The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-12-27
WHOLE NO., GA.
The American NAVY.

Inc American navy may be said to tave
bocn reconstructed since the fall of Sumter.
Every one knows that through the treason
and Ingenuity of traitors, the American navy
had boon 80 scattered and disabled, that al
the outbreak of the rebellion il was prac.
l'ca'ly useless. Though the register showed
e9 men ot-war, mounting 1902 guns, tho
| Nauonal Government could not assemble
half a dozen Vessols to meet a sudden emer.
gency. To mako the case still worse, four
ships of the line, four frigates, two sloops.
of war, and brig, woro DESTROYED at The
burning of the Gosport NAVY Yard This
reduced our nominal number of puns tn
about l,S00. But thoso figures fell yery
Tar short of the actual number at the COM
mand of the Navy Department As late as
July last, only twenty vessels of the regular
navy, mounting barely 400 guns, had been
collected for service in the bockade-
Iwonly-two ships, mounting 1886 guns, were
still on foreign stations. aud the remainder.
nnmberng about 900 guns, wore in differ
ent Northern Navy Yards. fitting out for
service, or used as receiving ships. Indeed.
nt his last class, 80 many were useless for
tho urgent need of the Government. that
their uames and the number of their guns
merely served to swell the register, and to
mSIcad people into supposng that our navy
was much stronger than it really was.
In July last tho regular naval force,
either fitting out or in commission on the
Southern coasts, did not exceed forty vessels
nor amount to over 750 guns. Dav bv day.
however, tho blockading fleet continued 10
recove additions from vessels ordered home
from foreign stations. OF fleet of e;phteon
ships of war that carried the American flag
in foreign waters. thirteen have returned
homo. Thus the efficient force of tho old
navy o! the U. S. S.--cllicient. that is to saw.
for the blockade aud The purposes of the
| rebeIlion--is equal (omitting receiving ships
and ships of the line that have been on the
stocks for fifty years.) to about seventy YES
sells of all rates. carrying between ] 200 and
300 guns. When we reflect upon the con-
dilion OF this samo navy only six months
ago, we can we'll afford to congratulate the
Department on its efforts.
1t is not only in gathering together orr
scattered squadrons, or IN refitting our
ships, that The Government has eviuced a
roman kable and determined energy Besides
this great labor. an altogether new navy
has sprung into life, aud has already distin-
guished itself in tho war. Eight now steam
sIoops were ordered by Congress, and their
construction was Immediately commenced.
They have been all launched except two,
and these are in a very forward state. The
sioops are about 1000 tons burden, and
carry each seven guns. The construction
of twent y-three new gunboats for the regu-
lar navy was also ordered by Government.
We believe that all of them havo been
launched-many have been for weeks in
commission, and some were engaged in the
capture OF the Port Royal forts. Their COM
! manders declare them to be very seryiceable
! for blockadiDg pprposes-much moro SER
vlceabIe than such huge, costly vessels as tho
Niagara These gun-boats are about 500
| tons each. Besides these, six additional
screw sIoops, twelve side-wbeel steamers
and three iron-c'ad steamers have been
built or in an advanced stage of construction.
While the attention of Government was
| thus turned to the construction of new war
ships, it did not neglect the obvious po';cy
of purchasing or chartorng such steamers
and sailing vessels as it could turn to profta-
| BILE account. More than two hundred and
! fifty vessels, of all classes. have been pur-
chased or chartered BY Government for tho
purposes of tho war; and for those pur-
chased out-and-out for the navy, over
! 8 900 900 have been paid. From the Sec-
retary OF the Nays report we learn that
seventy-nine steamers (side-wheels and pro-
pei!elsl have been purchased BY Govern
ment, and have been converted into efficient
gunboats. In following the rebels up creeks
aud inlcIs, and in capturing small craft
striving to run tho blockade, many of the
smaller gunboats have done invaluable SER
vice. These sevonty'five purchased vessels
carry 34l guns
The Secretary of tho Navy, in bis report
just transmitted to Congress, states that
VIC have 2G4 vessels, 1857 guns, and 22, COO
seamen but ho includes, in his list. re-
ceiving-ships and ships of the line that
have boon on tho stocks since 1878 When
we reflect that our navy has been refitted.
built and collected together within three or
four months, no American need be dis
heartoned at comparing it with the mightier
aTmaments of Franco and England. For
what has been done in the past can be done
again, in all time to come ~. Y. Times.