[Indorsement.]

HEADQUARTERS FIRST MILITARY DISTRICT, DEPT. OF SOUTH CAROLINA, GEORGIA, AND FLORIDA,
Charleston, June 11, 1863.

Respectfully forwarded. Three companies, and if possible the whole of the Charleston Battalion, with 75 men from Savannah, will be sent over to re-enforce James Island.

In absence of and by command of Brigadier-General Ripley:

WM. F. NANCE,

Assistant Adjutant-General.

OFFICE OF CHIEF ENGINEER,

Charleston, S. C., June 11, 1863.

Brigadier General THOMAS JORDAN, Chief of Staff:

GENERAL: I have the honor to hand you herewith Major Echols', Captain Howard's, Mr. Cheves', and Mr. McLean's communications,* all bearing upon the subject-matter of General Ripley's letter of the 6th instant+ and Colonel Simonton's report of the 5th instant,# inclosed therewith.

No order has ever been given the engineer department to have the southern end of Morris Island fortified and armed. The general commanding, about the 10th of March, visited the island in company with Major Echols, and gave him verbal instructions to prepare chambers in specific positions for a given number of guns, which instructions were extended to me on my return from Savannah on the 14th of March. Soon thereafter I visited the island, and gave instructions to the engineer superintendent in charge of works, Mr. McLean being absent at the time on a survey of the marsh with the view of locating a marsh battery. In about two weeks' time Mr. McLean was taken sick and the works put in charge of Captain Cheves, whose letter sets forth very clearly his connection with them, absolves him from all censure contained in the general's reflections upon the progress of these works, and establishes the fact that the mounting of no gun at the south and of Morris Island waited one day on the proper engineer work. Captain Cheves not only erected all of the engineer works faster than they could be armed, but exercised his mechanical ingenuity (which is very considerable) on ordnance work, in order to prevent the delay so much complained of and so unjustly charge upon the engineer department. If Captain Cheves committed an error in depending upon O'Donnel's arrangements for the necessary timber of the maganizied he wax directed by the engineer department to construct ot was a very excusable one under the circumstances set forth in his communication, and so far from meriting censure deserves commendation and encouragement for the prompt and efficient manner in which he discharged not only his own duties but those properly belonging to the ordnance department, and I respectfully submit it was an act of injustice to displace him by any one, but particularly by a young artillery officer, who cannot be presumed to be as familiar with engineer works. Furthermore, I am sure the interests of the service would have been far batter promoted by aiding Captain Cheves with transportation and labor than by displacing him in the manner referred to. With the exception of the marsh battery,

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*Echols' and Cheves' communications only found.

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+See p. 1024.

#See P. 961.