departments in which the divisions are from which they are taken, as follows:

Companies.

Army of Northern Virginia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Army of Tennessee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Department of North Carolina. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. . . . . . . . . 2

District of the Gulf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Trans-Mississippi Department. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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Total. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Of these companies, three with the Army of Tennessee and three in the Trans-Mississippi Department have not as yet, however, been fully organized. It is proposed to created one more in the Trans-Mississippi thus making a full regiment, and one more in the Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, to be employed chiefly as artisans.

As there is still an urgent demand for engineer officers, and application has been made, on my recommendation, to Congress for twenty-two additional officers in the provisional corps. This bill has passed the Senate and will, it is hoped, at an early day be favorably considered by the House and become a law. If so, nominations for suitable appointments will be promptly made by the Bureau.

The assignments of the few military engineers who joined the Southern Army at the commencement of the war to duty with troops have been a serious drawback to the engineer service, which has heretofore been performed in a great measure by civil engineers, who have been appointed from time to time in the corps.

Second. Engineer workshops for the manufacture of tools, implements, and preparation of material for pontoon bridges have been established at Richmond, Charleston, Augusta, Mobile, Demopolis, and in the Trans-Mississippi Department, from which the calls from the different armies and departments have been, as far as practicable, supplies. The great difficulty in this direction has been the want of materials, particularly iron for tools and bridge construction-a want owing principally to the disturbed condition of the county and defective transportation.

Intrenching tools have been obtained by importation to a considerable extend, and funds have been sent aborad to purchase others, but the closing of most of our regular ports of entry, it is feared, will prevent their being received.

Third. For the prompt repair of railroad bridges and trestle-work and for duplicating these last, and organized body of mechanics should be available. This has been partly provided for, but it is proposed to increase the force, if practicable, to at least 100 for the roads leading directly to the Army of Northern Virginia. Similar organizations should be made for service farther south and west.

A commission for the collection of railroad iron from unimportant lines and distribution, when necessary, to those of vital consequence, as well as the construction of iron-plated gun-boats, has been organized by the joint action of the War and Navy Departments. Every possible impediment has been thrown in the way of this commission, and serious delays have been caused under the impressment act by parties suing out injunctions and resorting to other similar legal steps. In many cases the iron rails must be had promptly as a military necessity or disaster must follow. When this is established the authority for