DETROIT, MICH., June 25, 1862.

Lieutenant Colonel WILLIAM HOFFMAN,

Eighth Infty., U. S. Army, Commissary-General of Prisoners.

COLONEL: In compliance with your order dated June 12, 1862, requiring me to visit the permanent camps at Albany, Utica, Rochester and Elmira and the U. S. barracks at Buffalo to ascertain their capacity for quartering troops and to make to you a written report thereon, accompanied by a general plan of each camp, I have the honor to submit the result of my examination of the camp so specified at Albany, N. Y., as to its condition when visited by me on or near the 21st instant.

This camp is known as the Albany Industrial School Barracks* and is at present partially occupied, one of the long wooden temporary barracks, 500 by 20 feet, being in use as a hospital for wounded soldiers, containing at present nearly 200, and the permanent brick building being partly occupied as offices and store-rooms of the quartermaster-general's department of the State of New York and partly as a recruiting depot. The party, however, is very small and does not require but a small room. The camp is under the charge of General C. Van Vechten, quartermaster-general of the State.

It is easily accessible from the town, being located on a fine road about one mile from it in a southwest direction, on an elevated and dry situation. It is irregular in shape. The longest side, however, is about 500 yards and the greatest width about 350 yards. The soil is firm, hard and gravelly, covered with grass and there is not in the vicinity either marsh, standing water or forest, or any locus of malaria or disease. The camp is abundantly supplied with fine pure water from the city reservoir, and with fuel; hard wood at $8 and soft wood at $5 per cord.

There are two camp-grounds separated from each other by a high close board fence. The one containing the Industrial School building has on three sides a high close board fence of 8 feet; the fourth a picket fence 5 feet high. The other ground is inclosed on three sides by a high close board fence of 8 feet; the fourth side is partly bounded by a low fence of horizontal slats and posts, but has a short interval with none.

With the exception of the Industrial School building the buildings were all built by the Government and are now, together with the school building and all the grounds, exclusively under its control. This latter building was formerly occupied as an industrial school and was built by the city of Albany. It is 293 feet long and at the wings and middle portions 50 feet in width. The wings are connected with the central building by two halls, each 77 by 31 feet. It is of brick, the central part three stories in height, and the wings and connecting halls two stories. The ceilings are about 12 feet in height and all parts of the building admit of the most complete ventilation.

The basement is occupied as mess halls, kitchens and store-rooms. The mess halls are completely supplied with tables and benches and will seat 700 men. There are two kitchens, 31 by 48 feet each. One is completely furnished with cooking apparatus for cooking at one time for 1,000 men. The other kitchen is not in any use. The first floor is occupied as barracks and offices. Its barrack accommodations consist of two halls 66 by 31 feet and two of 48 by 31 feet. They will accommodate 500 men in all, and 500 more can be placed on the floor above, which is also used as barracks and offices, and has the same number of

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*See pp. 79, 81.

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