BEAUFORT, April 22, 1862.

Lieutenant KEENAN:

The rebels have been shelling our troops at the ferry since 5 o'clock a. m. Our battery has just gone out.

HOWARD,

Lieutenant.

The ferry referred to in the above note is Port Royal Ferry, at the north end of Port Royal Island.

D. HUNTER,

Major-General, Commanding.

Abstract from Return of the Department of the South, Major General D. Hunter commanding, for April 30, 1862; headquarters Hilton Head, S. C.

Present for duty.

Command. Officers. Men. Aggregate

present.

Department staff.. 12 ... 12

Hilton Head, S. C.,

Brigadier General H. W.

Benham commanding Northern

District:

Staff.. 4 ... 4

Daufuskie, Jones, and Bird

Islands, Brigadier General

E. L. Viele commanding:

Staff.. 7 ... 7

Command.. 113 2,662 3,070

Beaufort, S. C., Brigadier

General I. I. Stevens:

Staff.. 7 ... 7

Command.. 127 3,144 3,874

Fort Edisto and Otter

Islands, Brigadier General

H. G. Wright:

Staff.. 7 ... 7

Command.. 135 3,265 3,616

Tybee and Cockspur Islands,

Fort Pulaski, Ga. Brigadier

General Q. A. Gillmore:

Staff.. 6 ... 6

Command.. 85 1,832 2,133

Hilton Head and Fort 102 2,331 2,976

Welles, Colonel Robert

Williams..

Fernadina, Fla., Colonel 37 979 1,123

R. Rich..

Saint Augustina, Fla., 2 64 71

Lieutenant Colonel Louis

Bell..

Fort Seward, S. C., 6 73 92

Lieutenant Colonel S. R.

Rucklin..

Total.. 650 14,350 16,989

This report embraces only the troops in the Northern District of the department. No return has as yet been received from Tortugas, Key West, or Fort Pickens.

HDQRS. WESTERN DISTRICT, DEPT. OF THE SOUTH,
Fort Pickness, Fla., May 1, 1862.

Major CHARLES G. HALPINE,

Asst. Adjt. General, U. S. Vols., Hdqrs. Dept. of the South:

MAJOR: I have the honor to transmit herewith inclosed copies of reports that I have made to the Headquarters of the Army, Washington, and correspondence between flag-officers Farragut and McKean, General Butler and Brannan, and myself relative to military affairs in the Department of Florida.* As the best mode of correctly informing Major-General Hunter, commanding Department of the South, of the of the situation of my command at this time and the relations existing between it and the rebels on the opposite side, as an apparent change has taken place since my report to the War Department dated Headquarters Department of Florida, April 24, 1862, I will add that I was informed