General BUELL. Then, if it is more proper, I beg to make the suggestion to the judge-advocate himself.

Commission adjourned to meet Monday morning, January 19, 1863.

LOUISVILLE, January 19, 1863.

Commission met pursuant to adjournment. All the members present, also the judge-advocate and General Buell.

Captain H. C. SYMONDS (a witness for the Government), being duly sworn by the judge-advocate, testified as follows:

By the JUDGE-ADVOCATE:

Question. State your name and position in the United States service.

H. C. Symonds, captain, commissary of subsistence.

Question. Were you engaged as commissary of subsistence-if so; where-during the summer of Bragg's invasion of Kentucky?

I have been in the commissary department here in Louisville since September, 1861.

Question. You can state whether you were engaged in forwarding subsistence to the Army of the Ohio previous to and during the invasion of Kentucky.

I furnished all the subsistence for that army that was regularly furnished by the subsistence department.

Question. What lines of communication did you use in forwarding subsistence?

Principally the Louisville and Nashville Railroad.

Question. Did you use the Cumberland River, and was is used to its full capacity previous to its ceasing to be navigable and when did it close that summer?

About the last of April it was considered that the Cumberland was not very available as a means of transportation. There was low water, and nothing but light draught boats could get up from about the last of April. I was not called upon to furnish, all the supplies for Nashville during the whole month of May, only limited quantities, and not for the whole army there. I think the first shipment I made for the whole army, when it drew its whole supplies from Nashville, began about the 14th of June.

Question. Can you state what amount you did send to Nashville by way of the river?

I sent to Nashville by railroad between the 14th of June and the 11th of August very nearly 4,000,000 of rations: Coffee, 3,900,000 rations; sugar, 3,800,000 rations; salt meat, 2,800,000; hard bread, 3,400,000. In order to hurry then up we used boats. They could only go up to the Shoals, and from there they were lightened up by small boats. There were three or four boats employed by the quartermaster for this purpose, but none of then could go beyond the Shoals; some of them could go no farther than Clarksville. We sent up between July 10 and July 23 (after which there was so much difficulty in getting supplies up by the river that it was the opinion of the quartermaster that we had better rely wholly upon the railroad) what would amount bread, 300,000 rations. We sent 700,000 rations of salt meat, 650,000 rations hard bread, 300,000 coffee and sugar. I preferred to send to the coffee and sugar by railroad; they were the most valuable parts of the rations and the least in bulk. The total amount sent to Nashville between July 14 and August 11 (when shipments were stopped), the receipts of which were acknowledged, was:Salt meat, 3,000,000 rations; hard bread, 4,000,000 rations; coffee, 4,200,000 rations; rice, 1,400,000 rations; beans, 1,990,000 rations; sugar, 4,200,000 rations; candles, 4,400,000 rations; soap, 3,800,000 rations; salt, 5,000,000 rations; and nearly the full amount of the remaining portion of the rations.

Question,. What amount was accumulated at Bowling Green from