the South. I shall leave of Tuesday, the 10th, on the Mary Boardman, for New York. You must act promptly i the premises. Address me under cover to Mr. James A. Burk, Philadelphia, of what you desire me to do and to whom I shall apply to represent you in Washington.

Ledlie has been ordered to North Carolina.

Kindest regards to all of our friends, and am, sincerely, &c.,

HENRY M. NAGLEE,

Brigadier-General.

P. S. -If important send duplicate addressed to me at the New York Hotel.

NAGLEE.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH,
Hilton Head, March 7, 1863.

Major General H. W. HALLECK,

General-in-Chief U. S. Army, Washington, D. C.:

GENERAL: Everything being now in a state of complete readers for the forces under my command to take the part assigned to them in the joint attack upon Charleston, the troops designated for the service having all their preparations completed and having had all the necessary drill in the surf-boat exercise and in the practice of embarking and disembarking, I feel it my duty (in the lull while were wait the signal from Admiral DuPont that he is ready) ot lay before you an exact exhibit of the forces available for the expedition and of the forces necessary to be left behind as garrisons for the forts and posts of this department.

The garrisons of Key West and the Tortugas, as I have already had the honor of reporting, are much less in the number of men and in the number and caliber of guns than would seem requisite in view of the complications of French policy in the immediate vicinity. At Saint Augustine we have the Seventh New Hampshire, under Colonel Putnam; at Fernandina the Seventh Connecticut, under Colonel Hawley; and at Fort Pulaski the Forty-eighth New York, under Colonel Barton.

It as self-evident that none of these garrisons can be safety reduced. Indeed if the men could be had it would give me much relief from anxiety to increase the forces at key West and the Tortugas, placing both posts under the command of an experienced artillery officer with sufficient rank.

Deducing the garrison above named and excluding the colored troops who cannot consistently with the interests of the service (in the present state of feeling) be advantageously employed to ac in concert with our other forces, I am thus left with a total of 16,748 men fit for duty, divided at present as follows:

On Saint Helena Island, under General Orris S. Ferry, the North Carolina re-enforcement...............................9,269

Port Royal Island, under command of General Saxton.....2,985

Hilton Head Island, under General A. H. Terry..........4,494

------------

Total of effective men................................16,748

As it is altogether probable that the enemy on being apprised of our operations against Charleston will attempt diversions by attacking either Port Royal or Hilton Island or both, the garrisons of these important posts cannot safely be much reduced; fully 2, 5090 men being required for the defense of the vast depots and lines of works on this island, and at least 2,000 for the retention of Port Royal Island, where,