"T. B. BROOKS,
"Major, Aide-de-Camp and Ass't Engineer."
Six replies to these enquiries were received from engineer officers who had been engaged in the siege, the substance of which is embraced in the following summary, following which two replies are given in full,
"1. To the first question all answer that the black is more timorous than the white, but is in a corresponding degree more docile and obedient, hence more completely under the control of his commander, and much more influenced by his example.
"2. All agree that the black is less skillful than the white soldier, but still enough so for most kinds of siege work.
"3. The statements unanimously agree that the black will do a greater amount of work than the white soldier because he labors more constantly.
"4. The whites are decidedly superior in enthusiasm. The blacks cannot be easily hurried in their work, no matter what the emergency.
"5. All agree that the colored troops recruited from free States are superior to those recruited from slave States.
"It may with propriety be repeated here, that the average percentage of sick among the negro troops during the siege was 13.9, while that of the white infantry was 20.1 per cent.
"The percentage of tours of duty performed by the blacks as compared with the white infantry, was as 56 to 41. But the grand guard duty, which was considered much more wearing than fatigue, was all done by the whites.