become soldiers and accustomed to discipline before mounting. The delay in furnsihing horses will not be great. You are reuquested to use great care in the selection and reocmmendation of officers for the new corps.

Frequent irregularities in the Fourteenth Regiment, Corps d'Afrique, have been noticed of late in the correspondence passing through these headquarters. You are requested to call the attention of the colonel of that regiment to the apparent want of care and system in the administration of his command.

Very respectfully, I am, general, your obedient servant,

CHAS. P. STONE,

Brigadier-General, Chief of Staff.

HDQRS. DISTRICT OF KEY WEST AND TORTUGAS,
Key West, Fla., January 22, 1864.

Brigadier General CHARLES P. STONE,

Chief of Staff, Department of the Gulf, New Orleans, La.:

GENERAL: On the 23rd ultimo I informed you that a small detachment, 35 persons in all, had been place don an island in Charlotte Harbor, forming a nucleus around which it was hoped refugees would begin to cluster. So far very little success has attenede dthe enterprise. Six refugees only hve enlisted since the detachment reached Charlotte Harbor, and 6 recruits availed themselves of the forst opportunity to desert. One of these deserters, calling himself Zachariah Brown, came to this place some months ago from Middle Florida, made loud pretenses to Union principles, enlisted in the Forty-seventh Pennsylvania, and served some time at Fort Taylor.

On the 25th of December, Lieuteannt Meyers, in charge of the detachment at Charlotte Harbor, sent out a scoutiing prty of 15 men, under Daniels, a guide, to obtain information and make observations on the mainland. Captain Baxter, commanding the U. S. gunboat Gem of the Sea, furnished three boats for the use of this party, and 14 seamen, under Ensign Jenks, to man the boats. The party landed on the north side of Pease Creek, not far from its mouth; the seamen remained to guard the boats. Daniels conducted his men over the country until the night of he 28th, when all the men placed on guard deserted. Daniels immeidately changed his camp, and began next morning to return to the boats. At daylight on the morniing of the 30th he had got near enought o hear the sound of musketry, which indicated an attack upon the boats. Ensign Jenks and the seamen seem to have behaved with great gallantry. Attacked, as he supposed, by about 40 men, Mr. Jenks retired slowly, and succeeded in bringing off all his men with no other causlaty than 1 man wounded. Daniels, with 5 men, remained concealed until the 31st, when he was taken off by the boats. At a still later period 4 men of Daniels' party, who had been sent out on some special service, unable to find any boats or any means of return, traveled up the country along the north bank of Pease Creek, until they came across a small schooner loaded with 4 1/2 bales of cotton. Of this they boldly took possession and succeeded in delivering their capture and 2 prisoners to Captain Baxter.

On the 7th instant, I placed one company of the Forty-seventh pennsylvania in charge of Fort Myers, on the south side of the