New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-01-05


wi ho.t epcouniering an, opposition except 'o''n
sch of our miiia force as could Be concentrated
20 mes them, snd ~ho cosid oply res"s sa"m IN
the open 6eld, vnsiJed b. any defensive I "hnea-
tons. Il must be canc,ded that tde cites men-
toned. as well as others Of our seaho'rd. WIN
have 10 depend slnost exclusively for tser defense,
in lime Of war upon such militia forces a. can be
rallied together hastily for the Parpose. Ihose
who aa,ic pate the eff ctve aid OF aoy coo''dsr"ne
regular force or regular officers, in such emer
eency. "Iecbon without tbeit host Ii such
force and officers aye sufficient to garrison aud
DEF, nd the Notifications above referred to, ana 70
repel pavai attacks, it 10 quite as much as can De
expected.
Many years since, the late Gen. Swift OF the
Urited Sta,es Army, long resident OF this CITY,
and the recently deceased Gen. Gsdsden OF South
Carolina. tn an officer Of the Uoitsd States Eo-
sireer., proposed the erection of Inc oil d'fea-
1--WE fortifcat,ons extending north'c'st~ardy
from Gowsuus Bay, to the rear of Brooklyn ADD
William.burgh. and covering those (as that time
ecmpsr stirely ncon.iderabr) villages. which have
ince grown to be- POpulous cities, and woica
have extended far beyond the limits OF suca
proposed Jurisdictions. Thee officers did their
duty, in their Gay and generation. according TO
the beet lights they possessed; but II Is qdlte
apparent tina. they Did not then concefSe the
possibility of the growth of the places they pro-
posed 10 defend to the extent they have since
spr ad, nor did they fully anticipate the recent
progress and improvements in the art aud 'na'e'''
of war we have advert-d to.
An idea similar to that OF Hessrs. Swift aud
Gsd.den, is nov brought forws I ucder thc an'
tboriy Of the Secretary Of War, who, in his anruai
report comm. nds to the con,ide a'on Of the Pres-
dent ard Of Copgres, the suggestions contained Ia
Memoir on the Dsogers aud D-'enses of New
"York City," by Lieut.. s. St. C. Morton OF the U.
S. Engineers, which had been prev'oa''y published
in pamphlet form BY order of the Secretary.
We have seen this production, and Also nnoshse
by the same sutbor, previously published oy order
of the Secretary of War, entitled "A ne" Piaa toe
" the Fertilization of certain Points Of the Sea
"Coast Of the United States" and proceed 10 lay
their suggestions before our readers.
Lieut.. Morton contends th,t thing 10 tho art
Of war ard art of military engineering. especially
appropriate to the defrrse OF this country, may b.
derived from our own military history In tbs R"So-
lutionsry war; and those contests which preceded
it, and those which have subsequently been carried
on by our people Ho repudiates tho old fasa'' nei
engineers of Continental Europe q. behind sho
tines, and presents Todilebeu, Choumsra aud
some few othes modern engineers as alone entitled
to our favorable CONSIDER ,iioa. He condemns,
sonew hat boldly for sn officer Of his age aud rank
our psst and present. system # fertilization rs ono
which has not kept pace with modern improve
metts in tho means of attack Especially by uav.I
forcts), and Ito improvement IN firs arms their
more extended range, and tsat Of military projec'
tiles generally He insists upon the superiority of
earthuorks over masonry in Qualifications, and es-
peciaDly those not exclusively designed to repel
naval attacks. He proposes, as We gather from his
two pamphlets, to construct line of some fifteen
earthwoIk redoubts, about mile apart, extending
along the coast, within canIOn-sbot distance from
I, circumvallating Brooklyn and WlliamsbTsh;
he respective termini Of which line, are near FOft
Hamilton at the Nsrrows, and TIE head OF Flush.
ing Boy. The cost Of all these redouots it is es-
timated will not be in the aggregate over S2OO,OOO.
Ii is contemplated ultimately to connect all these
Iedoubts by an unbIoken line of earth breastworks,
strer gthened against attack by continuous ditch
on the outside, similar in many respects to the
works on the nland llne of defense at SevasopoI.
Certainly no presents in favor Of bis plan tho ar
gument Of economy, in striking point of view.
We regret to learn that this youog officer, by
d, nh rio fnr nthl ic
eraton, as well on this as on other topics
Iels,Dg 10 the ant Of Military Engineering. sni
the system Of instruction therein 10 this coab-
try, has caussd the visiting upon him Of sundry in
vicious censures and harsh anipxdversions from
those who feel Themselves aggrieved by his ssrc.
lures. We don't pretend TO judge upon tho
relative merits and dement's Of any Of the dis.
puiants in a professional point of view. but tue
public cannot lcse, and may gain, by the light
thrown upon the art and my stery of human BATCH
cry BY their disputations. We therefore hope that
Lieut.. n. will not be discouraged from his co a.
mendable efforts to sn gbten his fcllo ~-cizens at
large; and that other young officers ms be Induced
to follow his example aud thus enable the public To
form more correct judgments for themselves. Ia
this country We ale Inclined 10 tbiob, army officers
engineers or others, are not entitled to tue exciu
Five possession of all such information, and, ~
cons~que bee that all such matters should be les to
their exclusive msnssemeLt without responsibility
to an enlightened public opinion. And We also
think there is already too much Of mole routine,
Iedtape and cire ulocution-tho natural results of
such exeluslss mar ssement, in our military If
fain.