New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-02-13

clusion that the siege will commence lmmedlateiy.
Will til Not before the rebels are ready; and
they will not be ready in several days yet. That
! Cor those) floating battery is not done. From
| present appearances it will not be for week or
ten days yet. 1t is large structure 1 am
assured by one of the workmen engaged on 1t
that be does not think it can be completed in
less time than one month from the day it was
commenced. at the least. There have been many
delays from foul weather, from ignorance of the
character of the structure, and from variety
of things growing out of the fact that there was
| no ADEQUATE preparation for the work. Even if
everything goes on smoothly, 1t Is BY no means
certain that the structure will answer the pur-
pose for which it is designed. l consider the
chances rather more than even that the thing
will prove 8 failure before it receives its guns.
But suppose that it does not, and concede that
il gets afloat with men, munitions, guns, and gear
aboard, What them No doubt the intention Of
the rebels is when they have progressed thus
far. TO tow the battery down the bay within
few hundred feet of the walls of Fort Sumter
if possible, 30 near as to be out of the way OF
Sumter's guns, and at their leisure and c0nye-
nience anchor and make things all ready for open
ing at point-blank shot on the walls Now this
scheme is an important one to both the besiegers
and the besieged, and its success may not be
taken for granted, for variety Of reasons. Ii
is true that for upward Of month past the
Rebels have been permitted to transport their
guns, ammunition and nearly everything neces-
sary TO render complete their batteries IN the
harbor, right under the nose Of Major Anderson
and his garrison. He could at any moment have
stopped them by sinking the transports, but they
have been suffered to perfect the means by which,
if they succeed, Fort Sumter and its devoted gar
rson are to be sacrificed to man. The Rebels
assume therefore, that they will be permitted to
cap the climax by moorDg their batteries under
the walls Of the fort, at their convenience, un-
molested.
have the best Of reasons for asserting that
Major Anderson's forbearance will have ceased
when they undertake to do so, and that they will
not be permitted to move any batteries whatever
within the range of Fort Sumter, without en-
countering whatever protest may be conveyed
from the mouths of the heavy guns.
Major Anderson will be caught mapping neither
as to the precise charaGer of the battery itself,
or as to the intentions Of the rebels in regard to
il. On this point / speak with considerable
positiveness. The guns on the walls Of Fort
Sumter sweeping the horizon (Of which there are
thirty, mostly 32-pounders), can be elevated so
az to strike objects at the distance Of quarter
of mile. The battery, if moved nearer the
Fort than quarter of mile, would therefore
be out of the way Of these guns.
But the lower tier Of guns are within six feet
of the water, and may be brought to bear on
objects at any distance not exceeding four miles,
rising SIX feet out Of the water. The Floating
Battery VIII present q surface of about twelve by
ninety-fve feet above the water, and would
therefore be fine target for Sumter's heaviest
guns, throwing 100 pound shot. l have compe-
tent authority for saying that no battery the
Rebels are likely TO build can Withstand these
shots. whether encountered while the moving IL
being undertaken, or after that has been done at
their leisure. Informed, as Major Anderson un-
ouestonabIy il, of the character and capacity OF
the famous Floating Battery, do not think that
either be or his corps Of experienced ofhcers un-
der him, are at all exercised concerning IL.
Either the Rebels are wrong IN estimating the
capacity Of the thing for the objects for which it
is designed, or Major Anderson is wrong in est.
mating the capacity Of his guns to knock it into
flinders in a space of time that will be- regarded
as astonishingly brief by the Rebels.
The Rebels no doubt expect to conduct the
siege as to weary out Major Anderson's men.
They make great calculations on this, and per-
suade themselves that within twenty-four hours
after the siege shall have been commenced, the
walls will be preached, and the garrison quite at
their mercy. ] will not undertake t. say how
long the garrison viii be able to Withstand the
siege and keep up the fire Oh the besegers, but
predict that the catastrophe, if it comes at all,
will not be within twenty-four hours. am
rather prepared to think that Cummings Point
Battery may finally effect a breach in Sumters
walls if Sumter's guns do not first destroy Cum
ming's Point Battery. The fight, if there is one,
wnl have two sides TO it. While Cummings
Point Battery is the one that will annoy Fort
Sumter most at the same time it If the one to
which Fort Sumter will pay its earliest, warmest,
and continued compliments. 1t is no further
from Fort Sumter than Fort Sumter is from it;
and from what know Of what pertains to the
matter ! think it at least as much question
whether Sumter will not completely knock up
Cummings Point Battery as that the walls Of
the fort VII be Knocked by it. 1t may, after
all turn on the point of human endurance
AS to Fort MOultrie, Major Anderson will
probably waste no unnecessary shot or time on