The Shreveport weekly news., 1861-07-01
The Defcnces of Norfolk.

An indiscreet correspondent, writ
ing the Richmond Dispatch, tells
something more than lie ouEht-nev-
ertheless, as his letter is more than
usually interesting, We present few
extracts:
This unholy war, forced on us to
enable them 10 continue to rob and
cheat US, has brought out more talent
than | ever dreamed could be found
among us for contrivances. Onl Y yes
terday | witnessed the working OF Il
heavy ll-inch gun, mounted OIL car
riage constructed on aplan submitted
By Mr.. Needs, carpenter Of the yard,
and built in four days. Two men
can sweep this monster gun around
the eastern horizon without the slight
est Jar or vibration, and those who
work her are entirely covered from
the shot of the enemy. In Il week
we will have several lo-iuch and a
goodly number of solid shot guns
mounted in the same way, and then
let the Yankee Doodles look out. |
only wish they would make an attempt
on our harbor with their ships. for
there are some of us who have sailed
in those identical mammoth steam
frigates, and know to an inch where
TO plant our. shot; and we know, too,
there are other magazines to be blown
up besides those which contain pow
der. Our furnaces for hot shot, of
which we are supposed TO have known
nothing, will each of them, land We
have pienty,) keep twenty-five shot
to a white heat In our seacoast bat
teries we have Il large number of
guns mounted, and there is one very
tender point of the harbor where sew
eral large copper colored oysters,
holding in their shells $50 lbs. OF
gunpowder, have been planted, with
good ranges, by Which to explode
them, witt, nice little wire led into
one of the batteries, and only requir-
ing small contact" to hoist the
batteries. At this very tender point,
40 less than six batteries. with 120
guns, will amuse them. Really, Mr..
Dispatch, wish you could come
down and see some Of your noun
tain boys handle these heavy 9, 10,
and l1-ineh guns, to say nothing of
these S-inch and Az and 32-pounders.
l have spent over thirty years in
drilling men,. but / never yet have
seen such apt scholars. The reason
is that their hearts are i'll the work.
They want TO learn, and thus encour-
age their Instructors to bend every
effort TO teach them. i saw batteries
drilled yesterday by men who never
saw heavy gun until few weeks
since. and they managed them as well
as have seen men do the same work
after six months of daily drills.
So much for the water now for the
land: If ever we get the Doodles
entangled in our swamps and marsh
es, we will give you a Flemish &C,
count Of them. They evidently want
to land in the neighborhood of Bur,
wells Bay, and try to cut off oui
railroad. Well, may be they can do
it, but we don't think they can. All
the country Whereabouts is well cut
up and lnarshy. The roads pass
through heavy. woods, and you know
we are good hands at cutting down
trees about them, and | rather guess
they will find it hard to move their
artillery. over our big trees, with sew
eral thousands of tip-top ritiemen
close at hand, who will shoot horses
and officers in particular, and Yam
KEGS in general. Besides, we have
batteries of light artillery hercabouts,
rifled guns and 2l-pouad howitzers,
which >the vandals thought they
spoiled by bending the screw, as we