Weekly Trinity journal., 1861-09-07
THE Journal.

ovrn ARMs.-The N. Y. World and En-
.;r,r discusses the above subject 10 the fellow
ug language
",;horties is not a standing army, bnt the right
on, of arms to be manipulated by the people
Sl"",selves. 1t ia now general complaint that
'" manv of our volunteers are obliged to take
~ sold with such poor weapons Except the
we wnre from the fint TO the percussion lock, the
eve. mo;oriiy of the mnskets are no better in any
"H,ori.I respects than those used in the old
gg.oncb war and the bayonet still remains the
.o clumsy affair it used to be when it first
s s'"r the place of the "Sweynes' feather" two
,"odred years ago. The improvements of the
i".t few years, which have wrought snch re-
~orkabe change In the efficiency of European ar
MOS are of no practical beneht to the great body
/ Dfour gallant defenders.
This deficiency would have been almost fatal to
=. had the rebels fully succeeded in their intend
a heavy importations of improved arms from
rnropp 1t would have put us under a disad-
rantage which hardly anything else could have
sounterbalanced An army with pocket pistols
NIGHT as well fight another having regulation
mnskets. as for the latter to fight an army hav-
ns The improved rifles. The soldier can make
tar better prrctice with the last at thousand
yards than with the musket at one hundred and
6hv. In the ordinary formation of the lines of
hitle. not one ball 10 thousand with the regu-
latiop musket takes effect; from the improved
arms one in ten, at the same distance, onght
fairly to be the proportion. 1t is said that
single freshly imported Armstrong gun at Fort
Sumter did more damage than all the eleven bat
ferries combined Had Beauregard full supply
of such ordnance, and were his troops similarly
prOvided with the corresponding last improv
ments in muskets and rifles, the Federal flag
would not be secure upon the capital day longer.
It is fortunate for the good cause that the reb-
els we're not 80 provided. but no similar good
fortune ought to be counted on hereafter. The
Government which looks to the peOpe Tor Its de-
tense ought hencefOrth take close heed that the
public arms are of the most effective character as
an indispensable safeguard to the proper secur
to of the country, both as respects domestic re-
beion aud foreign INVASION We are glad to see
that the present Administration is so fully alive
to the necessities of the country in this regard.
1t is taking the most active measures to push the
of improved small arms at Spring
field to the extreme capacity OF the establishment
The number of rihrd muskets of the best pattern
turned out, will soon reach five thousand a month,
which is more than six times the ordinary pro-
docton. Before Congress adjourns, another ar
mory, in the place of that at Harper's Ferry,
will be provided for and as much time must
eapse before the new establishment can 60 into
operation extensive contracts have for the mean
time been made with private manufacturers at
home, and large purchases have been made alb
road. The efficiency of our noble volunteers will
improve by the constantly increasing
supply of superior weapons AS all such supplies
are now practically cut off from the rebels, the
disparity between their military strength and
ours must constantly become greater, and their
efforts correspondingly more and more hopeless.