Confederate States of America, War Department,
Engineer Bureau.
Richmond, Virginia, 16th February, 1865.
Hon. J. C. Breckinridge, Secretary War:
Sir—I have somewhat delayed answering the circular from your office of the 7th instant, in order to present a more complete and satisfactory reply.
I now have the honor to submit the following statement of the means and resources for carrying on the service confided to this bureau, impediments thereto, and what is desired to promote greater and necessary efficiency.
To this end I propose to lay before you—
1st. A statement in regard to officers of engineers and engineer troops—their number, assignments and the necessary increase demanded by the interests of the service.
2d. Engineer workshops.
3d. Railroad repairs, including the collection of railroad iron by a special commission.
4th. Labor required for all the service confided to the engineer corps, whether military or civil, including its organization.
First, then, in regard to officers, there are—
| In regular corps of engineers | 13 | officers. |
| In provisional corps of engineers | 115 | officers. |
| In engineer troops | 105 | officers. |
| Assigned to engineer duty | 13 | officers. |
| —— | ||
| Total | 246 | officers. |
| Officers of regular corps on other duty | 7 | officers. |
| —— | ||
| Total available for engineer service | 239 | officers. |
The officers of the regular and provisional corps are distributed to the different armies and departments, in such manner as to meet the most urgent calls of the engineer service, and the companies of engineer troops are serving, as a general rule, with the armies and in the departments in which the divisions are, from which they are taken as follows:
| Army of Northern Virginia | 12 | companies. |
| Army of Tennessee | 10 | companies. |
| Department of North Carolina | 1 | company. |
| Department of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida | 2 | companies. |
| District of the Gulf | 1 | company. |
| Trans-Mississippi Department | 9 | companies. |
| —— | ||
| Total | 35 | companies. |
{{fine block|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 create one more in the Trans-Mississippi, thus making a full regiment, and one more in}}