mainly to the operations of the Bureau of the War Department under my charge, induces me to submit the following facts:

The execution of the act enrolling and calling out the national forces may be said to have commenced in New York on the 25th of April. On that day an officer of the Army was assigned to duty as acting assistant provost-marshal-general, with instructions to acquaint himself with the views and wishes of His Excellency Governor Seymour, and give them due weight in determining as to the best interests of the General Government; to use all proper means to gain and retain the confidence and good will of the governor and his State officers, and secure for the execution of the enrollment act the aid and hearty co-operation of His Excellency the Governor, and of the civil officers in his State, as also the people. A letter was addressed by me to Governor Seymour on the same day informing him that, with a view to uniform and harmonious execution of the enrollment act, it had been deemed best to assign an officer of this department to duty at the capital of New York; that this officer was instructed to confer with him (the Governor) to superintend the operations of the provost-marshals and boards of enrollment in the several districts of the State; to secure from the provost-marshals and boards and submit to the State Executive such rolls and reports as might be deemed necessary for the files of the State, and to prepare from the State records and transmit to the provost- marshals and boards of enrollment such information, placed at this disposal by the State authorities, as might be necessary or useful to them in the performance of the duties assigned them. In accordance with the foregoing Major Townsend was assigned at Albany, and with similar letter and for a like purpose Colonel Nugent was assigned to the first nine districts, and Major Diven to the districts numbered from 22 to 31, inclusive, and I said in the letter to the Governor: "The War Department will be pleased if Your Excellency will communicate freely with them (the officers named) and secure as far as possible for all the officers appointed under the enrollment act the co-operation of the civil officers of your State." Such were the steps taken to acquaint the Governor with the action and intention of the General Government in entering upon the execution of the enrollment act.

In relation to the enrollment, which is said by His Excellency to have been unfairly made, I would remark, the enrolling officers were sworn to execute faithfully, and without partiality, favor, or affection, the duties of their offices, and all possible precaution was taken against the employment of incompetent or dishonest persons.

The enrollment commenced in New York in the latter part of May; it was carried through to completion without any serious resistance, and nothing was brought to my knowledge indicating inefficiency or unfairness in it.

It was to be expected, in the nature of things in the city of New York, that the names of many persons would be entered more than once on the enrollment lists. The method of conducting the enrollment and the measures taken to correct errors can be best understood by taking as an example the following report of Captain Erhardt, provost-marshal of the Fourth District, the one about which most complaint has been made. Captain Erhardt says:

I have the honor to state that there have been enrolled in my district, of class 1, 54,372, and of the second class, 23,405, making a total of names enrolled, 77,777. From these were taken those who actually lived in this district, and those alone