The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-30

pence and which ws have been taught regard az our
would In truth be weakest points rath
or hnn blessings HAguarded In time Of perhaps the
best thing could do with them would DO TO blow them
up For, once in the hands Of enemy who command
ncy and time to rctake thcm and il we succeeded indis
LOGGING the enemy the forts themselves would probably
not existthey would be masses OF ruinsand our coast
SO 70 speak, would DO left TO us dcsolate
OUR HARBOR DKFENOEs.
There is for instance. at Newport r. l., admirable
Workout Adams-commanding the entrance perhaps
the best harbor Atlantic 1t IL at present oc
cupied by one company-,probaby sixty men-and that
company We D S U.s. under marching orders for
no, Like Others, unoccupied, and In sudden war
might easily DO seized BY tho enemy Ne
has read anything or tho art Of ths a.
and defence Of permanent works. need be told how
nv x . arg IL w
might have instanccd. Tho harbor Of New York b. ~
bcleyo, but little, at all bctter guarded than Tho hafber
which the United States government maintains a IL
SSsd IN hs winter which followed hs nsno s &
1851. IL will DO remembered that during that wint0r
many aborers in our cies were shrpyn os cf empIsy
In very disturbed satelong processlohs Of la6ofefs
paradsd tho streets demanding bread or empoypsst
speeches Tho Assistant Of tho United Statss
believing there was danger that tho Custom House and
President Of the United States for guard Of regular
troops. The President could only send on that
service an officer and my men, drawn from
severe AZ was pretended, and thore had really
existed any design Of sackng tho Treasury such
adequate guard would only have excited the mob 70 tho
attack, and that handful OF would have nassa-
cred wrechedy the unfortunate Swiss grena-
ders who attempted to defend the Tueres and the royal
family OF France We cannot believe that the people OF
this country arc unwilling TO provide more adequate
guard for our coast and Treasury than now have.
tile army landed coast for tho present
matter Of speculation Our views regard to Is
doubt widely different from those entertained by
large majority OF follow citizens. There abiding
faith in the country ability TO hur from shores
and utterly destroy and every enemy who may dare
10 place his foot on our soil doubt Is expressed on
this subject, tho examples Of North Point and New
Orleans constantly appealed to the dsgraces
Of Blatensburg and the burning Of tho capital g
nored But may assured that the plumbers of
Point and New Orleans will be repeated. We wish
could the same Of Badensburg and tho capital but
cannot We are not at ali that relatively
better prepared now than in 1914 to defend the
capital Of the United States There is little or nothing to
bar the passage OF fleet tho Potomac to Washington
There is we believe small fort opposite Mount Vernon
but saw 1t stated in Washington paper some weeks
since that the fort had been long since abandoned and
was falling to decay. When is next made on us il
will DO on different scale from that OF 1872 We
may then learn, when toe late, what powerful and wen
disciplined army, directed by competent head
conplsh The people Of this country have indeed
quac conception of the power Of great army The ar
Gle in the London Quarterly Rerc from which we have
extracted contains some remarks pertinent TO this
point that we are tempted TO quote them-iudeed
the whole article is well worthy of careful study.
POWER OF A GREAT ARMY.
Hany persons seem to have ndistnct and underlined
idea that because brave ana patriotic people,
and never have been invaded, such army could be
shot down or destroyed by process other by
equal number Of unorganized remcn, for instance or
by the mere rising OF the country Those who
indulge in such fancies have very imperfect OF
what an army really is 1t has taken the world some
three four thousand years perfect the organization Of
that TRANCE implement power but as more intellect has
probably been devoted to this purpose than any other
that can be named il not wonderful that great perfec
ton has been arrived at. In completely disciplined
I'm vnh and ~
men have been moulded into the form of great giant
Of one hundred thousand power, obedicnt to one
will and acting with the unity and force Of single orga
nzation spreads is antenne everywhere, that
thing can approach IL without being felt Il throw
the whole or any portion OF its power on any point
attacked, and when lighting IL can use just such
weapons most effective and such pow
ers az requisite to insure victory last. Such
giant move anywhere and anything opposed
it, and only stopped by giant as powerful as t.
self An unorganized mob may tease but they cannot
hurt IT, unless in very superior numbers and in ysry
favorable circumstances there Is instance in history
OF anything like equal number Of gueras contending
successfully with disciplined troops in the neid While
the invading army fresh and in junction, and
are material obstacles TO give advantage to the defend
il is in vain to look for successful resistance
This ii is in vain hope shall possess for long tmo
to come. The nation that could put half million OF
in motion in 1872 for the conquest Of Russia may do
something nearly similar for the accomplishment Of
dcarer object Of ambition; and neither habits
institutions render it at all probable that we shall make
the sacrifice and undergo the Inconvenience involved
such process. Pages 145, l4e.
II we told that these the views of
foreigner, q subject, who has conception
Of what free people can 90 when fighting for their
country we can only support the views of the subject by
the authority of perfectly competent citizen the United
States. During tho Crimcan the President OF the
United States despatched three highly accomplished on
of army to Europe, for the purpose Of obtaining
and reporting such information on military matters
might be useful Tho report Of but Of these officers
Capt Geo B. McClcllan) has .been published It was
printed by order Of the United States Senate, the
commentator Of the Executive and is therefore, given
to the public with all the weight OF official approval No
report needed any endorsement to give weight to his
opinions. He says
m believed that calm consideration Of the events so
hastily and mperfectiy narrated in the preceding pages
must lead all unprecedented persons among our country
men t. firm conviction on two vital points,
l. That our sy stem OF permanent coast defences Is
wise proper one which ought u be competed and
armed with the least possible delay.
q That mere individual courage cannot suffice to
come the forces that would be brought against us,
were we involved in European but that must DO
rendered manageable by discipne and directed by that
consulmate and mechanical military skill which only
be acquired by course OF edncaton instituted for the
special purpose and by long habit
In the day of sailing vessels the successful siege of
sebasopol would have been impossible. 1t is evident
that the Russians did not appreciate tho advantages
Afforded by steamers and were unprepared to sustain
SIEGE
This same power Of steam would enable European
nations to dsembark upon shores larger force
than that which finally encampcd around Sebastopol.
To resist such attack should be made, cities
and harbors must be fortified. and these forthoa,ions
must be provided with guns ammunition and instructed
aftilerists To repe the advance OF such army into
he Interior il is not enough to trust to the number OF
brave but undscipined men that bring to bear
against il.
An invading army OF Is, 00Oor 20 900 could easily
be crushed by the unremDg attacks Of superior numbers
but when comes 10 the Of than 100 900
cplined veterans, the very multitude brought to bear
against them works its destruction; BECAUSE If with
out discipline and instruction, they cannot be handled,
and are in their way. We cannot afford Moscow
campaign.
sour regular army can, and perhaps ought
to be- large enough to provide for all the contingencies at
arise, but should be large its ordinary avoca
tons in the defence OF the frontier will Justify the num-
Der Of officers commissioned officers should be
unusually large To provide for sudden increase and tho
greatest possible care should be bestowed upon
sucton OF the Special OF the artillery and engineer
troops"
And such, believe will ever be tho opinion of those
best qualified 10 judge.
DO CITIZENS EVER RESIST VICTORIOUS ARMY?
Very crude, think bottoms, are enter
tanned by many persons as to the that would be
pursued by cizcnsthose regularly dra ted into