the central point of the line] has all the revetment completed, and the parapet more than half done. The rifle-pits are completed to connect Fort Jackson with the river. A new battery, 200 yards to the eastward of Fort Jackson, has been commenced, and good progress made upon it. This work I propose to build entirely with the engineer battalion of the Twenty-third Army Corps, and will devote particular attention to their instruction while engaged upon it, thus making it a drill for them.

These works have claimed my individual attention. I have been assisted thereon by Messrs. W. A.and J. H. Brooks. During the month of July about three thousand days' work were expended upon those intrenchments. Now that the harvest is over, I am in hopes that the negroes which had been returned to their owners will be returned to me for work.

The work of alteration of the stockades along the Kentucky Central Railroad has gone on as directed by you. Assistant Miller was assigned more particularly to this duty, and reports the essential part of the work now completed.*

By direction of General Hartsuff, Captain S. S. Lyon, assistant engineer, went to Louisville and Jeffersonville for the purpose of obtaining data for the construction of a new map of Kentucky. He was quite successful. The greater portion of the papers he brought back with him are his private property. He was also sent by General Hartsuff to Nashville, Tenn., to obtain there such maps and information as the Department of the Cumberland could furnish that would be of use to the commander of this army corps.

About the 18th of July, General Hartsuff, upon my suggestion, directed that an engineer battalion, to number 300 men and 8 officers, be organized by detail from infantry regiments in the Twenty-third Army Corps. About 150 of these men have already reported to me at Camp Nelson, and are at work there. The details report quite irregularly on account of the recently disturbed condition of affairs. I hope to render this battalion very efficient. I have been trying to select from the corps officers for the battalion, but as yet have not been as successful as I could wish, but expect to obtain them from time to time, as I can discover a good man. General Hartsuff's orders upon the subject are very explicit, and certainly should be very satisfactory to the department which we represent. If a similar organization be made in the Ninth Army Corps, it will give an engineer brigade of 600 picked men.

I take great pleasure in speaking of the ready assistance which has thus far been given me by the quartermaster's department at Camp Nelson. It has furnished me all the lumber I have thus far required for revetment, but, in view of any possible difficulty, I would respectfully request you to obtain from the department commander an order directing that the lumber be furnished me. It is impossible commander an order directing that the lumber be furnished me. It is impossible to procure anything like sods or gabions enough near the camp to do even a small portion of the revetment.

DEFENSES OF THE LOUISVILLE AND NASHVILLE RAILROAD AND THE FORT AT GLASGOW.

I inspected these works, consisting of redoubts and epaulements at Salt River, Rolling Fork, Muldraugh's Hill, Munfordville, Bowling Green, and Glasgow, on the 22nd, 23rd, 24th, and 26th of July, and found that all were advanced well nigh toward completion, except the proposed redoubt on Bald Bluff, at Bowling Green, quite essential, and the erection of two traverses and the excavation of the terre-plein of a portion of the fort at Glasgow, to defile the work from neighboring heights. The reason assigned for not making these improvements which I had ordered was the inability to furnish the necessary fatigue details, on account of the apprehension of raids and the necessity of constantly detaching large portions of the garrisons to drive off the enemy. It is believed now that these works will go on with greater rapidity.

As regards the works at Bowling Green, they were originally put up by the rebels, under Generals Buckner and A. S. Johnston, to repel an expected attack from our troops from the north, under Buell, and, being quite poorly constructed, and, as in the case of the large work on College Hill, badly disposed on the ground, they required to be properly

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*This alteration consisted in making the stockade shell-proof by the exavation of a cellar and a covering or floor of logs, and the ditches about them available for infantry defense, according to a plan which I furnished.-J. H. S. [SIMPSON.]

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39 R R-VOL XXIII, PT II