The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-07 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

A garrison court martial, composed of Major Barker, pre-
sident, and six other officers, has been held at the camp at
Colchester for the purpose of investigating a charge against
Sergeant Barker. The prisoner has for some time past been
stationed at Harwich, and there obtained goods to the value
()ILO from several tradesmen, one of whom, having sent
in his account, was informed that the prisoner had riceived
the amount due. The result of the inquiry, which extended
over two days, has, as usual in such cases, net yet been offi-
cially announced.
A War-office circular, accompanied with lithographed
plans, has been forwarded to the different military stations,
from head quarters, requesting returns from each station of
the libraries and reading or recreation rooms at present in
existence and attached to the soldiers' quarters. The plane
show what is to be provided for the soldiers' amusement
when off duty. To all large barracks will be added an in-
dependent one storied building in the rear, containing li-
brary, reading and recreation rooms, with coffee bar, libra-
rians' sitting room, out offices, &c. Small barracks will
have the same description of building, but will have the
reading and recreation room in one, and not separately, as
will be the case with the larger barracks. The recreation
rooms will be furnished with bagatelle, chess, draughts,
solitaire, dominoes, and backgammon.

expense.
The professional skill, and even the persona
honour, of Admiral Dupont have been so inexcus.
ably impugned by Secretary Welles and his satel
lites that the press would be derelict if, with the
means of authentic information in its hands, it
should neglect to do that officer justice. Not only
does Mr. Welles put slurs on him in his report, but
the Baltimore paper which has been the foremost
ally of the department in defaming Admiral Dupont
has, within the last day or two, been mada the
vehicle of suggestions which are disgraceful to him
if they are well founded, or to the makers and in-
spirers of them if they are not. It was insinuated
that Admiral Dupont did not wish to take Charles-
ton, since its capture would put a stop to blockade-
running and deprive him of-the 200,000 dollars a
year of prize money which he is alleged to have
been making. Such charges are atrocious; and, as
they are supported by no evidence,—nay, as contra-
dicted by all the evidence—they mast provoke the
indignation of honourable men. It must be a sordid
mind that can easily admit the possibility of a high
naval officer preferring precarious pecuniary gains
to the glory of recapturing the great nursery of the
rebellion: If motives of this kind were to be sur-
mised, it would be easier to conceive that an inven-
tor should be over sanguine respecting the merits
of his ships, and the proprietors of ship-yards in-
terested in the continuance of their contracts, than
that such a man as Dupont could prefer pelf to re-
nown, when an opportunity afforded to make the
whole worid resound with his fame.
The practical question is, which has failed to meet
public expectation—Dupont or the Monitors ?
Secretary Welles, in his report, declares strongly in
favour of the Monitors; but Secretary Welles is not
qualified, either as a naval expert or as an engineer,
to have any opinion on the subject which should
outweigh that of the commanders of the vessels.
He has every reason for making it appear (if he
truthfully can) that he did not commit a mistake in
authorising the expenditures that have been made
on these vessels; and in this view his interest is
identical with that of the inventor and the builders.
But as the men who fought the vessels have strong
personal motives for wishing' them successful, being
sharers in all the glory that is won by their means,
their judgment, formed in actual trial, ought to
have some weight. But the appeal is not to vague
and conflicting judgments, but to specific and well
attested facts, which until now the public had not
the means of knowing.
When the attempt to take Sumter, in April last,
miscarried, it was the policy of the Government, for
entirely justifiable reasons, to conceal the weakness
of the Monitors. It was expedient to keep up the
demonstration against Charleston, and to continue
to play upon its fears, and so prevent the sending
away of any part of its troops to reinforce the other
rebel armies. It was accordingly given out that the
Monitors were not materially damaged, and that the
attack would be immediately renewed. Whether
such a renewal would have been safe—whether, in
fact, it would not have been foolhardy and ruinous,
the reader will presently be in a condition to judge.
Time and events have, indeed, done much to render
this testimony unnecessary ; for although Gbnpral
Gilmore has taken the batteries on Morris Island,
and demolished Fort Sumter, Admiral Dupont's suc-
cessor has not yet taken the Monitors into Charles-
ton harbour, nor does anybody now expect that he
will, except under cover of military operations.
But if most intelligent men think Admiral
Dupont has long ceased to need any vindication,
they must still be interested in knowing the precise
extent of the injuries received by the Monitors in
the principal test to which they have been put.
We accordingly insert the following brief extracts
from the reports of their sevcral commanders, made
immediately after the engagement.
Captain Drayton, of the Passaic :
"At the fourth shot from the 11-inch gun I was
struck in quick succession in the lower part of the
turret by two heavy shots, which bulged in its
plates and beams, and forming together the rolls on
which the 11-inch carriage worked, rendered it
wholly useless for the remainder of the action, seve-
ral hours being necessary to put it again in work-
ing order. Soon after it was discovered that there
was something the matter with the turret itself,
which could not be moved, and on examination it
was found that part of the brass ring underneath
it had been broken off, and being forced in board
had jammed ; on clearing this the turret could
again be moved, bat for some time irregularly. A
little after this a very heavy rifle shot struck the
upper edge of the turret, broke all of its 11 plates,
and then glancing upward took the pilot house, yet
with such force as to make an indentation of 2
inches, extending nearly the whole length of the
shot. The blow was so severe as to considerably
smash in the pilot house, bend it over, open the
plates, and squeeze out the top, so that on one side
it was lifted up three inches above the top on which
it rested, exposing the inside of the pilot house, and
rendering it likely that the next shot would take off
the top itself entirely."
Captain Rodgers, of the Weehawken :
" Two or three heavy shot struck the side armour
near the same place. They have so broken the iron
that it only remains in splintered fragments upon
that spot ; much of it can be picked off by hand, and
the wood is exposed. The deck was pierced so as
to make a hole, through which water ran into the
vessel, bat it was not large. Thirty-six bolts were
broken in the turret, and a good many in the pilat
house; but as these are concealed by an iron lining,
I have no means of knowing how many. At one
time the turret revolved with difficulty in unse-
quence of a shot upon its junction with!the pilot
house, but it was worked well again after a few
turns had w
beeonrmdeand,eo with
theith hmigohnetransktet:2."
Captain
" I desire to say that I experienced serious em-
barrassment in manceuvring my vessel in the nar-
row and uncertain channel, with the limited
means of observation afforded me from the pilot
house, under the rapid and concentrated fire from
the forts, the vessels of the fleet close around
me, and neither compass nor buoys to guide me.
After testing the weight of the enemy's fire, and
observing the obstructions, I am led to believe that
Charleston cannot be taken by the naval fore,: now

Commander Fairfax. of the Gantucket :
" Our fire was very slow, necessarily, and not hal
so observable upon the walls of the forts as the rain
of their rifle shot
,and heavy shell was upon this
vessel. After the third shot from the 15 inch gun
the port stopper became jammed, several shot strik-
ing very near the port and driving in the plating ; it
was not used again. As the fleets withdrew the forts
materially slackened their fire,evidently not wishing
to expend their ammunition without some result.
Certainly their firing was excellent throughout;
fortunately it was directed to some half dozen iron-
clads at a time. The effect of their fire upon the
Keokuk, together with that of their heavy rifle shot
upon the monitors, is sufficient proof that any one
vessel could not long have withstood the concen-
trated fire of the enemy's batteries. The obstruc-
tions being placed at a concentrated point of fire
from the three forts shows conclusively that they
must have been of no mean character. Our fire
always drew down upon us four or five heavy rifle
shots aimed at our ports. One rifle shot struck
within less than six inches of the 15-inch port—
several struck very near. I am convinced that,
although this class of vessels can stand a very heavy
fire, yet the want of more guns will render them
comparatively harmless before formidable earth-
works and forts. I must say that lam disappointed
beyond measure at this experiment of monitors over-
coming strong farts. It was a fair trial."
Lieut. Beardslee, of the Nantucket :—" One rifle
shot struck on the lower corner of the 15-inch port,
disabling the outer plate about 11 inch, and bulging
the whole thickness, so much so as to prevent the
port stopper from swinging. This shot was received
after the third fire of the 15-inch, and disabled the
guh for the rest of the fight, we not being able to
open the port. A 10-inch shot struck directly oppo-
site, and near the top of the turret, starting a num-
ber of belte, and breaking the clamp ring inside.
During the action the turret became jammed. On
examination we discovered six or seven bolt-heads
and nuts that had fallen inside and into_ the recess
awuna the DOttOM of me turret, renaering it neces-
sary to keep the turret higher in order to clear them.
Upon attempting to revolve the turret again to-day
found that another had fallen since the first were
removed. The pilot-house was struck once, a square
hit, but doing no damage. The side armour was
struck nine times—once below the water-line. A
number of the side plates are started so much that
another shot in their vicinity wouid, in my opinion,
knock them off. One bolt was driven through
the iron and is buried in the oak. One of the
deck plates is started from a blow on the side
armour. The smoke stack was riddled in the
upper sections, and received five shots in the
lower sections—one, a solid 10-inch, fell, after
striking upon the deck, and was secured. The
steam-whistle was cut off. The deck-plates were
cut in 12 places. One shot cut through the iron,
and about two inches into the beam, starting the
plate, several bolts, and the planking for some feet
below. This was directly over the Andrews pump
in the engine room. The others are not serious,
The discharge of the 15-inch gun blew off eight of
the heads of the bolts securing the muzzle-box.
The discharge of the 11-inch gun, or else the blow
of a shot on the turret, lifted one of the perforated
plates on top. These plates are not properly secured.
The outer turret plate, in the 15-inch port, is started
about one-fourth of an inch—the next layer in a less
degree. Two of the ' guidee' to the 11 carriage
were carried away through the gun not being
properly compressed. Some of the gear to the
engine-room bell was disabled. at the first fire,
causing trouble and confusion in getting orders
promptly conveyed from pilot-house to engine-
room."

Captain Downes, of the Nahant :
" We soon began to suffer from the effects of the terrible
ani, I believe, almost unprecedented fire to which we were
exposed, and at 4.30 the turret refused to turn, having be-
come jammed from the effects of three blows from heavy
shot, two of them on the composition ring about the base
of the pilot-house (one of these breaking off a piece of iron
weighing 781 b. from the interiar that assisted to keep the
house square on its bearings, throwing it with such violence
to the other side of the house, striking, bending, and die.
arranging steering gear in its course, that it bounded from
the inside curtain and fell back into the centre of the house),
and the other on outside of turret, bulging it in and driving
off the Ik-inch apron bolted on to the inside to keep inplace
the gun rails, and down the main trace of turret. The
bolt-heads flying from the inside of pilot-house at the same
time struck down pilot, Mr. Sofield, twice struck and
senseless ; and the quartermaster, Edward Cobb, helmsman,
fatally injuring with fractured skull, leaving me alone in
the pilot-house, the steering gear becoming at the same
time disarranged. Ws were within 500 yards of Fort Sum-
ter unmanageable, and under the concentrated fire of I
think 100 guns at short range, and the obstructions close
aboard. But, fortunately, we got the preventer steering gear
in working order in time to prevent disastrous results, and,
getting my vessel once more under command, I endeavoured
to renew the action, but after refuted futile efforts to turn
the guns on to the fort I concluded to retire for a time from
close action, and endeavoured to repair damages. We re •
ceived the following injury to the vessel and fittings, be•
sides those already enumerated—The plates on side armour
broken badly in several places, and in one, where struck by
two shots in close proximity, partly stripped from the wood
and the wood backing broken in, with edging of deck plates
started up and rolled back in places. On port quarter side
armour deeply indented and started from side and extremity
of stern. The deck is struck twice damagingly—one shot
near the propeller well, quite shattering and tearing the
plating in its passage, and starting up 25 bolts ; another
starting plate and 20 bolts ; the slighter blows are name•
rous. In smock stack armour there are three shot marks,
one that pierced the armour, making a hole 15 inches long
and 9 inches broad. displacing gratit g inside and breaking
seven bolts. In the turret there are marks of nine shots, 56
of the bolts are broken perceptibly to us, the bolt heads fly-
ing off inside of turret, and the bolts starting almost their
length outside, some of them flying out completel3, and
being found at a considerable distance from the turret on
the deck. Doubtless many others are broken that we can •
not detect, as by trying them we find others loosened. One
shot struck the upper part of the turret, breaking through
every plate, parting some of them in two, three, and four
places. In pilot-house there were marks of six shots, three
of them 11-inch; 21 of the bolts were broken perceptibly
and others evidently started. The plates are also much
started, and the pilot-house itself, I think, much damaged
and wrecked ; indeed, it is my opinion that four more such
shot as it received wou:d have demolished it. One shot at
the base broke every plate through, and evidently nearly
penetrated it."
The facts here stated prove that if Admiral Du-
pont had immediately renewed the attack, as be
was pressed. to do, and badgered for not doing, by
Mr. Linc-.).n and Mr. Welles, such an act of rashness