The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-03-09
The Coming Assault on Fort Sumter.

The Commissioners from the Southern
Confederacy now in Washing ton, held con-
ference onThursday evening and determined TO
postpone &c ton for a few days, until Mr. Sew
ards policy is developed. 1t seems to be gener.
ally understood that but a few days will elapse
between the Presidents refusal to recognize
them Should that be the case,) and the storm
ing of Fort Sumter. The formidable charac-
ter of the undertaking may be well gathered
from the following graphic grouping of the
obstacles to success by the Ch arleston cor
respondent of the New Orleans Delta, who
writes on the Goth ultno
Very few, apprehend, realize to their full
extent the almost lnsurmountable difficulties
which lie in the way of the reduction of its
massive granite walls. In truth, with an ade-
quate garrison, Ii can hardly be doubted that
the Fort would be altogether nnpregnable TO
any force that the State of South Carolina
would be able TO bring against it. Even with
| the eigh ty-six men who now constitute the
| garrison to oppose them, l doubt whether
| there are many volunteer armies in the world
| that would not quail when brought face to
| face with the terrible fact that those towering
parapets have to be carried by assault at the
point of the bayonet. For the benefit of those
| who have never seen the position which the
Fort occupies in the harbor of Charles ton, |
will recapitulate briefly some of the circum-
stances which combine to give 1t so formda-
| Bile a character.
| The first great difficulty that stares us in the
| face is that to take these walls-unapproacha
| bic by land-we have no navy. Storming par
| ties, then, would have to approach the walls
! either in STEAMBOATS, or row boats for dis
tance of full three-q uarters of mile under the
| fire of shells, red hot solid shot and grape
But, supposing this ordeal passed, and that
| the asSailants have reached in safety the foot
| o. the walls. Amid the unpleasant concomi-
tants of showers OF hand grenades and volleys
of musketry they must elevate their ladders,
| which, being more than seventy feet long,
| must necessarily be very heavy and unWieldy.
| Now comes another and serious trOu
! ole. Where are they to plant their scaling
| ladders? The water adjacent to the walls is
too deep, and, to prevent all chance of the lad
| ders being hooked on to the edge of the parapet,
| Major Anderson has cunningly had his men at
| work sloping off the edge of the masonry,
and removing every ledge of ornamental
brickwork which might expedite the process
of fixing the ladders. Thus you the only
chance is to have the boats RATS, upon
which the stormlng parties approach, OF suf-
ficient strength and solidity to sustain the
| foot OF the ladders while the men ascend. How
| far it is likely that such a solid structure
| could be brought uninjured under the walls,
OTTER having passed the discharges of the eight
| inch columbiItis in the casemates, leave you
to judge.
| These are only a portion of the discouragi ing
facts which render the assault of Fort Sum
ter a rather serious matter. L have detailed
| them merely to explain why 1t has been ne
cessary that the preparations should have
been correspondingly elaborate. The annals
| of warfare present few instances where sc
| Il posi- Has ltlleil DtlOre means vi
attack so entirely inadeq And yet be
lieye that the impetuous valor of the Paine t.
| to regiments will a tone for every deficiency
and that the Federal flag will not float much
longer over the bulwark of our harbor.
A letter from Charleston further notices tht
floating battery follows:
{ The experiments of the engineers show that
at the distance of four hundred yards, (tht
intended position of the battery,j the onl,
missiles which will do much damage are con
| ic al steel shot, while the iron balls eithe
, shiver 10 atoms glance from the surface; oil
: the other hand the AZ will be likely to maxi
a decided impression on brick and mortar o
: cement. The battery is now safely launched
3 1t is proposed to tow it, or rather push 1T, b,
means of tow boat, to its position that is
if the Major will allow them. If he open
fire upon it, they will reply, and the action
! | will become general. 1t seemed dreadful, tn
other day, to hear the officers who t
manage this affair cOnversing so coolly abou
, | the expected sacrifice of life, and calculating
the probable number of killed, arranging tn
| hospital boat, and the magazine. &c.