M. Couper, commissary Fourteenth Mississippi, acting assistant engineer, Mr. B. H. Saunders, office assistant.

Captain D. Winter, commanding company of sappers and miners, was assigned to the line commanded by Major-Generals Forney and Smith, and had under him as assistants the following officers viz.: First Lieutenant E. McMahon, company sappers and miners; SECOND Lieutenant F. Glilloy company sappers and miners; Captain James. Hogane, acting assistant engineer, actg. Lieutenant S. McD. Vernon, assistant engineer, and Acting Lieutenant P. J. BLESSING. Lieutenant William O. Flyn of Captain Wintter's company was ordered to report for engineer duty to Colonel E. Higgins, commanding the heavy artillery.

This arrangement gave to each brigade one immediate assistant, whose duty it was to report directly to the brigade commander, and to each DIVISION an engineer to take general control.

Lieutenant George Donnellan, engineer Provisional Army Confederate States, I kept in my office to take charge of he procuring and distribution of materials. Mr. H. Ginder was employed as draughtsman and Mr. G. C. Browe as clerk. The working force under my control was as follows: Twenty-six sappers and miners, of CAPTAIN WINTER'S COMPANY, 8 DETAILED MECHANICS, and foremen; 4 overseers for negros; 72 negroes, hired, 20 being sick; 3 four-mule teams, 25 yoke of draught oxen. An accurate return of the intrenching tools was never obtained, from the fact that they were always employed and so much scattered. The number, however, was not far form 500 of all kinds. .

The work on the lines was generally done by fatigue parties detailed from each command to work within the limits of its own line. The line of defense around the city of Vicksburg considered, as shown on the inclosed map, of a system of detached works on the prominent and commanding points, with the usual profile of raised field-works, connected, in most cases, by rifle-pits These works, having been made during the fall and winter of last year, were considerably weakened by washing, and needed strengthening and repairing. Fatigue parties were immediately set to work making these repairs and completing the connection of rifle-pits from work to work.

Between the 18th and 22nd, the enemy succeeded in establishing their line of circumvallation at about the distance of 800 yards, extending from our extreme left to in front of the square redoubt on the right of Brigadier-General Lee's line. The fire of their artillery and sharpshooters soon became quite annoying, and showed the necessity of erecting numerous traverses to prevent enfilading fires, and the importance of having covered approached from the rear. All of these improvements were made as rapidly as possible by the engineers, with fatigue parties working at night.

On the 22nd, the enemy's artillery was very heavy along their whole line, and a determined assault was made on the Graveyard, Jackson and Baldwin's Ferry roads, and along the whole of General Lee's front on the right of the railroad. A breach was made in the redoubt near the railroad and many other of thee revised works were considerably battered. All damages were repaired, however, at night, and

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*To appear in Atlas.

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