On the morning of the 9th, the enemy again opened fire upon Battery Pringle and the lines, but the Brooke gun having been mounted during the night, the wooden gun and mortar-boats were made to drop lower down the river, and the monitors were by this gun and the 10-inch columbiad several times hit, and one supposed to be considerably damaged. Heavy musketry and artillery firing was heard on John's Island at daybreak, and in the course of the evening troops could be seen marching down to the wharf at Legareville and embarking on steamers, but not leaving the wharf. This indicated an abandonment of John's Island and a probable concentration on this island of all his troops, and I made every disposition to meet an attack. This supposition was strengthened by his sending up the river with the rising tide, just after nightfall, three fire-rafts for the purpose of destroying the bridge (unfinished) across the Stono, intended to connect this and John's Island. His efforts in this were unsuccessful, as the rafts were boarded by a detachment from the Naval Battalion, under Lieutenant Smith, ad brought ashore before reaching the bridge.

On the morning of the 10th, several large steamer loads of troops were thrown from John's to this island, and the embarkation of troops at Legareville continued. These demonstrations lasted only until evening, when many transports loaded with troops steamed out of the Stono and put to sea. The enemy's fire was kept up until evening upon our pickets and Battery Pringle. About 8 p. m., the enemy made another barge attack upon Simkins and Fort Johnson, which was met by the same gallant garrison of the 3rd instant, with the addition of Captain Le Gardeur's section of light artillery and a company of C. S. marines, and promptly repulsed.

On the morning of the 11th, after shelling our troops all night, the enemy's vessels of war steamed out of the Stono and our troops reoccupied the peninsula, and the cavalry vedettes were re-established. I think it unnecessary to detail the positions and movements of troops in the district and along the lines.

On the 2nd instant, the First Sub-District (embracing the several batteries of Fort Johnson, under Lieutenant-Colonel Yates; Haskell, Tatom, Ryan, &c., under Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, and Secessionville and Fort Lamar, under Lieutenant-Colonel Brown, and the First South Carolina Cavalry, Major Walker) was commanded by Colonel Black, First South Carolina Cavalry. The Second Sub-District (embracing the Stono batteries, Major Lucas; the several batteries of the new (souther) lines, Captain Frederick, Second South Carolina Artillery. The light artillery of the district, embracing his own and Blake's battery, was commanded by Captain Wheaton, of the Chatham Artillery.

The re-enforcement which reached me, and which, as circumstances required, were withdrawn or returned, consisted of companies of the Thirty-second Georgia, Colonel Harrison; the command of Colonel, Rhett, consisting of companies of First South Carolina Infantry, Captain R. P. Smith, and companies of First South Carolina Artillery, Major Blanding; the Fifth Georgia Volunteers, Colonel Dozier, C. S. Navy; the Bureau Battalion, Major Echols, chief engineer of the department, and Kirk's and Peeples' squadrons