battery at Secessionville on the 14th instant, continuing it upon the 15th, when the guns of the hold were silenced, it having once been set on fire by our shells. As the fort appeared uninjured, however, and it was evident that extensive works were being constructed in the interior for covering the men and the guns, the fort being apparently made much stronger every day, I deemed it important that a reconnaissance should be made in force at the earliest practicable period, with the object, if it were successful and the fort not too strong, of capturing and holding the same.

For this purpose I arranged last evening that a large part of the command of General Stevens, or about 3,500 men, and four guns of Rockwell's battery should lead the advance of that reconnaissance this morning, starting at 4 o'clock from a position previously secured in our front picket line, while it was to be supported on the left with large detachments of General Wright's and Colonel Williams' command, or about 3,100 men, with six guns of Hamilton's battery. I myself accompanied the latter command, which left this place at the appointed time, between 3 and 4 o'clock a. m.

By the reports made to me I learn that the command of General Stevens were well placed in the positions assigned them with great silence and secrecy between 2 and 3 a. m., and that at about the hour appointed, 4 o'clock, they moved forward rapidly, capturing the advanced pickets, a lieutenant and 4 men, and by 5 o'clock were immediately in front of the fort, by a rapid march of nearly 2 miles. The head companies of the leading regiment, the Eighth Michigan, closely followed by those of the next, the Seventy-ninth New York (Highlanders),and the balance of those regiments then rushed up to and upon the parapet of the fort, in rear and in support of which were the Twenty-eighth Massachusetts Regiment and the Seventh Connecticut; but the destructive fire from the fort and from the large masses of infantry behind dikes and hedges on the flanks and in rear of the fort cut down the leading men and officers, and after the advance held the position close upon the fort for some fifteen or twenty minutes the order to retire and reform was given, which was done in good order, a portion of our dead being brought off, thought followed by heavy discharges of musketry and grape, and the firing continued from this pint, supported here by Rockwell's Connecticut battery, which was most admirably served.

During this time the left wing, under General Wright, the advance of which was led by Colonel Williams, of the First Massachusetts Cavalry, with Hamilton's and Ransom's guns, were pushed rapidly and gallantly forward, and the enemy on our left flank with a battery of field guns were driven forward about 1 mile in advance of our line of pickets, and the left flank of General Stevens was completely covered and protected, whole a portion of this force, or nearly one-half, was sent forward to support General Stevens.

After a protracted firing across the marsh on our left and the open space in front of the fort until about 9 o'clock a. m., it was found that our infantry, supported by our field pieces only, could not make any marked impression the fort, and as any further attempt upon it in broad daylight, with several hundreds yards of this open space in front, would have caused a useless sacrifice of life, and as the main object of the reconnaissance was accomplished in ascertaining the nature of the oft and the position in front on our right, as also the character of the ground in advance of our left as far as may be necessary to secure our