immediately by the Middleburg road to report to Colonel Shaw, Seventh U. S. Colored Troops, who will be between Peter's Creek and Middleburg. They must reach Colonel Shaw before to-morrow morning.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

M. BAILEY,

Captain and Assistant Adjutant-General.

HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF FLORIDA, Jacksonville, July 22, 1864.

Colonel A. L. HARRIS,
Commanding Seventy-fifth Ohio Volunteers:

COLONEL: Everything in this expedition depends upon the promptness of your embarkation at Mandarin and of your debarkation. You must have your horses ready on the Mandarin wharf, your forage and men, and load the boats quickly, and send them off as fast as loaded. If you fail in this, from not being ready, or from allowing your men to be slow, you will cause my whole expedition to fail, for I must land you at night and get the boats out of the creek before daylight, or there will be no surprise. Be ready, then, when the boats get to the dock. Get your men and horses on board within twenty minutes.

Very respectfully,

WM. BIRNEY,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

HDQRS. NORTHERN DISTRICT, DEPT. OF THE SOUTH, Folly Island, S. C., July 23, 1864.

Rear-Admiral DAHLGREN,
Commanding South Atlantic Blockading Squadron:

ADMIRAL: I have the honor to inform you that I have now in my possession a deserter from the rebel iron-clad Chicora, in Charleston Harbor. If you desire to examine him, I shall take pleasure in placing him at your disposal. With regard to the enemy's iron-clads, he corroborates our own observations and former information, and states, furthermore, that they have no idea of coming out of the harbor, but are only to assist in preventing the entrance of our fleet. In running between Johnson and the city the iron-clads usually take advantage of the tide, as they can hardly make headway against it. The Chicora is three or four hours making the distance from Johnson to the city against a heavy tide. With regard to the effect of our late operations on James Island, this deserter reports that Fort Pringle was "very badly used up" by the fire of the navy; that the men called it a "slaughter-pen," and could not be made to stand to their guns, but took refuge in the bomb-proofs.

I have the honor to remain, with the highest respect, your obedient servant,

A. SCHIMMELFENNIG,

Brigadier-General, Commanding District.