New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-04-12
NECRS aITy.

military necessary IL good phrtse, out
what does il meant The natural end Of chip
i. shipwreck, for she is made to go to sea and
encounter it's pcrils and il she sails long enough,
the chances are that in some Of those pcris which
| she must constantly encounter, she viii 60 to
pieces. so, the natural end Of q soldier 10 death
in battle, and be comes to premature and I'M
natural termination Of his career, provided he
continues a soldier, if be dies in his bod. Tho
true military necessity, then. is fight fight to the
bitter or 10 the glorious end, but attn fight, and
| fight only Soldiers were made 10 90 to battle,
| ns ships were made 10 60 to sea. IL the one
springs a fatal leak, or runs upon some rock, -
| or the other Gomez to bis death WITH sxord in
hand or musket at his shoulder. both have
fulfilled their destiny and come 70 natural ends,
os machines created for dangerous service with
inoumerablc risks.
A taking phrase 10 very deceptive ill it is
found out that it hss no meaning. The phrase
military necessity" applied TO the surrender Of
. fortress where not pinch of gunpowder he's
yet been flashed in anger, nor q sword drawn
with any bloody intent, is simply meaningless.
fortress that had been defended to the last
extremity, and when to the garrison thereof is
presented at length the alternatives Of immediate
surrender, Of absolute starvation or Of being put
at once TO the sword, then q military necessity
of surrender may be said 10 exist, because fight
ing can avail no longer, and the fighting material
instead of being wasted, may be- saved for other
occasions. But no such necessity is possible till
the fighting has been to the death, or to that
o.,k b.r "a hat Gprt
be gsinet by def,nse bat to die.
Let us suppose steamer, or ileet Of steam
ers, of Charleston bar with men and provisions
for Fort Sumter The object Is 10 enter a har-
Dor brstllng with batteries, and exposed 81 their
heavy and inccssant FIRE. We may sbudder 10
think Of it, though b. FIRE and be fired at ia the
thing for which vessels Of war and soldiers were
made. But TO be fred at is not, clearly, In this
case, their sole duty. II the batteries on Nor
ris's Island may not be approached on the
shallow water side, they may be taken in the
flank, and While an unexpected enemy from
an unexpected quarter may engage the insurgents
here, the steamers will DO making their way to
the fort. OF course othor batteries open their
Ere, and Fort johnson and Fort Mo,ltrie
join in with their thunders and pour in their iron
hail. AMI Fort Sumter Its Q question how
long johnson and Neultris can stand under the
ERE Of Sumter; and until that is decided, while,
81 the same time, the best care ia taken
that circumstances will permit Of tbo batteries
on Morris Island. il IA quite impossible to tell on
which side the military necessity lie.. IL is
question hrt Of force, and then Of endurance.
IL may be that the insurgents Of South Carolina
viii not wait 20 be forced 10 submission but will
consider on their side, whea q show Of determi.
nation is made upon ours, whether II Is worth
their while to suffer this great and inevitable
icss OF Mo and property. merely that they may
prevent Major Anderson from doing whit be has
done for three months-maintain his position un.
mclested and unmolesting. But il il be not 80,
if grm.visaged war shsi uaysil his horrid front
becasss Government extends protection 10 ia
property and uecoriug hand to ita gallant
soldiers at forlorn post, aud ia resisted by re
bellious ard trsitorous eitizens, Ia the step
therefore 10 he avoided or regretted IL made !
fitis q necssisy 10 surrender Fort SUM-
ter, or saye lie garrison 10 starvation, In order 10
avoid, not merely the shedding Of blood, FOR that
Ia sbs,sd, but o threatened civil war and lite
consequence then there must he precisely tho