of the harbor defenses of this city; his presence is the more necessary, I believe, since the lamented death of Colonel W. Ransom Calhoun.

I am endeavoring to introduce gradually my system of managing men and things, and hope, if the enemy will give me time, to be prepared to give him a very warm reception whenever he will come here.

With my kind regards to all inquiring friends, I remain, in haste, yours, very truly,

G. T. BEAUREGARD.

HDQRS. DEPT. OF SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA,
Charleston, S. C., October 3, 1862.

General S. COOPER,

Adjutant and Inspector General S. C. Army, Richmond, Va.:

GENERAL: I have to submit, for the information of the War Department, the following report of my inspection of the works for the defense of the position of Charleston:

Accompanied by Major-General Pemberton, Brigadier-General Jordan, my chief of staff, Colonel Gonzales, chief of artillery, and Lieutenant Colonel George Lay, on a tour of inspection, under orders of the War Department, on the 16th of September I proceeded to inspect the harbor defenses, beginning with four new sand batteries in barbette, near the west end of Sullivan's Island, bearing on and commanding the floating boom under construction across the channel thence to Fort Sumter. Those batteries are not finished, but two guns, 10-inch columbiads, were in position, one of which only being ready for service and the magazines not yet built. The boom is composed of railroad iron, strongly linked together with heavy iron links and bands, protected and buoyed by spars of timber of the same length with the bars of iron and banded closely together with iron. The bars are suspended 4 feet under water, and the whole structure is anchored every sixth section with an anchor. About one-fourth of this boom is laid. I am informed that it has been tested by running against it a heavily loaded vessel towed by a steamboat; this test it resisted, parting the tow-line, a 10-inch hawser. It was also proposed to lay another line about 100 yards in rear of the one under construction if sufficient time is allowed and enough chains and anchors can be procured. In addition a rope obstruction has been prepared to place in advance of the wooden and iron boom for the purpose of entangling the enemy's propellers while under fire of our heavy guns in the adjacent forts and batteries.

It is proper for me to notice that since my inspection the plan of the boom was found to be defective in at least one particular: The great length of it made it unable to bear the pressure of the tide, and the boom parted in several places. This, it is hoped by the projector, may be remedied by breaking the continuous character of the barrier and laying it by sections, and on that plan it is being carried on. Further modifications will probably be made, in which connection see so much of the paper herewith, marked A, as relates to this boom.

The armament of the four new sand batteries is to consist, as placed, of seven 10 and one 8 inch columbiads and two 42-pounder rifled guns. Fort Sumter had thirty-eight heavy guns above the caliber of 32-pounders and Fort Moultrie nine bearing at once on the obstructions. There will be also two strong iron-clad gunboats, each armed with four guns, to give important, indeed vital, assistance. These I am advised will be