Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-10-10
Our Gallant NAVY.

1t would seem that we have got to make
officers of the navy as we'll as officers of the
army; for those that we have do not dis
tinguish themselves, either by their enter
prise or their success. The days of Decatur
and Lawrence, and Preb1e and Perry, have
gone by; and their style of doing things has
evidently departed with them. Never since
the beginning of the world was there so
much of that which, if it is not timidity and
ineffciency, bears every appearance of it.
The skill of our gallant officers is evidently
devoted in great measure, to keeping out
of the way of harm. Whether they are con-
strained to this by the imbecility of the Gov
ernment or their own, it is impossible to
say; but so much is certain, that our navy
is disgrace to the party by whom its mo-
tions are directed.
With the telegraph at once afflicted by re.
portorisl inefficency and official stupidity, it
is impossible to know with much accuracy
the real circumstances of any event Of a
military character that takes place; but
enough has been vouchsafed to us in respect
to the recent affair at Hatteras Inlet to lead
to the inquiry why no attempt was made to
capture or destroy the Confederate hotilla.
There were, it is said, six rebel steamers at
one time off the point. They could not have
been formidably armed, nor invulnerable
and the question arises, why was not some
thing done, either by capture or by destruc
ton, to make their number less. 1.-TWO boat'
full of troops going from the shore to the
rebel steamers were struck with shells, and
destroyed;" would not the same shells have
done little execution if addressed directly
to the steamers themselves?
"Great slaughter was made among the
rebels;" but these great slaughters generally
become small ones when every thing comes
to be known indeed, when the expression
is used, it may be taken to mean that ou
side was forced to give way without doinI
any thing decisive. 1t is phrase employee
to cover a retreat.
There was the steamer Fanny, taken onl
the other day with a cargo of troops and Gov
ernment stores, already unladen, manned
fired-up, and in active service. One woult
have thought that the commanders of tn
tSusquehannd and Monticello would at leas
have been willing to have hazarded littl,
to bring her away with them, or to spoil he
for service to the rebellion. No such thin
seems to have occurred to them. A shell,
is thought, struck the wheel-house-whict
being propeller, she has not-and wounde
only in part she did not possess, she is a
good as ever; and probably will survive t
do an abundance of mischief to our com
merce, if she does not contrive to captur
some of our magnificent ships of war.
1t is time to cease to be satisfied will
these puny and perfuuctory proceedings
and to ask for an event. We do not believe
when the facts come to be known, that tn
Hatterss affair will rebound to the credit O
any body, although, according to telegraph
"too much praise can not be accorded t.
Lieutenant Brain, for this brilliant achieve
ment, which has caused great exulation a
Old Point" and probably caused the sale o
half million extra copies of the newspapers
of the country. We shall wait for fur
ther particulars of this "masterly move
ment, " in which Colonel Brown, ofthe Twen
tieth Indiana Regiment, narrowly escaped,
before we decide that the Union is covere
with glory on its account.