Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-03-04


preparation FOR the siege Of the fort, must
naturally feel very an xious 70 be reinforced.
/ i is said that be hes remarked that in case
oi bombariment be VIZ allow q fesy days 70
\ pass without replying 10 Che Gre, in7 order to
/ exhaast the powder cf the enemy, and ander
the belief thai they cannot greatly damage
him. Such Is his conviction Of the impreg-
stability Of his position; his force, hpYevefy
n 'ery insuihcient ID view OF tho colossal
prepautinna Of ahe Ourolinians Itis believed
that the Caroiuians VIII eonfne themselves
10 4 bomfeniment Of the fort and that they
/ viii avoid an assault which cannot be made
without a blo0dY sacrifice % n
A large number OF scaling ladders have
been made for the usg OF the rebels, in COM
ple6ng which there has for the last week
been much activity. / predict that Of the.
first Eve hnndIed who undertake 10 scale the
I walls Of Sumter by such means, few indeed
sill get a sight Of the interior. At such a
/ moment the grenades, Of which have fre-
I quenty spoken, viii prove their claim othe
reputation Of being The most destrustive in
sirument Of warfare extent
EverY day that Is gained strengthens the
position OF the Oaroliuians, and renders their
armlm most effective. A considerable
number Of Gunsiis expected, in addition 70
he two Dahigrep. AS to The Colnmbiads,
there are two sizes in use ia the camp-the s.
inch and the lV-inch. The weight Of the
s-ineh Colambiads Is about 4 : tuns and the
charge 10 pounds Of powder they carry a
| SOLID shot that weighs 81 pounds, and a she'll
Of AZ pounds. The weight Of the lO-ineh
guns is z tuns, the charge Of powder IG
fponnds they carry a shot OF 100 pounds
/ and a shell OF 100 pounds.
The Charleston Mercury says
"lf his ELincoln'sl declaratons are 10 be
/ relied on, be viii attempt to retake the forts
I now in the possession of the Confederate
States aud reinforce those now ia the posses
sion Of the United States That will be war
-war in our bays and harbors. BE will
probably be willing to confine il 10 such To-
ralities We have no idea that be win dare
campaign with an army 20 conquer the
South, but we can make The war he will have
begun as wide as the ocean ITSELF It is said
tbst New England made more money than
she lost in The war OF 1912 by privateers on
the British commerce. We of the COnfede.
rate States cannot be the greatest loser at
such game. Bat whatever NAV be our in
strumentalitiss Of defense or aggression, the
/ Provisional Government was established TO
put themin fRll operation against our enemies
Of the North. II is q war government. Il
may be compelled TO raise an unusual army.
Il may be compelled to lay unusual taxes to
cal for unusual loans. Let the people of the
0oniederats Stltes view with iorbearance its
/ imperieetions OF irregularities. Within one
month we win know what our necessities
require. The Provisional Government may
be unless and Permanent Government,
looking to all those guarantees which free
I government require, may supersede is tenn
porarT existence
The Charleston correspondent of the n. y.
Herald thus writes regarding the reinforce
nent Of Fort snmter:
There are four channels OF entrance to
Charleston harber-Main ship channel. run
ming within range Of Morris Island and for
miles parallel 10 the beach; Mafits channel.
which begins 1t a shoal named, Significantly,
the Rattlesnake, approaches Sullivan's Island
not far from an ugly breaker, called Drunken
] Dick, and then passes close by the no less
ugly guns Of Fort Moultrie Between these
two channels are the remaining two-Swash
channel, not veil marlSed and North channel,
/ little used. The low water depth Of the best
/ Of the four IS but eleven feet.
A steamer entering by either channel 70
land reinioTrerneuts at Fort Sumter would
| have 70 pass certain point, situated in the
only navigable approach to the fort. Should
q steamer succeed in reaching that point it
would there receive the combined FIRE Of Fort
/ Johnson, Fort Moultrie, Battery No. and
Battery No. 2-the distances from the point
designated to the forts and batteries named
being respectively two miles, three fourths OF
a mile, half mile and q mile and a half A
steamer, therefore, at the point referred to
would be exposed to the iron bail from more
than twenty-five guns, at an average dist nee
of less than mile and a fifth. The star of
the West turned back before reaching it.
In the event OF an attack upon Fort Sum
ter there could be brought 70 bear upon it the
Gre Of Fort johnson, Fort Moultrie, Battery
No. 5, Battery No. 2, and Battery No. A.
that is, IRE from at least twenty-five guns
I and ten mortaTs.
To oppose this attack from five points there
are in Fort Sumter certainly not more than
seYenty-hFe men, If as many; and as it re-
/ qnires at least i've men TO each gun, Of the
large number Of guns in Fort Sumter, only
ffteen could be brought into action. But
when guns are mounted in easements (that is,
have solid masonry above, beneath and on
either side) as IN this fort, the violent con-
cussion accompanying their discharges soon
eaHses those who man them TO suffer severely
from rush Of blood TO the bead, and, in con-
sequence, it becomes necessary 70 relieve the
men for time.
Hence Of the seventy-fve men garrisoning
! Fort Sumter, at least one-third would have to
act as reserve and the remainder, fifty men,
/ could man only ten guns Thus it appears,
that but two guns could be opposed TO each
Of the five attacking batteries
It would seem, then, that to reinforce Fort
u Sumter is Of paramount Importance but
since the approach Of a war steamer has been
rendered impraeticable as shown, the only
alternative would be for a reinforcement TO
enter Light House Inlet in small boats, land
on the south end Of Morris Island, march the
length Of that island (tIiree or four miles,l
take Battery No l and Battery No. 4, and
having thus reached the north end Of the
island or Cummings Point Fort Sumter
would be but a thousand yards distant, and
to cross would be an easy matter.
To defeat such a movement, bow7ver, am
pie provisions have been made Battery No
6 has been planted on the south end Of Nor
ris Island, so as 70 Command Lighthouse In
let, and a force of six or eight hundred men
has been quartered on the same island, the
larger part being stationed at the south end
linear the Battery.
II Vita less ample means Col Thompson, in
pc successfully disputed Clinton's passage Of
Long Island Ford. From the Palmetto Guard
with BatterI No, g. may be expected At least
as much as from Col Thompson with his lit
tle eighteen FOUNDER and light field piece
Aueedsio. Or Mr.. Lincoln. - 3 . { !
A correspondent Of the n 7. Evening" Post
isllg tho f,Ilo,vfno uuoS,iofa. 40