A final letter will be sent you as to the actual hour of the advance movement, whether to-night or to-morrow night, and we would hope to have your vessels in position as early as possible by the following morning.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. W. BENHAM,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

WASHINGTON, June 9, 1862.

Major-General HUNTER,

Commanding Department of the South,

(Care of Assistant Secretary of War John Tuckner, Fort Monroe):

Your dispatch of 31st May is received. You are authorized, at your discretion, to operate with the Navy in the operations against Charleston, so far as the forces now under your command will permit. The Department has no troops which can be sent South before the reduction of Richmond. The steamer Vanderbilt, now in the Chesapeake, is under orders to tow a fleet of sailing transports to Hilton Head and to report to you for orders.

EDWIN M. STANTON,

Secretary of War.

HDQRS. NORTHERN DIST., DEPT. OF THE SOUTH,
On board U. S. transport Delaware, Stono River, S. C., June 10, 1862.

Captain PERCIVAL DRAYTON,

U. S. Navy, Senior Naval Officer:

CAPTAIN: I have the pleasure of forwarding to you a copy of the orders I have issued for the operations of our troops to-morrow morning intended to break up the batteries that have been shelling your boats and General Wright's camp to-day.

I would respectfully suggest that for the aid you so kindly offered from your gunboats that, say, two should aid General Stevens on our right and be in communication with him, and that two others should be, say, where the Huron was to-day, just above his camp, to cross-fire in his front and to shell the woods beyond, where they feel assured that they know where our forces are. Another boat could be well occupied in commanding the road just this side of Newton's Cut, to prevent or annoy re-enforcements of the enemy.

This road I learn can be covered in part from your gunboats.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

H. W. BENHAM,

Brigadier-General, Commanding.

[Inclosure.]

HEADQUARTERS NORTHERN DISTRICT,
On board U. S. transport Delaware, Stono River, S. C., June 10, 1862.

General WRIGHT:

GENERAL: It being important that the batteries of the enemy which have borne upon our camps at Thomas Grimball's to-day should be