HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF FLORIDA, Brig. Gen. J. W. TURNER, Chief of Artillery : GENERAL: I beg that the artillery that has been indicated as proper for the works at this place, or that may be decided upon, may be sent here without delay. There is now an abundance of labor here to move these guns, and, what is of more moment still, the moral effect upon the country people derived from the presence of large guns, as an assurance of our permanent occupancy, will be of great value. Therefore please hasten them. Respectfully, your obedient servant, T. SEYMOUR, Brigadier-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Brig. Gen. A. H. TERRY, Hilton Head, S. C., March 7, 1864. Comdg. N. Dist., Dept. of the South, Folly Island, S. C.: GENERAL: The major-general commanding requests that you will send the detachment of the First North Carolina Colored Volunteers to Jacksonville as soon as in your judgment it is safe to do so. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, ED. W. SMITH. Lieutenant-Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General. HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Brig. Gen. T. SEYMOUR, Hilton Head, S. C., March 7, 1864. Comdg. Dist. of Florida, Jacksonville, Fla. : GENERAL: The major-general commanding is of the opinion that the state of affairs in Florida will not warrant an advance of your command for the present; that therefore you will only look to the security of your position at Jacksonville. And he again calls your attention to your communication on the Saint John's River and suggests, lest guerrilla parties or ambuscades may annoy your transports, that you land a regiment from time to time at points below Jacksonville, and scout the country a short distance into the interior. He has no doubt that the commanding officer of the naval forces in Saint John's will, on your application, co-operate with you with a gun-boat. Should your information of the force and position of the enemy lead you to the opinion that an advance would be advisable, you will immediately communicate with the commanding general, but under no consideration will you make an advance without instructions. You will carry out your instructions in regard to garrisoning and fortifying Palatka, heretofore given, as soon as you can conveniently. In view of the limited number of horses at our disposal to replace losses, and the great exertion and fatigue of your cavalry force, and in order to save as many of Colonel Henry's horses as possible, it is recommended to you to call in his command of cavalry, replacing your pickets by infantry, using cavalry vedettes and patrols, and allow Colonel Henry's command to recruit. The artillery you called for is being forwarded. I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, JOHN W. TURNER, Brigadier-General, Chief of Staff. HDQRS. NORTHERN DISTRICT, DEPT. OF THE SOUTH, Capt. J. A. BURNS, Folly Ísland, S. C., March 8, 1864. Acting Assistant Quartermaster, Morris Island, S. C.: The brigadier-general commanding directs that all the boats in your possession, including those that you have built, be fully equipped with oars, &c., and sent to Pawnee Landing this day. I have the honor to be, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, ADRIAN TERRY, Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. NORTHERN DISTRICT, DEPT. OF THE SOUTH, Folly Island, S. C., March 8, 1864. Capt. JOHN L. SUESS, New York Volunteer Engineers: The brigadier-general commanding directs that you immediately prepare material for repairing bridge from Cole's Island to James Island and have it loaded into lighters this day. Capt. J. A. Burns, acting assistant quartermaster, will supply the lumber requisite. I have the honor to be, captain, very respectfully, your obedient servant, ADRIAN TERRY, Assistant Adjutant-General. HDQRS. NORTHERN DISTRICT, DEPT. OF THE SOUTH, Brig. Gen. A. SCHIMMELFENNIG, Commanding U. S. Forces, Folly Island, S. C.: GENERAL: I am directed by the brigadier-general commanding to request that you will get ready 1,000 men, in light marching order, with three days' cooked rations, to be in readiness to move at 4 p. m. this day. I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant, ADRIAN TERRY, Assistant Adjutant-General. (Similar copy sent to Colonel Davis.) Captain TERRY, MORRIS ISLAND, S. C., March 8, 1864. Assistant Adjutant-General, Folly Island, S. C. : This will nearly clean me out of available force and leave nothing here to guard the island. To take this force from Morris Island will endanger our defenses here. I will have the men ready, but while they are absent will not be responsible for what may happen. The First Brigade has not a man on this island that can be detailed for any purpose; the Second has present 2,000. Of these over 300 are without arms and 400 have just received arms; 450 are on special duty in boat infantry, and other purposes; 150 are the garrison of Shaw and can't be disturbed; then take out the cooks, musicians, &c., and there will be nobody left to call upon. I respectfully protest against troops being taken from this island for any purpose. W. W. H. DAVIS, Colonel. HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF FLORIDA, Brig. Gen. J. W. TURNER, Chief of Artillery: GENERAL: I have again to urge that guns may be provided here, without delay, of such a nature as will indicate that we may not evacuate this place in a hurry. If they are not to be expected, I beg that I may be so informed; if they are, that I be advised of the probable time of their arrival here. Rather than experience delay, I shall be glad to have any siege guns, 24-pounder James rifles, 8inch siege howitzers, carronades, 24-pounders, anything of a tolerably heavy caliber and size. Two or three such might be spared from Fort Pulaski, perhaps. Respectfully, your obedient servant, T. SEYMOUR, Brigadier-General, Commanding. [Indorsement.] HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, More guns than General Seymour asked for have already been sent him. Q. A. GILLMORE, Major-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF FLORIDA, Brig. Gen. J. W. TURNER, Chief of Staff: GENERAL: I have to inform you that there is nothing further to report, except that a force of infantry has been moved by the rebels to the King's road, and there are indications of defensive measures being taken by them on the Six-Mile or Cedar Creek. Deserters come in constantly and report that if they knew that they would be kindly treated, and not sent North, many more would come to us. One recently from Dalton, Ga., gives a firm conviction that when the time of service is out (May 1), many of the rebel regiments will stack their arms and refuse to fight longer. If guns were here so that I could place strong confidence in the resistive power of these works, an expedition would be sent at once to occupy Palatka, but I do not like to weaken this command unless the works are perfected, armament and all. The hastening of cannon is therefore urged. Respectfully, your obedient servant, T. SEYMOUR, Brigadier-General, Commanding. [Indorsement.] HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, Hilton Head, S. C., March 12, 1864. It is not understood that General Seymour is asking for guns in addition to those for which he has already made requisition and which have been sent to him. Q. A. GILLMORE, Major-General, Commanding. HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF WEST FLORIDA, Brig. Gen. CHARLES P. STONE, Barrancas, March 8, 1864. Chief of Staff, Dept. of the Gulf: GENERAL: I have the honor to report, in connection with my report of March 4, No. 122, the following additional information received from a refugee, Thomas E. Cramner, just from Mobile, by way of Pollard: Colonel Holland, Thirty-seventh Mississippi Infantry, stationed at Pollard, is making preparation for a raid with 400 to 500 cavalry on the Pensacola navy-yard, in connection with the raid of Colonel Miller on East Bay. We are prepared with our small force to receive them properly. Mr. Cramner has taken an active part in the rebellion as engineer, but, availing himself of the President's amnesty, leaves to-morrow for New Orleans, and I thought it proper to give him an introduction to you in order that you may question him yourself. His statements are somewhat confused, and I do not feel inclined to give them much credit. Three other deserters, arriving also this day from Morgan and Dalton, have given me the inclosed statements, which I consider more reliable. There are over 200 refugees and deserters in the neighborhood of Saint Mark's, Fla., the terminus of the Tallahassee railroad, in open war with the Confederacy, and I would respectfully request for the use of a transport steamer to bring in those men for the Florida cavalry. They have about 60 horses with them. Gillmore's forces have withdrawn from Lake City to Jacksonville; in my humble opinion, a combined movement toward Tallahassee from the Atlantic via Jacksonville and Lake City, and from the Gulf via Saint Mark's, would have proved more disastrous for the rebels, and I would most respectfully request to be enabled to establish a permanent post at Saint Mark's; it would afford another safe base of operations toward the interior of Florida, protected, as it is, by blockading vessels of Admiral Farragut, anchored near the light-house, 7 miles seaward from Saint Mark's. I am, very respectfully, general, your obedient servant, ASBOTH, Brigadier-General. [Inclosure No. 1.] Statement of Lieut. John L. West, First Florida Infantry, C. S. Army. Left his regiment on the 15th of February at Dalton, Ga. Johnston's army numbers 30,000 to 35,000 men. Veteran troops, forming two army corps under Hayman [Hindman] and Hardee. The men have no shoes; their rations consist of Florida beef and corn. The beef is so poor that the men cannot eat it. General Johnston does not intend to give battle at Dalton, but will withdraw toward Atlanta if pressed by Grant. The spirit of the army is in favor of peace. The men re-enlist only to get furloughs and never return. Horses are generally in very bad condition and sent to the rear to recruit. [Inclosure No. 2.] Statement of A. S. Kitchen and B. B. Royals, First Battalion Alabama Artillery. Brig. Gen. Edward Higgins is at present commanding at Fort Morgan, Fort Gaines, Fort Powell (Grant's Pass), and Cedar Point. The Tennessee is not yet over the Dog River Bar, but is sticking in the mud of Sponge River; the deepest channel 9 feet 10 inches. Six steamers were unable to move her back. They are at a loss what to do with her. Not one of the iron-clad boats is this side of the bar. There are four inside. The Tennessee, plated with 4-inch iron, mounts eight guns; ram Baltic plated with 2-inch iron, the wheel-house protected with cotton; Huntsville and Nashville with four guns each. Besides those iron-clads, there are three wooden gun-boats, Selma, Gaines, and Morgan. Selma was built for a lake boat at New York and is unseaworthy; the Gaines and Morgan were built at Mobile during the war and are good boats, but not much strength in them. They are building at present two floating bat-. teries with one gun each. At Grant's Pass, boats with 10 feet draught can pass. They are trying to put obstructions in the channel, but they do not amount to much. The battery guarding Grant's Pass is considered bomb-proof, being covered with 10 to 15 feet of oyster shells. HDQRS. DISTRICT OF KEY WEST AND TORTUGAS, Brig. Gen. CHARLES P. STONE, Chief of Staff, Dept. of the Gulf, New Orleans: GENERAL: I inclose herewith the copy of a letter from Lieut. Commander D. B. Harmony, commanding the U. S. gun-boat Tahoma, stationed at Saint Mark's Bay. The men alluded to have already had several skirmishes with rebel cavalry and are fully committed. I shall go up in a few days to enlist them, if practicable. If they decline I respectfully ask permission to furnish for their use arms and ammunition in moderate quantities, also provisions and shoes. These men will be useful to us, whether enlisted or not. They are, I understand, at the present time, under the advice of Commander Harmony, on an expedition to burn the bridge over the Suwannee River on the Jacksonville and Tallahassee Railroad, about 30 miles west of Lake City. Respectfully, |