tracing and construction of Battery 19 between Forts Rice and Meikel, drained the former fort, and built a magazine in it, and also drained a magazine in Fort Davis. Battery 18, on the Norfolk railroad, was also finished during the week. Lieutenant Benyaurd is also directed to finish the new line between Fort Sedgwick and Fort Davis. Working parties are furnished him from the Second Corps. The following extracts from the weekly report of Lieutenant-Colonel Spaulding, commanding detachment of Fiftieth New York Volunteer Engineers, will give a succinct statement of the engineering operations performed by the officers and men of his detachment and the probable time to complete the duties assigned them:

Major Brainerd has had general charge of draining and corduroying the covered ways in tear of the works from Fort Sedgwick to the Norfolk railroad, Captain McGrath having immediate superintendence of the work and employing parts of Companies F, G, and M. Major Brainerd reports the drainage of the covered ways completed and about one-third part of the corduroy work done. With the force I have available for this work it will probably require ten days to complete it. Captain Pettes with his company has been engaged upon the two bomb-proofs in Fort Morton. These bomb-proofs are each ten feet in width and about eighty-four feet in length in the clear. Captain Pettes reports them finished, except that additional earth covering should be placed on them by the garrison. Major Beers has had general charge of the line of abatis fvrom the right of Battery Numbers 13 to the left of Fort Sedgwick, and the work has been chiefly done by Companies E (Captain Hine), H (Captain Palmer), and L (Captain Dexter). This work is now completed between the points above-mentioned and around the forts. The whole line of this abatis is believed to be very strong, and from the left of Fort Sedgwick to the ravine near the Norfolk railway it has the additional obstruction of a strong wire entanglement in front of the abatis. Captain Schenck has been occupied with his company upon the nine-gun battery on the left of Fort Sedgwick in completing the platforms, ramps, embrasures, bomb-proofs, and magazines. He reports this battery as being now complete so far as instructions have been received. Captain Schenck went to Fort Alexander Hays with his company this mornign to stockade the gorge of this work and build a traverse. Lieutenant Bacon has had charge of the corduroy road from the Jerusalme plank road to the Weldon railway near Major-General Warren's headquarters. With fifty-five men from this command and an average daily detail of about 460 infantry, he has during the past week completed about one mile of corduroy road and built four bridges--Numbers 1, 145 feet long and 24 feet wide; Numbers 2, 180 feet long and 12 feet wide; Numbers 3, 55 feet long and 12 feet wide; Numbers 4, 33 feet long and 12 feet wide. Captain Folwell has been engaged with his company upon Fort Wadsworth in completing the parapets, revetments, and platforms, building bomb-proofs, magazines, and traverses, and in placing a strong abatis and wire entanglement outside. Captain Folwell reports that four days more good weather will enable him to complete these works, and that the fort has been in a defensible condition for several days. Captain McDonald, having charge of Fort Dushane, has been engaged with his company in completing the parapets, platforms, and ramps, building an abatis in front and placing a wire entanglement within the abatis and also one ouside of it. He has also made considerable progress with the magazines, bomb-proofs, and traverses. Captain Palmer with his company has been engaged upon Fort Davison, and he reports that the work will be finished this evening. Captain Van Brocklin proceeded yesterday with his company to Fort Stevenson and relieved Captain Harwood, in charge of that work. Besides his own men he is working details of 1,500 infantry night and day. Captain Hine marched his company yesterday to the vicinity of the plank road and took charge of the construction of Fort McMahon I directed him this morning to divide his company so as to put a portion of them on Fort Blaisdell, take charge of that work also, and call for sufficient infantry details to push the work on both forts. Captain Dexter moved his company yesterday to Fort Kelly and took charge of laying out and building that work. Captain Palmer will commence work on Battery Numbers 40 to-morrow morning.

In addition to the above duties by different officers, I beg leave to add those performed by Lieutenant Lydecker, U. S. Engineers, and Captain Paine, aide-de-camp, both of whom are connected with the department at these headquarters. The former has been principally occupied in examining the ground in the vicinity of Fort Sedgwick, reporting upon the nature of obstructions in advance of it, and the manner in which it