coast from Fort Macon to Oregon Inlet, inclusive. He made report to the governor as directed to do. He advised an enlargement of the battery at old Fort Macon and the erection of batteries at BeaconIsland, near Ocracoke Inlet, and also close by at Portsmouth; another at Hatteras Inlet, and another at Oregon Inlet. The battery at Beacon Island was to have about twenty guns, 32-pounders and columbiads, and eight at Portsmouth, opposite. The battery at Hatteras of twenty to twenty-four heavy guns, and Oregon fifteen to eighteen heavy guns, and six to nine on Roanoke Island, opposite the inlet. In addition he advised field flying batteries at Fort Macon and Hatteras, and probably at another point (his report is not before me and I write from memory, but I am sure of substantial certainty). All that he distinctly advised would not be effective without an adequate force of men, at least 5,000, to defend these batteries and keep the enemy from effecting alanding. The batteries were erected by skillful engineers, under the direction and frequent personal inspection of General Grayson, and much more rapidly than he was able to procure the requisite gun carriages after the guns were in place to bemounted. Instead of 5,000 men, only about 1,500 were ordered to the coast. No field artillery was supplied. Often did General Grayson urge the prosecution of the system of defense he advised, and even taunted the authorities with such remarks as that they had better have it done than soon to have to regret that it had been left undone. His advice was sober sense, and he was sober when he gave it, no matter who may assert to the contrary. No matter what his habits may have been before he went to Noroflk, it is not true that he was addicted to drunkenness or was drunk while in the service of this or that State. I have been constantly with him day and night, with the exception of a few intervals of tw or three days at atime, and I not only know that his habits have not been such as I have good reason to know you have been told they were, but further, I know that I am not the man to have been associated with him in the service as his aide-de-camp if the reports to that effect had been well founded.

I have the honor to be, your fellow-citizen,

R. R. COLLIER.

[4.]

NEW BERNE, August 30, 1861-12.30 a. m.

Genereal S. COOPER,

Adjutant-General, Richmond:

The forts at Hatteras, with the garrisons, numbering 580 men, also Commodore Barron and Colonel Bradford, were captured at 11.30 a m. yesterday.

R. C. GATLIN,

Brigadier-General.

[4.]

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE KANAWHA,
Camp Gauley, August 30, 1861.

Colonel WILLIAM J. CLARKE,

Fourteenth North Carolina Infantry:

SIR: I sent you yesterday by messenger an order from the Secretary of War that you would proceed with your command to Lewisburg and report to me for duty from that point. With the order I inclosed a note to the effect that you would hold your column in Lewisburg and there