officer of the U. S. bark Houghton, which was forwarded by you for my information. A previous report had reached these headquarters and I caused an immediate investigation in the matter.

A copy of the letter,* with the indorsements thereon, is respectfully furnished for your information. There does not appear to be any knowledge whatever of this sloop on this side of the harbor.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. G. FOSTER,

Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH,
Hilton Head, S. C., September 12, 1864.

Major General SAMUEL JONES,

Commanding Confederate Forces:

GENERAL: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the 3rd instant, complaining that the batteries on Morris Island on August 30 fired upon your flag-of-truce boat while passing through Beach Channel. In reply I beg to state that this firing was caused by a misapprehension on the part of the officer commanding our advance batteries at Cumming's Point. Having received my orders to allow no communication by flags of truce at other points than Port Royal Ferry, except upon my special direction, and not having been informed of the intended communication with you by senior naval officer, the commandant of the fort thought it his duty to attempt to cause your boat to turn back by firing over it. I have desired the admiral commanding our naval forces to notify the commanding officer at Morris Island of any future attempt to communicate with you under a flag in time to prevent any repetition of this occurrence.

Regretting that it should have happened, I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

J. G. FOSTER,

Major-General, Commanding.

HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH,
Hilton Head, S. C., September 12, 1864.

Brigadier General R. SAXTON,

Commanding Northern District, Department of the South:

GENERAL: I send you a recapitulation of the verbal of the verbal orders you received I was at Morris Island, with a few additions. You will cause a shot to be fired into the city of Charleston every fifteen minutes, each one carefully pointed so as not to endanger our prisoners, say at the middle steeple, and elevated and charged so as to range to the upper part of the city. An occasional shot will be fired at Sumter from our batteries on Cumming's Point. The Swamp Angel will be fired at night in order to prevent the discharge of supply vessels or steamers at Sumter. The other batteries will regulate their fire by the enemy, generally answering all their shots, gun for gun. Carpenters will be sent at once, with all the engineers that can the spared, to complete the palisading and stockade about the front batteries. I find by careful inquiry that the steamer Philadelphia cannot be used to advantage through the inland

*See p. 278.