any serious natural impediment, Should, however, any unknown obstacle be encountered the return will be easy an nothing will have been sacrificed. These undersigned would recommend that after entering Savannah River a rapid advance should be made on the city, fighting the vessels past Fort Jackson, and reducing it from above in order to allow the unarmed transports free ingress. Upon the successful accomplishment of this purpose the batteries on Skiddaway Island and at Thunderbolt will probably be abandoned; their positions, no longer valuable, would scarcely be tenable. Fort Pulaski will be completely blockaded by the same movement, its supplies cut off, its usefulness destroyed, and its troops demoralized. It is found from the Coast Survey chart and from testimony that the Coast stands upon a peninsula less than 2 miles wide, and covered with rice fields. Vessels stationed in Saint Augustine Creek and Savannah River can cross their fires over cross their fires over it, rendering troops holding it secure against of resisting a coup-de-main, with an open line of water communication with Tybee and Port Boyal, with probably another inland passage through Wall's Cut, seems to be good point d'appui for a base of military operations in this vicinity. Herewith inclosed is a sketch showing route proposed.*

Respectfully submitted.

JOHN RODGERS,

Commander.

Q. A. GILLMORE,

Captain and Chief Engineer Expeditionary Corps.

[Inclosure Numbers 2.]

Memorandum of construction of battery at Venus Point, Savannah River.

Near the middle of January, 1862, it was known that the Savannah River could be entered by gunboats above Fort Pulaski, from the south by Wassaw Sound, &c., and from the north by New River, &c.

The obstruction in these passages had been removed before the 12th January by detachments of infantry and engineers, Major Beard, Forty-eighth New York, commanding.

Joint naval and land forces were organized for each approach, north and south. The naval co-operation delayed till the latter part of the mouth. Captain Gillmore accompanied the north-side expedition as General Sherman's chief engineer. On the afternoon of the 28th January he made a reconnaissance of Mud River and the Savannah shore of Jones Island, and selected Venes Point, on Jones Island, as the position for one battery, and located the road line between Venus Point and Mud Rived over the marsh. Lieutenant O'Rorke, engineer, under Captain Gillmore's orders, examined, on the 29th January, Long and Elba Islands, in the Savannah River. Major Beard accompanied him.

February - to 7.- Engineer troops cutting and transporting poles for causeway and wharf at mud River; building wharf and forming road; filling and transporting sand bags, plank, poles, and other materials 4 miles, in row-boats, &c., to Jones Island.

February 10.- A fatigue party of Forty-eighth New York, after twenty-four hours' previous work, towed the guns on flats to the wharf and

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* Not found.

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