New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-07-20
nrpENsES or NEW-YORK.
.prr,,rRY PRACTICE OF THE CITY GUARD

81 ,hs Ut, Guard corps Of citizen soldiery has
,ecen,yy propcsed plan for providing garrison for
a.. sveral heavy batteries which have been erected
A. ,hs General Government pro'ec. this city
from stack by reference to the 1aap of the
bsrbor will show that vessels u. great draft ap
proach New-York, either by way of Sandy Hook
and the NaIr,ws or by the Sound and East River,
passing to the north of Long Island. To afford means
for defending these approaches has erected
numerous large AMI costly works, and furnished them
with a complete armsment Of heavy sea coast gans
On the Sound entrance We have Fort Schuy-
Ter at Tbroees Neck, mountng more than
three hundred guns, and co.iiOg with its srm4-
Inent not lees than ore million two hundred THOUSAND
dollars. The CT annel by way fSandy Hook mas It's
deferses penetrated mainly on two poin's, VIZ. tne
Earrows and the bay between Governors ana bed-
loe's.Islands. At the Narrows we have nearly iour
hundred guns in battery at an aggregate expense ior
Construction and armament Of one million eight hundred
and y thousand dollars and on the islands near the
civ about three hundred guns distributed In five
different works costing with tteir batteries more than
seven hundred thousand dollars. In addition to
these the building of large forts is contemplated at
Sandy Hook and Wlletts Point, which, when COM
plete5, will mount not less than six hundred guns
more. and cost when fully armed about three
position at an aggregate cost Of something less than
-four millions of collars and when the projected works
are finished we shall have six hundred more, at total
Cost Of about seven millions Of dollars
1t is with a view of providing garrisons for these
forts that Capt Lowell has undertaken to oaugurate
system Of heavy artlery instruction among the militia
of the city, and hs efforts in carrying out this import
ant object and demonstrating its feasibility, have
"A ~ tbn
City Guard. A case-mste gun aud carriage
were procured during the past Winter, and
placed cine he spacious drill-room of the City
Guard, and thorough system of instruction gone
through with. When this movement was brought to
the notice of Gen. Scott bis ssgacty ard foresight at
Oh saii. fed him that great and important results were
likely 70 ensue from this plan if it co1ld be steadily
followed up and perfected. He caused letter to be
written to the commanding officers of the forts in the
barber pressiOg desire that they should give every
facility to aid this enterprise 1t not being in the pow
or of Gen Scott TO authorize the expenditure of public
apmunition by the State militia, Capt Lowell went to
Washington and laid the matter before Governor
FLOYD, the Secretary of War, who declared himself
Sery fsvorably impressed with the plan, and offered it
every encouragement, foreseeiDg that in this way
alone could hope TO perfect an adequate sys-
TEN of defense for our great ma thine, cities. The
army of the United States does not contain than
5000 men in the artillery regiments, and many OF
thee doing duty in the remote West on the from
tier as infantry We learn from the Chief Engineers
Reports that the Notifications already completed for
sta-coast defense will require not less than thirty
thousand men in garrison, while those in contem-
pation or in course of construction will require
additional force of thirty ttcO thousand men-62 600 IN
all. knowing these facts, and being impressed with
the conviction that adequate number OF Instructed
and capable artlerists would never be forthcoming I'M
less under some such plan proposed by Capt Lowell,
Secretary Floyd gave it cordial and hearty support
With ut delay, he sent orders to Fort Hamilton,
directing the Command ant in charge to afford Capt.
Lowell every facility in practiciUg his company at
target-frDg with the heavy guns aud authorizing an
expenditure Of ammunition equal to that provided
yearly fr company of artillery in the regular service.
The Secretary also minated that if the experiment
was successful he would endeavOr bring the subject
before the next Congress- and recommend an approPn
alton for the specific purpose Of ustructng the citizen
soldiery in the manual # firing the heavy seacoast
puns From the reputation, Numbers, and standing OF
the City Guard there can be no doubt that they VIII
unanimously respond TO the call made upon them to
lead the way in this direction, aud thus vindicate
,be wisdom Of their selection as the Pioneer Company
hundred millions dollars of pro. erty and more than
million souls are concentrated in and about NewYork
accessible in two directions and at short notice by
,rsrsteamers carrying heavy batteries. Capt Lowell
has begun with a practical experiment for their
defense which needs aud well deserves all the
ereopraeement that can be given to it, either by the
General Government or by the leading and influential
men of our city, who perhaps more than any one else
are interested in the result.
Our citizen soldiery very fine to look upon on
holiday, with their snowy uniforms and highly-poi-
isbed mnskets cleaning 10 the sunshine, but IN the
event Of an emergency only few regiments could be
counted upon for energetic and active duty In the
First Division there are several Artillery companies
but there are so in name only; and we doubt II one
man ont of ten could tell piece OF ordnance from
another 1t lie to be hoped that citizen soldiers VIII
follow out the project inaugurated by Captain LoVe,
ard in the time of peace prepare for war;
Can't. Lowell graduated at West Point In 1872 and
entered the Artillery and served throughout the war
with Mexico under Generals Taylor and Scott. lie
was one year with the volunteer forces as Adutant
General of Ouitman's Division, and subsequently COM
handed Battery of Light Artillery for several years.
Some time ago he resigned his position In the army
and now proposes give his experience to the deve
opueut OF the Volunteer system aud the defeose OF the
civ by creating corps Of defenders among the
militia ..
ARTILLERY PRACTICE AT FORT HAMILTON.
TIE scheme of Capt. Lowell was proved to be emi.
peptly rational and brilliant prestige was conferred
ppon bis command while an era ia the history OF
American arms was presaged by adill on Wednesday
at Font Hamilton with The Sea Coast Guns an unPece
denied event in infantry tactics. The verdict OF those
who saw the performance, especially Of the experts IN