fortnight or more, though annoyed, was not surprised at a delay which was only usual, and which I had learned to submit to as insurmountable. Finally I found on inquiry that the lumber in question had been taken from Mr. O' Donnel for other uses, and that he heed neglected to inform me. I immediately made the requisition regularly, now nearly two weeks since, but it is not yet filled. In this transaction I failed to obey orders, and thourg my failure only did the department fail in the technically exact fulfillment of its duty.

The inefficiency of the soldiers' labor adverted to by General Ripley I have had occasion to feel the more painfully that the help for it was not within my reach. The cause and the remedy were both obvious, but not in the control of the engineer department. Details of 100 to 200 men would report with one captain or lieutenant and that one would be changed twice a day. Colonel Graham, at my request, detailed one officer to superintend permanently, which was a great improvement. But neither officer nor men were taught by the attention bestowed upon it by their superiors to regard this work as an important part of their duty. I had the honor of waiting on General Ripley, as stated in his letter, and without any knowledge of this having sent Captain Mitchell "to see the state of things" made then exactly the same suggestions that I had made days before, that the sole cause of delay was the want of transportation. I then received from him and Colonel Harris, who was present, instructions for future operations, not in the least indicating that Captain Mitchell was "to prepare to do the work;" not was any inquiry made of me tending to throw light on the affirmed necessity for so doing.

The difficulty of procuring negroes for labor, so far as my experience goes, has been affected chiefly by the failure to adhere punctually to the terms of their enlistment, the thirty days having often been extended to sixty and eighty; the want of adequate shelter, of fire-wood, and saw or other bedding, and the failure to furnish the kind of food to which the negroes were accustomed engendered much sickness, in which they were cruelly neglected. For weeks together during the last summer 400 negroes on Morris Island were entirely without medical attendance, medicine, hospital-tents, nurses, or any provision for the sick, who sometimes mounted as high as 150. Coming with scanty clothing in August, they were kept till late in October, their owners prevented from supplying their wants by daily expectation of their being dismissed. On all these points the engineer department could do no more than energetically represent the existing mischief, and that they did.

Although it can hardly be said that "want of energy, attention, or proper combination" is proved upon the engineer department by the fact that heavy timber has since been carried to the island by a boat that they had not the use of, and got in position by mules well fed on forage denied to those in their service, yet here again the short-coming rests with myself. Knowing that I could not use this timber I never asked for it.

Finally, in self-defense, I respectfully submit, without impeaching the intelligence and activity of the gentleman now in charge, that the work has not gone on faster or in any respect better than it would have done under its proper department, aided by the same increase of laboring force and transportation; that, on the contrary, time was inevitably lost from the resulting confusion.

Respectfully,

LANGDON CHEVES.