of cases that additional grants be made for the year ending June 30, 1862, and in season to be available at a very early day. I shall shortly present an estimate for this purpose.

At the same time, the wants of the country having made it necessary to withdraw the greater portion of the officers of engineers from the work of construction and attach them to the several large armies in the field, it will be necessary to supply their places in measure by the best assistance that can be had from civil life - that is, by thus using the services of ex- officers of engineers, and by recalling other valuable assistants who have heretofore aided our labors.

The knowledge indispensable for our purposes restricts the selection of assistants rigidly within these limits. For the rest, it will be necessary to tax more largely the endeavors of those officers who are still engaged on works of construction.

At the commencement of the outbreak in which the country is now involved, in April last, the available officers of engineers were called to Washington as rapidly as possible and redistributed in such way as the first emergencies exacted. The progress of events has required the services of a large portion of these upon the field-works about this city, and others have been assigned to the headquarters of other forces in the field.

At the present time the officers thus detached from the Engineer Department are distributed as follows:

Major J. G. Barnard, brigadier-general of volunteers and chief engineer of Army of the Potomac; Major George W. Cullum, brigadier-general of volunteers, chief engineer Department of the Missouri; Major Henry W. Benham, brigadier-general of volunteers, commanding brigade in Department of Western Virginia; Major D. P. Woodbury, lieutenant-colonel, aide-de-camp, on duty with the Army of the Potomac; Major Z. B. Tower, chief engineer, Fort Pickens; Major H. G. Wright, brigadier-general of volunteers, commanding a brigade in the Expeditionary Corps of Brigadier General T. W. Sherman; Major John Newton, brigadier- general of volunteers, commanding a brigade in the Army of the Potomac; Captain B. S. Alexander, lieutenant-colonel, aide-de- camp, on duty with the Army of the Potomac; Captain C. S. Stewart, chief engineer, Fortress Monroe; Captain John G. Foster, brigadier-general of volunteers, commanding a brigade in the corps of Brigadier-General Burnside; Captain J. C. Duane, on duty with the Army of the Potomac, in immediate command of all engineer troops in that army; Captain Q. A. Gillmore, chief engineer of Expeditionary Corps of Brigadier General T. W. Sherman; Captain F. E. Prime, chief engineer of the Department of the Ohio; Captain J. B. McPherson, lieutenant-colonel, aide- de-camp, on duty in Department of the Missouri; First Lieutenant C. B. Comstock, on duty with the Army of the Potomac; First Lieutenant G. Weitzel, under orders for duty with the Army of the Potomac; First Lieutenant D. C. Houston, on duty with the Army of the Potomac; First Lieutenant M. D. McAlester, on duty with the Army of the Potomac; First Lieutenant J. C. Palfrey, under orders to repair to Washington; First Lieutenant W. C. Paine, on duty with the Army of the Potomac; First Lieutenant W. E. Merrill, on duty in Department of Western Virginia (prisoner); First Lieutenant C. B. Reese, on duty with the Army of the Potomac; First Lieutenant W. McFarland, on duty at Fort Pickens; First Lieutenant J. A. Tardy, on duty with General Sherman's Expeditionary Corps, commanding engineer department; First Lieutenant C. E. Cross, on duty in the Army of the Potomac; First Lieutenant O. E. Babcock, on duty with the Army of the Potomac; Second Lieutenant P. H. O'Rorke, on duty with General Sherman's Expedi