Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1861-01-25
GUNNERY AND FoRr1F1cAT1oNs.

/
an article in the Boston Courier will he
read with interest. The writer does not
believe that nuy fort is. impregnable.-
Speaking Of For Sumter lie says:
1t is constructed Of solid masonry, oc-
taSonal in form, "i,b double row Of port,
holes on all sides for heavy ordnance, and
is said to be bomb proof withaI. The ar
mament Of the fort consists Of 40 guns 5
of them being ten inch 'Columhlads,' which
have wide range, and throw either shot
or shell. But with all its perfection of
bomb proof casemats, improved guns and
natural advantages of position, it is not
mpregnable, especially to attack from the
land side. 1t can be successfully shellcd
from temporary batteries on Sullivan's
Island, and Mount Pleasant even, which is
about two miles distant, and where the be-
sicgers would have The advantage of eleva-
ton. With the heaviest ordnance. it could
probably be successfully preached by bat
tcries on James Island, and then easily car
ried by storm. Here, then, arc three points
Of attack
1t is well known by military men that
by combined, direct, vertical and cnfilale
fire, the guns on the faces Of defensive works
even when well traversed, can be sienced
from distance; for, in the attack, the
besieger occupies to great era of circle
Il nd fIo hacf
that, as the former has Il choice of position
he can aligne himshlf on the prolongatons
of the faces of the ravelins and bas,ious,
where he can erect his enfiIHde batteries.
and establish his direct and mortar batteries
in situations best suited to assist them: so
that guns on the terre-pleins (top or plat
form) of the defensive works, arc exposed
10 combined fire, that soon produces the
effect Of slackening their fire. Engineers
have endcavored to remedy tl.s serious
disadvantage by making vauItcd apartments
Of masonry for the guns, covered on top so
as to be proof against the bursting of shells.
There are two kind of bonb-proof build
ings; one being isolated, that is, covering
detached buildings, poweser magazines or
hospitals: and the other covering tile whole
mass Of ramparis in the latter case tEey
are called casemates. To thisclass belongs
Fort Sumter. Now, although the theory
that such Notifications are impregnable is
very good, practice has shown serious OBJ
Jec,ions. In the first place, the classmates
batteries weaken the ramparts under which
they are constructed; and when their ar
ches Are ruined by the preaching batteries
of tlfeassaiants, tue whole mass of the ram
part and parapet sinks down into the case.
metes and expose the interior Of the works.
In the second place, if casetnated guns can
command the country, they can also be
seen from distance; and as the choice Of
position is with the assailant, hc can rcadi-
ly find situations for batteries whence his
guns can see the cheeks Of the casematea
embraspres, though the guns in these case
mates cannot be brought to bear upon
him; the assa;lant can thus batter the
cheeks with shot that will bound or defect
from the embrasures into the casepate to
the destruction of the guners. This evil
was especially noticed by military men in
The capture Of the castle of Scylla, in sap;n
in 1900. % examining the interior Of
these casemates after the surrender Of tie
castle, the English officers were surprised to
observe the mischief which had been pro-
duced by shot that had DETECTED from the
cheeks Of The embrasures, and entered the
Ec"semates 1t showed that direct fire in
to casemated :esmlP.,raspre must render such
batteries untenable* The only remedy for
this is to place the batteries in suclr a si:ua-
tion that the embrasu,es can only be seen
10 the direction in which the guns they
shelter can be pointed. 1t is only neces-
sary TO give somc examples Of the effects
Of shells and the force Of heavy balls, 10
order to show that the roof of blinded bat
tertes cannot resist them for any great
lenghth oftime. In low situations, however
on rixr or on coast they are efficient to
protect &he gunners against the FIRE from
ships tops in passing tie battery.
From DR.. Hulton's experiments in the
parapolic theory Of guDnery the following
prominent facts appeared: An eighteen
FOUNDER discharged successively with 81, 8,
and 2i'pounds Of powder, at butt formed
Of English oak planks, bolted firmly yyaase,h-
er, forming solid mass Of s24 inches in
thickness, perforated The butt eacL time,
| driving great quantities of splin.ers before
i. The lowest charge, ~ pounds, occa-
stoned 'he greatest destruction, forit eepafa.
ted The plapks and broke The insids one
short 10 two. Ahoibes butt formed ii the