be available for siege operations on Burnside's and Warren's fronts. I have made arrangements to draw my ordnance supplies direct from the depot, Captain S. P. Hatfield, First Connecticut Artillery, being my ordnance officer. I have a laboratory on my wharf barge where I am filling 500 cartridges a day, with any other work required to be done.

My batteries are supplied with ammunition by the following plan: Each battery commander reports at 6 p.m. to this battalion commander his expenditure during the preceding twenty-four hours and his supply on hand. By my mounted orderlies these reports are brought to my headquarters by 11 a.m. on following day. A supply train is at once started in time to arrive at battalion headquarters by dark, when foot orderlies from the different batteries are ready to conduct the teams to their destinations. This system works perfectly. I keep 100 rounds on hand per gun or mortar at the batteries. I require a record kept of all projectiles which fail to take the grooves and all fuses which work badly. Although my line is over thirteen miles in length, and my command over 2,000 men, I find no difficulty and no confusion, so perfect is the working of the above system.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,

HENRY L. ABBOT,

Colonel First Connecticut Artillery, Commanding.

P. S.-My train afloat at landing consists of six 100-pounder Parrotts, fifteen 30-pounder Parrotts, twelve Rodman guns, ten

10-inch mortars, six 8-inch mortars, sixteen Coehorns, ten 8-inch siege howitzers. I have made requisition for twenty more 8-inch mortars.

H. L. A.

HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, July 11, 1864.

Colonel H. L. ABBOT:

Will your please send an officer as soon as possible to General Burnside's headquarters to report to Captain Turnbull, U. S. Engineers, to superintend the construction of the battery at the Taylor house.

H. J. HUNT,
Brigadier-General.

JULY 11, 1864.

Brigadier-General BROOKS:

GENERAL: No paper was handed the lieutenant-general by General Butler that he has any recollection of.

JNO. A. RAWLINS,

Brigadier-General and Chief of Staff.

HEADQUARTERS TENTH ARMY CORPS, July 11, 1864.

General WEITZEL:

General Rawlins telegraphs that no paper was handed the lieutenant-general by General Butler that he had any recollection of in answer to me for me urging prompt action. Please ask the general about it.

W. T. H. BROOKS.