OR 87:667-668

HDQRS. DEPT. OF VIRGINIA AND NORTH CAROLINA, CHIEF ENGINEER'S OFFICE,
November 3, 1864.

GENERAL: I have the honor to submit the following report of engineering operations in this department for the week ending October 29, 1864:

But little engineering work was done on the Eighteenth Army Corps front during this week, owing to its withdrawal from the lines on the evening of the 26th to make a demonstration on the Williamsburg road. Small garrisons were left in all the redoubts and batteries along the line. At Fort Burnham, abatis and magazine were completed, and all other batteries were entirely finished during the week, except some of the small details. The line on the Tenth Army Corps front is also completed, the redoubts, batteries, and parapets having been finished on the 28th. Embrasures have been put in on the rear faces of the redoubts to make them entirely self-defensible. Slashing has been continued on Four-Mile Church Branch and in the ravine in front of Signal Hill. A square redoubt of thirty yards front has been built to command the latter. It has two pieces of artillery and a garrison of 100 men. Slashing to a great extent to the left and right of the redoubt on Camp Holly has been carried on, so that the ground is perfectly impassable for troops of any kind between the works on Camp Holly and Signal Hill without passing under close range of one or other of the works. The redoubt on Camp Holly Hill has embrasures for twenty guns, and has for armament four 20-pounder Parrotts and two pieces of light battery. It has a magazine eight by twelve by six feet finished, and the work itself will be entirely completed in two days. At Fort Brady a large bomb-proof, with two splinter-proof entrances, was constructed and covered with six feet of earth. A strong palisade gate was framed and is nearly ready to be hung. The embrasures of the advanced batteries commanding the river were repaired and strongly revetted with gabions.

At Dutch Gap a new dipper-handle for the dredge was made and mounted, the old one having broken. The hoisting gear of the dredge was also repaired. The machine is a very poor one, its framework being so rotten as to be unreliable for two consecutive day's work.

The average number of men at work during the week at Fort Brady and repairs to Dutch Gap machinery was-thirty-six engineers and eighty infantry daily.

A tracing of country about Camp Holly and Signal Hill will be transmitted soon to accompany this report.

I have the honor to be, general, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

PETER S. MICHIE,
First Lieut., U. S. Engineers, and Brevet Major, U.S. Army,
Acting Chief Engineer, Department.

Bvt. Maj. Gen. J. G. BARNARD,
Chief Engineer, Combined Armies, City Point, Va.