culties herein set forth by disposing of these horse equipments until the return of the re-enlisted veterans, and by securing horses for them so that no delay will be experienced in remounting them as soon as they come back.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

ALFRED GIBBS,

Colonel First New York Dragoons, Commanding Brigade.

HDQRS. ARMY AND DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA,
New Berne, N. C. February 28, 1864.

Major General BENJAMIN F. BUTLER,

Commanding Department of Virginia and North Carolina;

GENERAL: At 10 p. m. yesterday Colonel McChesney dispatched a communication to the effect that he expects an attack within a day or two, and that soon there would be a grand attack upon our forces in North Carolina. He asks for re-enforcements. While there is no reserve force, I have sent him one Connecticut regiment, and hope he will be able to hold all our interests. His informant is Honorable Mr. Satterthwaite, one of the leading men in North Carolina, of whom I have made mention to you. He has plantations near Washington, N. C., and is one of Governor Vance's friends.

In haste, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

JOHN J. PECK

Major-General.

HDQRS. ARMY AND DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA,
New Berne, N. C., February 28, 1864.

Commodore DAVENPORT,

U. S. Navy:

COMMODORE: A concurrence of testimony indicates that this position is about to incur a formidable attack. Dispatches from the military commander at Washington are to the effect that he has information of a meditated attack upon that place within a few days, which will probably be preliminary to that upon New Berne. Major-General Peck directs me to request you, if there are not already two gun-boats in the vicinity of Washington and if the demands elsewhere are not such as to prevent, that another boat may be sent to a position off Washington for a short time. It is the general's impression that there are already two there.

I remain, commodore, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

BENJ. B. FOSTER,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

HDQRS. ARMY AND DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA,
New Berne, N. C., February 28, 1864.

General I. N. PALMER,

Commanding Post and Defenses of New Berne;

GENERAL: Major-General Peck directs that nine companies of the Twenty-first Connecticut Volunteers proceed at once to Washington, N. C., to report to Colonel McChesney, commanding Sub-district