of the county of Craven lying south of a line drawn from Evans' Mill due east to the Neuse River and including Evans' Mill, and in the counties of Jones and Carteret with the exception of the post of Portsmouth.

The second district, or the District of the Albemarle, will include all the posts which are or may hereafter be established in the counties of Washington and Tyrrell, and in all the counties of this State northwest of those counties whose waters flow into the Albemarle Sound.

The third district, or the District of the Pamlico, will include all the posts which are or may be hereafter established in that portion of Craven County north of Neuse River, excepting the post of Fort Anderson, and in the counties of Pitt, Beaufort, and Hyde, as well as the post of Portsmouth.

By command of Major General J. G. Foster:

[SOUTHARD HOFFMAN,]

Assistant Adjutant-General.

WAR DEPARTMENT,

Washington, April 28, 1863-4.55 p. m.

Major-General DIX, Fort Monroe, Va.:

The two artillery companies at Fort Delaware will be sent to you.

H. W. HALLECK,

General-in-Chief.

UNITED STATES FLAG-SHIP MINNESOTA,

Off Newport News, Va., April 28, 1863.

Major General JOHN A. DIX, U. S. A.,

Commanding Seventh Army Corps, Fortress Monroe, Va.:

GENERAL: I have received your communication of the 22nd. You therein refer to some general views which I had expressed, and from which you draw the conclusion that I had withdrawn the flotilla from the Upper Nansemond.

When General Keyes a fortnight since informed me on current reports obtained from rebel deserters and fugitives all along the line that Longstreet was approaching Suffolk with 40,000 men, heavy artillery, and pontoons, and earnestly preferred requests for gunboats to protect the line of the river, the greater part of the light-draught force of this squadron was engaged co-operating in defense of the military positions on the Sounds of North Carolina, and I was in receipt of urgent requests from that quarter also for an additional gunboat force. There was a similar pressure for additional gunboats for Williamsburg and York-town. Here I had but one available gunboat, the Commodore Barney, which I at once detailed for duty in the Lower Nansemond. The Nansemond was already occupied by one light ferry-boat (mounting four field howitzers), which had been used for naval guard ship there. There remained here two river steamboats and four tugs (mounting two light pieces each) belonging to the naval service and used for transport, tender, mail, and picket duties. All of these, save one of the tugs for picket, I immediately equipped with detachments of men and such appliances as I had at my disposal for their protection from rifle shot arming one of the river steamers with four field pieces on field carriages from this ship, and sent them up the Nansemond in accordance with the request I had received. One of the river steamers I reserved for trans-