Abstract from return of the Department of the Northwest, Major General John Pope, U. S. Army, commanding, for the month of May, 1864.

Present for duty

Command Officers Men Aggregate Aggregate

present present

and

absent

Headquarters 16 9 25 26

District of 11 243 295 327

Wisconsin (T. C. H.

Smith)

District of 98 2,842 3,409 4,118

Minnesota

(Sibley)

District of Iowa 59 1,015 1,341 1,859

(Sully)

Grand total 184 4,109 5,070 6,330

Pieces of artillery

Command Heavy Field Headquar

ters

Headquarters ...... ....... Milwauke

e, Wis.

District of ..... ...... Do.

Wisconsin (T. C. H.

Smith)

District of ....... 22 Saint

Minnesota Paul

(Sibley)

District of Iowa 5 8 Daven-

(Sully) port

Grand total 5 30

SPECIAL ORDERS, HDQRS. MIL. DIV. OF WEST MISSISSIPPI, No. 29.
Vicksburg, Miss., June 11, 1864.

* * * *

2. The detachment of the Sixteenth Army Corps under command of Major General A. J. Smith will proceed to Memphis, Tenn., and report to the major-general commanding the District of West Tennessee.

* * * *

By order of Major General E. R. S. Canby:

C. T. CHRISTENSEN,
Major and Assistant Adjutant-General.

OFFICE OF CHIEF ENGINEER, DEPT. OF THE GULF,

New Orleans, La., June 1, 1864.

Major GEORGE B. DRAKE,

Assistant Adjutant-General:

SIR: In pursuance of Special Orders, No. 16, headquarters Division of West Mississippi, referred to me for report, I have the honor to report as follows: The engineer troops in this department consist of five regiments of colored troops, with an aggregate of about 2,200, organized as infantry, but with a special view to the engineer service. The officers were selected as far as possible with a special to this service. These regiments have been employed on the construction of field-works, and with the army as pontoniers and prisoners. They were formerly denominated engineer regiments, numbering from 1 to 5; but by a recent order from the Adjutant-General, have been classed as infantry and numbered from 95 to 99, inclusive. These regiments are posted as follows: The Ninety-fifth at Brazos Island, Point Isabel, and Brownsville; the Ninety-sixth at New Orleans, en route to Port Hudson; the Ninety-seventh and Ninety-ninth with the army at Morganza, and the Ninety-eighth at Berwick City (west side of Berwick Bay). These regiments are all armed and equipped, but the arms are very inferior, being principally old smooth-bore muskets possessing no accuracy of fire.

There is also a detachment of pontoniers (about 35) now with the army at Morganza. This detachment is slowly increasing by recruits, and if the men can be obtained will constitute a company of 150 men. There is one bateau bridge in the department; 180 feet at