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SECNAV telegrams Foxhall A Parker, Potomac Flotilla, "Search all vessels going out of the river for the assassins. Detain all suspicious persons. Guard against all crossing of the river and touching of vessels or boats on the Virginia shore."

CDR Parker telegrams SECNAV "I have the honor to inform the Department that last night the U. S. S. Jacob Bell arrested a noted guerrilla and spy named Thomas N. Conrad, whom I have sent to Major-General Augur."

CPT C H Drew, Veteran Reserve Corps, St. Mary's District Md, writes USS Commodore Read "The following telegram has just been received from Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War:
The murderers of the President and Mr. Seward are no doubt in the gang of rebels mentioned in your telegram. Have the navy vessels scour the coast, and spare no effort to arrest and hold them. Put your whole force on the work, as far as can be done with safety to your command."

Master J H Eldridge, USS Delaware, writes Master W A Arthur, USS Freeborn "In consequence of information having been received that the murderer of the President has been seen in this vicinity, I would request that you patrol the bay from Point Lookout to the mouth [of] Patuxent River, keeping a strict watch on the movements of all vessels and on any small boats that may attempt to leave the west shore of the bay.
    All steamers bound down the bay you will hail, and order them to proceed to Point Lookout and remain until further orders.
    I have sent the Nansemond to the Patuxent, and the Mystic and this vessel will patrol the bay in line across." it is endorsed by W A Arthur "I cruised last night in obedience to this order. Reported to Commander Parker this morning at Point Lookout. He instructed me to carry out your orders."

SECNAV telegrams SOPA Hampton Roads, "Send any vessels that may be unemployed to blockade easterit shore of Virginia and Maryland coast from Point Lookout to Baltimore, reporting for further orders to senior officer of Potomac Flotilla between those points."

SECNAV telegrams CMDR J B Montgomery, "The War Department wishes special attention called this afternoon to order of Saturday relative to confining a prisoner. Keep boat in constant readiness and have such a guard at the gate that he can be safely got on board."

CMDR William Radford, James River Flotilla, telegrams SECNAV "I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your telegram, and have stationed vessels on the coast of Maryland and Virginia, as you ordered."

LCDR S B Luce, USS Pontiac, writes a statement of facts "On the morning of the 2d of March, 1865, the Pontiac then lying a few hundred yards above the city of Savannah, a steamer was discovered making her way down the Savannah River.
    Under the supposition that she bore a flag of truce, a gun was fired to bring her to, and a boat dispatched, in command of executive officer, Acting Master Winslow, under flag of truce to communicate with her.
    The stranger, who subsequently proved to be the Amazon, in obedience to the signal gun, stopped some distance above the army picket lines, and was there boarded by Mr. Winslow.
    Ascertaining the object of the captain of the Amazon to be the giving up of himself and boat to the Federal authorities, Mr. Winslow sent his boat back with that explanation, and the request to bring the steamer down. This request was granted, and the Amazon was anchored close to the Pontiac.
    The Amazon proved to be a steamer quite recently used as a rebel transport, and to have on board 81 bales of cotton; both vessel and cargo claimed to be owned by her captain, one David Dillon, a citizen of Savannah.
    The Amazon was taken possession of by me, an officer and prize crew placed in charge, and the case reported to the admiral.
    There is reason to believe that the Amazon has been in the employ of the rebel Government for the three years last past, and that the cotton brought down by her was stolen from the rebel Government."

Master Adrian C Starrett, Ordnance, Mobile Bay, writes RADM J K Thatcher, West Gulf Blockading Squadron, "I have the honor to report that in accordance with your order of the 11th instant, I went on board of the U. S. tugboat Rose with my apparatus for removing sunken obstructions, and the same afternoon I reported for duty to Commodore Palmer, commanding First Division West Gulf Squadron, on board of U. S. S. Glasgow. I commenced operations on the obstructions in the channel of the Blakely, or Tallahatchie River on the same evening, and after eighteen hours of unremitting and assiduous labor the obstructions, consisting of a heavy scow laden with bricks and surrounded by piles driven down in such a manner as to prevent the action of the current from sweeping the sunken vessels away, were entirely removed, and that portion of our fleet which had crossed the Blakely Bar were enabled to pass on their way to the city of Mobile.
    On the morning of the 14th I commenced on the obstructions in the channel of Spanish River, on the west side of the bay, and after working on them for three days I am happy to say that our hopes were crowned with perfect success and a channel of 10½ feet in depth and 175 feet in width was formed. The soundings were taken at low tide, and as the tide has a rise and fall of 18 inches or 2 feet, there will never be any difficulty for vessels to cross it which are enabled to cross the bar below the line of obstructions.
    When we take into consideration the nature of the sunken vessels which were removed and the apparently small expense accruing, we have every reason to rejoice at our complete success.
    The timbers of the vessels which obstructed the channels on both sides of the bay were of massive proportions, many of them being 2 feet square and bolted together by heavy iron bolts and secured by chain cables to huge piles driven down to a great depth, yet all the elaborate preparations and security given them by the rebels were of no avail. They were blown to atoms, and the proper channels to and from the city of Mobile are once more open to commerce.
    In my operations I have used 3,000 pounds of powder, and the torpedoes or charges which I made use of were improvised from tin cans, pickle barrels, boats breakers, or any water-tight vessel of sufficient capacity to contain the bursting charge.
    I can not refrain from thanking, through you, Lieutenant-Commanders Low, Irwin, and Brown for the cheerful and necessary cooperation and assistance they rendered me, without which I should have been unable to accomplish so much in that short space of time."

MAJ A M Jackson, USA, 10th US Colored Artillery, writes MGEN S A Hurlbut, "I have the honor to submit for your information the following extracts from the daily report of this office, dated April 17, 1865:
    Some corrections have been made by deserters in regard to the gunboat Missouri, at Alexandria, La. She has 10 ports instead of 7, there being 2 in each angle of the bow as well as the stern, so that a gun mounted in the angle can be used as broadside or bow gun. There is only one gun in the bow, and that is in the starboard angle. The woodwork is 1½ feet thick."