finished. Traverse in parapet finished.

Detailed plans finished, except Forts Estner and Southworth. Contour maps of immediate vicinity of each work one-half done.

I inspected the forts about Louisville on the 7th of March and found them progressing well. For summary se appendix.

DEFENSES OF LOUISVILLE AND NASHVILLE RAILROAD.

It being represented to me that some of these defenses needed repair, I inspected the works at Bowling Green, Munfordville, and Muldraugh's Hill with Mr. John R. Gilliss, assistant U. S. engineer, to whom I gave the necessary instructions, the repairs to be effected by the troops at the several points. Mr. Gilliss reports the following work done since during the month:

Fort De Wolf, Shepherdville.- Five Hundred feet if inclined palisade built to inclose barracks, fort, &c., finished. Repair and improvement of fort commenced.

Fort Boyle, Muldraugh's Hill.- Earth-work of parapet to inclose for commenced. Palisade revetment for same finished. Ditches have been dug around the log-houses selected to aid in inclosing the work, the earth banked up against them, and intervals closed with palisades. The only entrance is now the point selected for gate.

Fort Sands. Muldraugh's Hill.- A good fraise has been out on the top of the fascine revetments of scarp and the ditch is being deepened. The fort is already safe from a sudden assault.

At the last two places all the men not on guard have been kept at work, and they have done very well.

Munfordville.- Sodding damaged by winter has all been repaired, profiles are up, and work commenced on new face to battery on west end of line (to protect railroad depot).

Bowling Green, Fort Lytle.- Most of the labor has been put on the earth and sold work above the stone revetment of parapet. As only twenty men are furnished, it progress slowly. More men have been promised. The work on the defenses of this railroad has been entirely done by soldiers of the Twelfth U. S. Colored Heavy Artillery.

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