do, the pay was the same, and it was too lucrative to be willingly yielded. Colonel Parsons, however, carried his point after strong opposition, and although I have not the data at hand, as Captain Winslow, my officer in charge of river transportation, is now out of service, I am satisfied that by the change from charter by the day to service by the 100 pounds it can be easily shown that the Government saved $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 in its operations in this department alone.

I also beg leave to refer to a report recently received from Captain F. S. Winslow, late assistant quartermaster, and a most efficient and valuable officer, to whom General Donaldson refers in his report above, a copy of which is herewith transmitted, and from which I make the following extract:

The following condensed statement will show you the amount of work done during the season of navigation at Nashville, from 1 to May 27, 1864.

Months. Number of steamboat Amount, in tons, of

arrivals. freight discharged at

Nashiville.

February... 178 35,860

March... 213 62,666

April... a158 44,029

May... a65 15,461

Total... 614 158,016

a And barges.

Although the figures I shall now present will appear almost fabulous, yet I am honestly convinced they are too low. I wish to establish the difference of cost of the above 158,016 tons if it had been transported on chartered vessels instead of, as it was, on boats contracted at a given price per 100 pounds. From all data it is sufficiently established that freight carried on chartered boats never cost the Government less than $1.50 per 100 pounds. The cost for transporting the above 158,016 tons would consequently have reached the sum of $4,740,493. The contract price, under which the stores were actually transported, ranged at from 50 cents to 60 cents per 100 pounds. Taking the outside figure, the transportation cost the Government the sum of $1,896,192. Consequently the change from the charter to the contract system saved the Government the enormous sum of about $3,000,000. At the same time the extra expense incurred by me in single cases where the want of levee room compelled me to keep boats waiting above the time allotted them for discharging, amounted during the whole season and for all the boats to fifty and five twenty-fourths days of emurrage, which, at an average of $225 per day, amounts to $11,300. To you belongs the credit of having accomplished such great results, to me the satisfaction of having supported you to the utmost of my ability, and

I remain, with sincere consideration of respect, truly, your obedient servant,

F. S. WINSLOW,

Late Captain and Assistant Quartermaster.

I would als o call attentio to this report as illustrating the large transactions of this department by showing the freight transportation service upon a small river, only generally navigable by a light clall of boats for a brief period of the year, troops having been transported by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. In further proof of the correctness of the policy I have pursued in performing the Government business, so fas as practicable, under contract with private parties by the 100 pounds, or the piece, I would respectfully refer to various contracts made by me, or under my instructions, during the war, copies of which I transmit herewith, and by which it will be seen that in the early part of the war the cost of the transportation of troops was only from two to three mills per man per mile, or an average of $1.05 per man from Saint