The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-03-13
THE STEAMER FULTON.


it win cost SD 90 to put her In condition for service
Her crew, on ar footing, V about ninety men.
TIE STEAMER EvERGLADE.
The Evergla &c a small sidewheel steamer; was re-
Gently pure ased by the State Of Georgia for the Of
So 900 she Il being metamorphossd into gun
boat and feN days will be cruising guard
the mouth Of the Savannah river. The following is q
list Of the officers to command her.
Commander John McIntosh Kell; Mdshipmen, Richard
T. Armstrong, Thomas W Hooper, John A Merriweathsr;
Engineers Chief, Joshua Smith Assistant, Usual Meeker
Clerk, William J. Bennett.
The name Of the Eyers glade has been changed to the
Savannah.
THE CUTTER DODGE.
The cutter Dodge, seized on the I'd inst. by the
,hories a. Galveston, Texas first rate one hundred
ton vessel well adapted for q gunboat She Ia In
pe,e ORDER ana at present has armament OF artillery
of light cabre. This viii doubt, be changed for .
large pivot gun Of long range.
BRIG BONITA.
The brig Bonita, which captured some time since
the Of Africa a SLAYER and taken Charleston,
and subsequently Savannah has taken possession
Of by order Of Governor Brown Of Georgia, and s
being me,amogphozed into vessel. She has
this received her armament. She fast sailer and In
| first rate order.
STEAM GUNBOAT NINA
This small vessel, mounting gun, and Is in COM
mission, and has just returned from ten days cruise
| along the coast OF South Carolina.
WOODEN WALLS. AND RON-SfDES.
In lew of he recent Of probability OF attacks
on Sumter Fort Pckens, the question Of
| or failure becomes interesting.
In late number published historical facts
showing in numerous that ships of hid failed
in their forts. There are however, other hia
torca facts showing their success and which leave the
question the superiority Of stone walls over wooden
walls stil unsolved. Tho following among the
Der Of such cases that might be quoted
In 1906 British feet of eighteen ships Of the line
under command of Admiral Gambler, bombarded Copen-
hagen defended by powerful sortihcatons and feet of
eighteen ships of the line, six frgates and twenty five
gunboats In four days the city capituated after 400
| houses had been laid in ashes and 900 killed.
The capture Of the great fortress of ST. Jean Acre by
British fleet, under Admiral sopford and Sir Charles
Napier in ls40, is another instance OF the victory Of
wood stone This fortress had 81 cessfuy resisted
land attack Of the great Napoleon Whom captured by
| the Brtsh it was garrisoned ~ $500 men.
| In 1858 san Juan dUloa, Vera Cruz, made
heap of ruins ia four hours by three French ships under
/ command Of Admiral Bauain.
In 1900 the foruesses Of Flushing, in Holland,
successfully bombarded ia four hours By sail Of
| the line under command Of Sir X. strachan.
The naval attack Agiers in 1916 by Lord Exmouth
| was entirely successful
In The ate Russian war the successful bombardment Of
Sweaborg effected by the gunboats and mortar
ses at Of $500 yards, with scarcely any
| to the assailants
The fort OF kinburn crushed in hour by the
concentric FIRE Of the Allied floating batteries and
vessels bit they iron clad only SEQ yards dis
tant. The shot Of the enemy had effect upon them
The fortress Of Bomarsund was reduced by six guns
| landed Alieg AZ n Dist wards
Point Cummings is distant from Fort Sumter about
900 100 YARDS, and there is powerful, well pro-
| tected battery there.
Tie failure Of the Allied feet to destroy sebastopo
arose from the shallow Of the water before Fort Con-
stantne, compelling the vessels to anchor at 900
| yarcs distance, the most advantageous range for
| land batteries, and the eas, for naval fire, which
| is most powerful at short distances ON the other
| hand, at very great distances, such 900
| yards, steamers, moving as they deliver thor tire,
present small and SO uncertain mark to fortress
that they danger, while they do great da
maee TO the magazines other buildings in fortress
and utterly destroy city; but they cannot niurc
the real deSeDces Of the works at that distance II pow
erfol shpso the line can get enough-say 10
yards-they are than match for ordinary for
for the spnefng of stone from the enclosures
il dangerous to life than the sputerng Of wood
But the Russians have Invented mode Of protecting the
rope, at the muzzle, which only be injured
BY heavy round shot, and having three guns OF the
cabre lying each embrasuro TO replace those
disabled and abundane OF supply the place OF the
killed and wounded which renders forts equal to ships
for ship can be burned and sunk, but not a fort.
Bat powerful three decker concentrate weight
Of metal short range super TO any battery Of
three tiers and the application Of steam enables naval
concentrate their IRE against single bastion
while the flank fire Of the other basons be taken of
by ships set apart for that purpose.
AL these facts show that the general question between
forts aud ships st undecided aud tina, each
stand upon its merits, involving the kind OF fort, the
kind guns the kind aud number Of troops who
them the quantity and description OF ammunition, the
depth Of the water the forts, also the size and
power Of the attacking ship, and whether steamer or
sailing vessel what of commander aud she has,
with many other like considerations; that 1t very
hard say what might be the result Of attack Fort
Sumter and For. Pckcns under present circumstances
II is hard to say whether the floating battery in
preparation at Charleston will succeed in preaching the
fort commanded by Anderson, whether feet OF
steamers of light draft might not the gauntlet OF
the batteries Morris Island aud Fort Moultre, ana
reinforce Fort Sumter. 1t Is equally dcalt to deter
mine which side would come or victorious in a connit
between the state troops in possession OF of the
| forts in Pensacola harbor, aud Fort Pickcns,
| in possession Of the United States troops,
| tanned by the steamers now 10 the
bay Major slcmmers is confident Of success
matters stand but IL e il to be attacked the State
troops will q be largely reinforced We perceive
that the vigorous government at Montgomery, following
up the ideas Of Louis Napoleon, abou, build iron
plated steamers. which in Europe arc working
| revolution in marine armament Wooden SHIPS
secuted IN tngspd the relics Of past age. II n
known that plate of iron inch thick II impen-
epabe 70 every KIND o. Ordinary shot or shell Tao late
Russian has brought about the change. At Odcssa
powerful British vessel, which had grounded. des
oycd by few shells and hot shot from protected bat;
terry. Woo len walls aso failed before Cronssdt as well
~ Sebasiopol and Ergsnds lating buiwaIks we're re
duced from the nrst 10 the second ank war We do
ROT perceive that the United states government are pre-
pairing any iron slds to cope with European Powers or
/ oven with the Coniede rate states
THE POSTAGE STAMP OF THE CONrEDE.
| RATE STATES.