the morning of Tuesday, the 9th, we had a shower of rain, which did no material damage, but about 3 o'clock it commenced to rain, and I have not seen such a rain in may years. In less than an hour the stream running through the prison rose between four and five feet and carried away about 100 feet of the stockade, and the rain washed ditches inside and out, parallel to the stockade, from three to eight feet deep, and broke through and carried away about thirty feet of the stockade in another quarter. The alarm guns were fired and the troops were on the ground promptly, the militia first. There was no escape, nor was there any attempt to escape on th part of the prisoners; their own self-constituted police kept order within the stockade. No doubt sixteen guns bearing on them had a wholesome influence. Night found us in this situation, all the available force at work and continued at work during the night, the troops remaining on the ground and under arms. The next day before we had finished repairs it commenced to rain again with almost as much violence as the day before, but did not continue quite as long and the injury was no so great.

Yesterday evening we got everything so far repaired as to place us in comparative safety. The troops were on the ground and under arms three days and two nights, and the working hands at work same time. Never in my life have I spent so anxious a time. If we had not had a large negro force working on the defenses I think it would have been impossible to have saved the place. In inclose a sketch of the damage done.

We have now here 33,000 prisoners of war, and more arriving almost daily. We are crowded to excess, and the mortality is very great, amounting to 633 in seven days. I shall, I think, be able to afford a little more room next week, which will relieve us somewhat, but very little, and General Cobb urges for many reasons that no more be sent to Macon, and I think none should be sent there if it can be avoided. I do beg that you will give the officer at Millen full authority to press everything, including land, houses, negroes, teams, wagons, saw-mills, &c., to enable him to press the work forward, so that we may relieve this prison.

Under instructions from General Bragg I shall send an officer (Major Griswold) to Alabama to locate a prison in that State. I am very much in want of officers. Colonel Forno is quite sick and has been for some time. Captain Wirz is very sick, produced entirely by overwork for want of assistance. He ought to have gone to bed two weeks ago, but kept up because he had none to whom the command could be turned over. Lieutenant Brown, my aide-de-camp, is partially paralyzed, and I fear it will be long before he will be able to do anything. The urgent necessity to relieve this prison compels me to send Captains Vowles and Winder to start the new prison, though I can very illy spare their services. The police duty here is very heavy, and I want, if I can get it, some more assistance in that department. What with the sick and necessarily absent, I have nobody in my office but Mr. Levis, a detailed conscript, which greatly increases my labors. I am, during Colonel Forno's illness, obliged to be the immediate commander of the troops. I hope a quartermaster may be sent to the new prison at once. Captain R. B. Winder, the quartermaster here, cannot leave, as he has no assistance and his whole time is occupied at his post. I would beg leave to remark that disabled officers, if much disabled, cannot stand the labors at this post.

Respectfully, your obedient servant,

JNO H. WINDER,

Brigadier-General.