duty Captain Gilliam is engaged in, and which will be perfurmed in a few days, I have ordered an election of field officers to be held at Hatteras Inlet on the 27th instant. Third. Meantime, Major Andrews, who has been ordered to the command at Hatteras Inlet, is directed to make recruits from the Seventh Regiment for the regular service. Should he succeed this regiment will be broken up. Fourth. It may, however, be filled by assigning as many companies of twelve-months' volunteers as determine to join the regular forces. But if those companies are not now formed or cannot be made up and the regiment organized before the 20th of August, the remaining companies of twelve-months' volunteers will, as I understand, be disbanded, which would leave the batteries, now inadequately defended, at the mercy of the enemy. Fifth. There are now these companies of twelve-months' volunteers and two companies of artillery at Fort Macon. Sixth. Where the companies have not been assigned to any regiment, unless under regiment organization, they would, I suppose, be disbanded on the 20th of August. Seventh. Whether the artillery companies would be retained in service after the 20th of August I am unable to say. I suppose, however, they would also be disbanded on the 20th of August unless there should be a regiment of artillery formed prior to that time. Eighth. Your Excellency will thus perceive that under existing laws and the terms of the transfer of the State troops to the Confederate Army the coast will be almost stripped of troops on the 20th of August. Ninth. I would again respectfully call Your Excellency's attention to the deficiency of ammunition at Ocracoke, Hatteras, and Oregon Inlets, for which, as well as for stores of every description, I made full requisitions at an early day after I entered the service of the State, and on several occasions since have repeated those requisitions. Tenth. At Oregon Inlet [there are] but 2,000 pounds of cannon powder, which is 2,000 of the 4,000 pounds I obtained on personal application from the Norfolk Navy-Yard; and, of ammunition for small-arms, there are only 12,610 ball cartridges, which were made by the ladies at New Berne, and 8,000 camp, which I puschased on my own account from a gentleman in New Berne. Eleventh. Among the items in my requisitions above referred to was one for irons, &c., for barbette carriages. The frames for twenty have been ready for the irons during the last six weeks. These irons were, as I am informed, ordered by Mr. Whitford, at Richmond, but up to the 20th instant they had not come to hand. I allude to these irons from their great importance in the coast defenses. The guns with barbette carriages are worked with ten men less than are required for the navy carriages. Their increased weight gives a corresponding elevation to the parapets, thus affording the men more protection, and the guns can be loaded and fired from them three times as fast as from the navy carriages.

I have the honor to be, Your Excellency's obedient servant,

WALTER GWYNN,

Brigadier-General, Commanding Northern Dept. of the Coast Defenses.

[2.]

RICHMOND, July 22, 1861.

Governor F. W. PICKENS,

Colunbia, S. C.:

We gained a great victory yesterday at Manassas, but I cannot answer your question as to whether the South Carolina regiments were actively engaged in the fight or not.

L. P. WALKER.

[2.]