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up fence to preserve slopes from cattle and hogs, removing old earth and timber work from inside of fort, and general repairs.

Appropriation asked for the next fiscal year, $60,000.

Fort Pike, Rigolets Pass, Louisiana, in charge of Major and Brevet Brigadier General M. D. McAlester, Major and Brevet Colonel F. E. Prime, Captain G. J. Lydecker, and Captain and Brevet Major C. W. Howell.-This fort is in good condition and only in need of slight repairs, with excep tion of the glacis along the Rigolets. This has been greatly damaged by being partially washed away. No work was done last year. During the current year it is proposed to restore the glacis to its original condition.

No appropriation asked for the next fiscal year.

Fort Macomb, Chef Menteur Pass, Louisiana, in charge of Major and Brevet Brigadier General M. D. McAlester, Major and Brevet Colonel F. E. Prime, Captain G. J. Lydecker, and Captain and Brevet Major C. W. Howell. The general condition of this fort is good. No work was done during the past fiscal year. It is proposed during the current fiscal year to remove the old bridges across the moat and supply their places by new ones. It is also proposed to make general repairs to the work and quarters.

No appropriation asked for the next fiscal year.

Battery Bienvenue, Lake Borgne, Louisiana, in charge of Major_and Brevet Brigadier General M. D. McAlester, Major and Brevet Colonel F. E. Prime, Captain G. J. Lydecker, and Captain and Brevet Major C. W. Howell. This work is in very bad condition; the brick work is well preserved; the stockade ruined; the bridge dilapidated; the quarters, magazine, and cisterns, require repair.

Appropriation asked for the next fiscal year, $13,400.

Fort Jackson, Mississippi River, Louisiana, in charge of Major_and Brevet Brigadier General M. D. McAlester, Major and Brevet Colonel F. E. Prime, Captain G. J. Lydecker, and Captain and Brevet Major C. W. Howell. The general condition of the work is good. During the year but little work has been done; some slight repairs and putting up new lightning rods over magazines being all. During the next year it is proposed to erect a storage magazine and thoroughly repair the masonry, drains, and slopes of the fort and outworks, and make slight repairs to engineer buildings.

Appropriation asked for the next fiscal year, $76,000.

No

Fort St. Philip, Mississippi River, Louisiana, in charge of Major and Brevet Brigadier General M. D. McAlester, Major and Brevet Colonel F. E. Prime, Captain G. J. Lydecker, and Captain and Brevet Major C. W. Howell. This work is in serviceable condition. The magazines are subject to overflow at extraordinary high water of the Gulf. work, with the exception of slight repairs, was done during the past fiscal year. During the current fiscal year it is proposed to modify and repair the service magazine in the upper battery; to make general repairs, and to construct a storage magazine with service magazines in connection therewith.

Appropriation asked for the next fiscal year, $110,000.

Fort Livingston, Barataria Bay, Louisiana, in charge of Major and Brevet Brigadier General M. D. McAlester, Major and Brevet Colonel F. E. Prime, Captain G. J. Lydecker, and Captain and Brevet Major C. W. Howell. The general condition of the work is fair. No work was done during the past year and none is at present contemplated during the current year.

No appropriation asked for the next fiscal year.

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Fort at Fort Point, entrance to San Francisco Harbor, California, in charge of Major George H. Elliot.-The sea-wall, six hundred feet long, designed to protect the proposed eastern barbette battery, was completed during the last winter. The ground in rear of this wall has been filled flush with the coping, and a pavement of dry stones has been laid for a distance of thirty feet in rear of the wall. The pile wharf, the roadways, the quarters, stables, and storehouses, have been kept in repair. The iron work of the embrasures, the railings and stairways have been scraped clean of rust and have been painted. A thorough repair of quarters for officers and men has been undertaken and will be finished early in the present fiscal year. An apron of masses of rock, from ten to fifteen tons weight, has been commenced in front of the channel sides of the fort to prevent the wearing of the beach. A series of experiments with the cements and limes obtainable on the Pacific coast, and with the building sands obtained in San Francisco Harbor, has been commenced.

Appropriation asked for the next fiscal year, $200,000.

Fort at Lime Point, San Francisco Harbor, California, in charge of Major George H. Mendell, brevet colonel United States Army. During the fiscal year two large blasts have been exploded at Lime Point. The first took place on the 24th October, 1868, and contained nearly twenty four thousand pounds of mortar and cannon powder. The second, of sixteen thousand five hundred pounds of powder, in three charges, was exploded on the 17th April. The gross effect of these two explosions was the removal of about ninety thousand cubic yards of rock. A tunnel with two chambers, of capacity of six thousand pounds each, is ready for loading. Seventy-five thousand cubic yards of rock have been removed from the site during the year, to an average distance of eighty feet. Operations were suspended during four months out of the twelve. The fence, three miles in length, separating the public land from that adjoining, which was commenced in the previous fiscal year, was finished in July. During the next year it is proposed to continue the rock excavation, construct a battery on Point Cavallo, and emplacements for guns and mortars on the hills above Lime Point, with the necessary roads.

Appropriation asked for the next fiscal year, $200,000.

Fortifications at Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Harbor, California, in charge of Major George H. Elliot, brevet colonel United States Army.— Operations during the past year have consisted in excavating the rocky slopes in rear of batteries 2 and 3; in repairing public property; painting the magazine roofs, the schooner, and the office, and in other miscellaneous work. About four thousand yards of rock have been excavated and thrown over the scarp walls. The earthy product of the excavation is saved for future use. It is proposed to remove the ridge of the island, leveling it to a plane; give the necessary increase of thickness to the parapets, and introduce additional traverses with magazines and bomb-proofs.

Appropriation asked for the next fiscal year, $100,000.

Defenses at the mouth of the Columbia River, Oregon, in charge of Major George H. Mendell, brevet colonel United States Army.-During the year extensive repairs were made on Fort Stevens. The scarp revetment, which was much decayed, was removed, and the exterior slope of the parapet extended to the bottom of the ditch. It was faced with plank to protect the lower part of the slope from washing where it is reached by the water of the ditch. A covered way with parapet arranged for infantry fire was constructed along the counterscarp. The wooden

magazines at Cape Disappointment exhibit signs of decay. Arrange ments have been made to construct a fire-proof powder-house for storage of powder. The condition of the works both at Fort Stevens and Cape Disappointment is good.

No appropriation asked for the next fiscal year.

BATTALION OF ENGINEERS AND DEPOTS.

Battalion of engineers, commanded by Major Henry L. Abbot, brevet brigadier general United States Army, headquarters Willet's Point, New York Harbor.-The strength of the five companies constituting the battalion of engineers, on the 30th of June, 1869, was 23 officers and 634 enlisted men. 116 recruits were needed to complete the organization. The companies of the battalion were stationed and commanded as follows: At Willet's Point, New York Harbor, company A, Captain A. Mackenzie; company B, Captain A. H. Burnham, brevet major United States Army; company C, Captain O. H. Ernst. At Yerba Buena Island, California, company D. Captain S. M. Mansfield, brevet lieutenant colonel United States Army. At Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, company E, Captain P. C. Hains, brevet lieutenant colonel United States Army.

A detachment from companies A, B, C, and E, under the command of First Lieutenant C. B. Sears, served at the United States Military Academy for the purpose of aiding in the instruction in practical engi neering. A detachment of 38 men, under the command of First Lieutenant Thomas Turtle, were engaged from April, 1869, upon the survey of the battle field of Gettysburg; and small detachments were made from time to time from the post in the west for other duties.

The troops at the several posts have been carefully instructed in the infantry tactics, both practically and theoretically, and in the drills peculiar to their special arm of the service, and have accomplished a large amount of work in the construction of the buildings and preparation of the grounds at the depots established for them. Theoretical instruction for the men, as directed in General Orders No. 56, of 1866, has been continued, with considerable interest manifested, and encouraging progress made; and the original intention of making the service with the battalion a school of practice for the officers on duty with it has been kept steadily in view in the methods of instruction marked out. With the sanction of the Secretary of War the duty of experi mentally developing a torpedo system as an accessory of the permanent sea-coast defenses was devolved upon the battalion of engineers, under the direction of the board of engineers for fortifications, by instructions from this office in May last.

I would again recommend that two principal musicians should be allowed to the non-commissioned staff of the battalion; that the seventh section of the act of July 13, 1866, taking from engineer soldiers the per diem paid to other soldiers, when engaged on continuous labor, should be repealed; because the effect of this law is to make the pay of engi neer soldiers much less than that given to other troops when engaged on extra duty, works an injustice to the men, and excludes a class of recruits from their ranks which the interests of this special arm of the service requires should be enlisted. With this law repealed, the engineer soldier will be replaced upon the same footing as the other troops of the service. I would also renew my recommendation that an appropriation of $1,000 be made to purchase the stock out of which siege and trench materials are fabricated for the instruction of the troops at Willet's Point.

Engineer post and depot at Willet's Point, New York Harbor, commanded by Major Henry L. Abbot, brevet brigadier general United States Army. This point was selected in 1865 as the headquarters of the battalion of engineers, and as the depot for the storage of the engineer material used on the Atlantic seaboard. The property is stored in one large shed, 250 feet long by 37 feet wide, constructed for the purpose, and in eight temporary buildings made for the Grant General Hospital in the late war. The tools are sold for use on the different works in charge of officers of the corps as called for. The larger part of the bridge equipage of the army is preserved at this place, from which other depots are supplied, according to the necessities of the service.

Since the date of my last report the permanent hospital then under construction, with funds furnished by the Quartermaster's Department, has been completed, excepting the plumbing; and an old building has been remodelled, for officer's quarters, by the labor of the garrison, and with funds furnished by the same department.

Much has been done at the depot during the past year in preparing experimental carriages, &c., for the board of engineers convened to report upon the military bridge equipage of the army.

An appropriation of $45,000 is recommended for the erection of permanent barracks for officers and men, which are much needed, the old temporary buildings used for quarters and barracks having gone very much to decay.

Engineer post and depot at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, commanded by Captain P. C. Hains, brevet lieutenant colonel United States Army.-During the past year the work of altering and repairing the north row of soldiers' quarters, with a view to making storehouses for engineer property, has been carried out, the buildings nearly finished, and most of the material of the post carefully stored away in them.

The work of fitting the bridge train has been commenced and is well advanced.

The work of preparing the quarters for the command is progressing satisfactorily; about one half of the fence at the northern boundary has been put up, the finishing of the entire inclosure of the engineer reservation being delayed only to determine accurately the position of the line of the west boundary.

The post of Jefferson Barracks was transferred to the corps of engi neers, under the operation of General Orders No. 9, dated headquarters military division of the Missouri, October 21, 1867, and the agreement to pay to the Quartermaster's Department $20,000 for the property. As by the act of March 2, 1867, but one-half of the sum appropriated for the quarters at Jefferson Barracks could be expended, a further appropriation of $10,000 is necessary to complete the agreement with the Quartermaster's Department. For the construction of four cisterns to hold drinking water for the commaud a sum of $1,000 is necessary. The appropriation of the several amounts named is recommended. Engineer post and depot, Yerba Buena Island, California, commanded by Captain 8. M. Mansfield, brevet lieutenant colonel United States Army.—At the date of my last report, little had been done toward the establishment of this depot, and the command was encamped upon the island.

At the close of the fiscal year there had been constructed, almost exclusively by the labors of the garrison, the necessary barracks for officers and men, a guard-house, hospital, and quarters for laundresses. A substantial wharf, 325 feet in length, was also built; with a view of obtaining a supply of drinking water, a tunnel 178 feet in length had been driven into the side of the hill, and it is expected a good supply will be obtained after driving it a short distance further.

A canvas pontoon train, with a supply of engineer tools, had been received. A military survey of the island by the garrison, for the purpose of fortifications, was well advanced, under the immediate instructions of the board of engineers for the Pacific coast.

RIVER AND HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS.

The balances of the appropriations for the improvement of rivers and harbors, approved June 23, 1866, and March 2, 1867, remaining on hand July 1, 1868, have been applied to continuing the works of improvement referred to in the last annual report.

The appropriation of $1,500,000, approved July 25, 1868, for the "repair, preservation, extension, and completion of certain public works on rivers and harbors," &c., was distributed with the sanction of the Secretary of War.

In addition to the list of works specified in my report of October 20, 1868, there has been allotted from this appropriation, as follows: Harbor at mouth of Genesee River, $1,100; harbor at Saugatuck, Michigan, $23,900; which absorb the entire appropriation.

The officers in charge of the works were notified of the respective allotments, and were directed to apply the moneys thus appropriated to carrying on the improvements in accordance with the approved and authorized plans.

By an act approved April 10, 1869, two millions of dollars were appropriated for "the fiscal year ending June 30, 1869, and the year ending June 30, 1870, to be expended for the repair, extension, preservation and completion of works for the improvement of rivers and harbors, under the direction of the Secretary of War," &c. This sum has been distributed as follows:

Superior City Harbor...
Marquette Harbor...
Green Bay Harbor..

Manitowoc Harbor.

Milwaukee Harbor.
Racine Harbor..
Kenosha Harbor.
Chicago Harbor.
Michigan City Harbor.
Saugatuck Harbor..
White River Harbor.
Pentwater Harbor..
Père Marquette Harbor..
Aux Becs Scies Harbor.
Cleveland Harbor..

Conneaut Harbor.
Erie Harbor..
Buffalo Harbor.

Oswego Harbor..
Boston Harbor..
Provincetown Harbor.

Sheboygan Harbor.
Au Sable Harbor...
Grand Haven Harbor.
St. Mary's River..
Kennebec River.
Saco River...
Hudson River.

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