Woodford, of my staff. They were received from your staff officer on the 3rd instant and delivered to your prisoners on the 5th. I have the honor to inclose a copy of a receipt taken from your officers upon the delivery of the packages to them.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. G. FOSTER,

Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH,
Hilton Head, S. C., October 12, 1864.

Brigadier General R. DELAFIELD,

Chief of Engineers, U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: I have the honor to inform you that I have, in company with Captain Suter, U. S. Engineers, made an inspection of Fort Clinch and its surroundings. We arrived at a definite conclusion as to the changes that should be made in the plan in order to render the work efficient. The short interval before the sailing of the Fulton will not allow time to prepare a full report. I will, however, say that the proposed changes embrace the following points, viz:

First. The abolition of the chemin de ronde, the closing up of its loop-holes, and the removal of the parapet forward to it as a scarp wall. Also raising the parapet.

Second. The removal of the heavy guns from the bastionettes, the substitution of a flanking center pintled howitzer in its place, and the covering of its parapet with 2 feet of earth.

Third. The substitution of the counterscarp masonry for the countersloping one of earth, the narrowing of the ditch, and the introduction of a wet ditch 15 feet in width next the counterscarp, leaving a beam of 20 feet width next the scarp. The wet ditch to be 6 feet in depth at high water.

Fourth. The changing the entrance either to the left flank or the left face of the work.

Fifth. The construction of the magazines under the parapet or rampart at each salient, with entrances from the galleries' leading to the lower stories of the bastionettes.

Sixth. The formation of three casemated traverses on each face and flank and on the gorge.

Seventh. The construction of only one or two of the officers quarters inside the fort, and to make these only two stories high, the other quarters to be erected outside on the beach.

A more complete statement will be prepared for the next steamer. The maps received from the engineer office represent a portion of the sand hills which command the terre-plein of the work, favorable for the establishment of batteries, to which you refer in your letter. The originals ought to be in the office. The hill with the summit (reference at [39] is not yet removed or leveled, although those nearer the fort have been partially so. Beyond this about 250 yards, and extending to the distance of 1 mile, good beaching distance with rifled cannon against masonry, are ranges of sand hills extremely favorable to the establishment of breaching batteries of such magnitude as to require the labor of 1,000 men for six months