Island, for duty, and was immediately ordered on board the steamer Tamaulipas, where I remained until the troops landed that evening on the west end of Dauphin Island. After the troops had landed I advanced with the skirmish line until we reached the woods about five miles from where we landed, when we halted for the night, after first having notified General Granger on the steamer Laura of our position. The next morning I advanced two thin gunshot of Fort Gaines and established a permanent station, communicating with Lieutenant Denicke on t he Laura and Lieutenant Jerome on the Bienville. On the 5th the fleet passed Fort Morgan, and after it had come to an anchor I opened communication with the Hartford and sent messages until evening, when, by order of Colonel Myer, the station was turned over to Captain Walker and I returned to my former station. On the 6th the signal telegraph train was ordered to report to me by Colonel Myer. I immediately laid a wire connecting Captain Walker's station with my own, and all messges between the two stations afterward passed over the wires. That evening I was in communication with General Granger, Admiral Farragut, Lieutenant Jerome on the Bienville, and Lieutenant Harris on Sand Island, which communication was kept open until August 8, when, Fort Gaines having surrendered, I was ordered by Colonel Myer to remove my station to that place, where I have remained to the present time. The whole number of official messages sent and receivest number of words in any one message, 104; least number of words in any one message, 9.

I am, sir, very respectfully, your most obedient servant,

WM. S. SIZER,

Lieutenant and Signal Officer, U. S. Army.

Captain FRANK W. MARSTON,

Chief Signal Officer, Division of West Mississippi.

[39.]

AUGUST 19, 1864.-Skirmish at Charleston, Tenn.

Report of Lieutenant Colonel Martin B. Ewing, Second Ohio Heavy Artillery.

HEADQUARTERS U. S. FORCES,
Charleston, August 20, 1864.

LIEUTENANT: I have the honor to report, for the information of the colonel commanding, that all the forces of the enemy seem to have passed on toward Athens. They were in line of skirmishers about one mile and a quarter from the bridge for several hours yesterday. I shelled them while in the act of burning the road, and drove the whole party (Humes' brigade, about 1,400) off with seven shells. The last shell thrown (a 10-pounder Parrott) was thrown a little over three miles, burst among them, and wounded six men, one, Lieutenant-Colonel Powell, of the Fourth Tennessee Cavalry, mortally. This report was derived from a deserter and from a loyal citizen, whom they held prisoner all day yesterday. From all reports I gather that the whole force numbers about 6,000, w ith eight guns.

Lieutenant Fischer reported a mountain howitzer with the rear guard near here yesterday. Some fifty of our men skirmished all the afternoon with this guard and finally drove them off. Members of this force said at a number of places, and to many parties in this vicinity, that they were on a big raid, and were going on toward Knoxville to