Lieutenant Henry Hobrook, Third Rhode Island Artillery, commanding Battery Meade, was mortally wounded in his battery, on the 19th by a fragment of a shell. He had been the first selected from the subordinates of his regiment to command a battery, and had proved himself an energetic, zealous, and brave soldier.

The loss in the batteries during the seven days was 1 commissioned officer and 12 enlisted men wounded, and 3 men killed.

The immense labor of landing all this heavy artillery, putting it in position, equipping the batteries, and supplying them with ammunition and projectiles, was under the supervision of Captain Alfred Mordecai, ordnance department, to whose untiring industry, energy, and ability you are indebted for so speedy a completion of your batteries.

Lieutenant James E. Wilson, Fifth U. S. Artillery, had the immediate charge of mounting guns, and rendered most efficient service in this particular. He was engaged every night for over a month on this laborious duty.

A detachment of Company C, First U. S. Artillery, have been invaluable in the experience which they possessed in handling ordnance and ordnance stores, and magazine work; their attention to duty and their industry do them great credit.

From the 23rd of August till the 30th, a desultory fire was kept up on Sumter, to prevent repairs and hinder the enemy from mounting guns.

On the 30th, a severe cannonade was opened, and continued during the day and the 31st, at the request of the commanding officer of the naval forces, who had in view to enter the harbor on the night of the 31st. This fire destroyed every vestige of a gun or carriage left on the parapet of the work.

During this period, our approaches toward Fort Wagner had progressed rapidly, and were, on the evening of the 4th of September, within 150 yards of the ditch. A battery of four 8-inch siege mortars and three Coehorns had been established in the fifth parallel, at a distance of 250 yards from the enemy's works, and one of two 10-inch siege mortars at a distance of 500 yards. Captain B. F. Skinner, Seventh Connecticut, commanded the 8-inch mortars, and Captain J. Ben. Dennis, Seventh Connecticut, the 10-inch.

At this period of our operations, the great disadvantage under which we labored from the want of development in our attack was most severely left, in limiting, a sit did, our artillery fire, and enabling the enemy in corresponding degree to keep up his, as well as to keep his front line with sharpshooters. Unable to establish batteries on the flanks of our approachers, we were left to the only resource of using our guns over the heads of our own troops and working parties at the front. This led to repeated and unfortunate accidents, as, when a rifled shot would prematurely explode or capsize, or the brass ring at the base would strip off, it would almost always injure some one among the thickly crowded troops in the trenches, and obliged us to suspend this fire almost entirely. We replaced it, as far as our means would allow, by a vertical fire, but the enemy, despite it, brought his artillery, with a formidable fire of sharpshooters, to bear with fury upon the head of our sap, which, together with the want of earth for cover, about stopped further progress.

A consultation was here held with the commanding general and the assistant engineer in charge of operations at the front, in which it was determined to bombard the place again in conjunction with