The principal expenditure of property has occurred in the following list of articles;

Iron wire, insulators, nitric acid, sulphuric acid, blue vitriol, Grove zincs, local zincs, message blanks, message paper, envelopes, shovels, &c.

The public property unavoidably lost, destroyed, or captured by the enemy while in my charge has been small, and its value not to exceed $700.

No description of property captured from the enemy has come into my possession.

The accompanying table will show the most important items of property received by me from September 1, 1862, up to June 30, 1863, and the amount of each, respectively, what had been transferred, expended, or lost from September 1, 1862, to June 30, 1863, and what remained on hand at the close of the fiscal year.*

From September 1, 1862, up to June 30, 1863, I received from Colonel A. Stager, acting quartermaster, chief of the U. S. military telegraph, the sum of $80,451.90, which was duly accounted for by me to the proper departments.

Of this amount I expended during the period above mentioned $71,549.82, and properly e same, leaving a balance of $8,902.08 in my hands June 30, 1863, which was deposited in my safe at Washington D. C.

Of the $71,549.82 expended $70,201.30 was applicable to service account, and $1,348.52 to the purchase of property.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

THOS. T. ECKERT,

Major, Assistant Quartermaster, and Assistant Superintendent.

C.+

OFFICER ASST. SUPERINTENDENT MILITARY TELEGRAPH,

Clarksburgh, W. Va., September 16, 1863.

Colonel ANSON STAGER,

General Supt. Military Telegraph, Cleveland, Ohio:

COLONEL: In compliance with your order and with General Orders, Numbers 13, I respectfully submit the following report:

My commission as assistant quartermaster was accepted July 31, 1862, when I was ordered to "report to the general superintendent of military telegraph lines for duty," and received orders to "proceed at once to Saint Louis and reorganize the military telegraph in the Department of the Mississippi." Having been connected with the military telegraph from its adoption, a sojourn of six weeks in that department enabled me to learn the evils the management had fallen into, and how best to overcome them at the least expense to the Government. A lack of system was the may trouble. The plan adopted was designed to lessen the expense, to facilities operations, systematize accounts, and make the telegraph of the greatest possible service for military operations. In this I believe I was successful. The system adopted continues in operation as far as is practicable at the present time. On the completion of the reorganization a division of the department was recommended, and on its adoption I was ordered to assume control of telegraph lines in the Department of Western Vir

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* Table omitted.

+ For Captain Bruch's report (inclosure B), see Series I, Vol LII, Part I, p. 479.

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