The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1861-06-26
Science and War.

Science win play very important
part in the present war There is nc
art more attractive to inventors and
scientific men than the art Of war.
How TO kill the largest Lumber Of peo-
pie III the smallest space Of time is
problem which is agitating many an
Inventive mind in this and other
countries. Terrible as the contempla.
tion Of such u thing may be, we certain
" think that the greater advancement
we make 10 the art of war The better il
viii be for humanity and peace, The
instruments Of death in the hands Of
the modern soldiers are far more ter
rife and powerful than those which
were employed in the wars ofHANNI-
BAL, CEAsAR, and the Crusaders, and
yet orr battles are reither as protrac-
teb nor as bloody as were those ofthe
ancient days. Since the time of the
elder NAPOLEON, we have made marvel
lous progress in military science, and
an army equipped with even the care
bestowed on his Imperial Guards,
would be in an extremely unservice-
able condition when compared with
the armies now sent forth to battle
But the science Of war does not
confine itself to secure the accuracy
Of rife or q musket, charging the
calibPe of 8 cannon, increasing the
the destructive power OF shells, or
Improving the qnality OF powder.
AS science advances we find that the
sacess Of an army depends less upon
mere daring ana skill of its com
manders. = fine st.ategical plan of
operations, arranged in the tent, with
& compass and a map, will do more to
accomplish the success OF u General
than the desperate bravery Of his leg
ions The present contest has been
one Of strategy, and we have already
achieved many victories without risk
Eng single battle or losing more than
q hundred lives on both sides. For
che sake Of humanity, we could wish
that it might continue SO to The end !;
bat that, we fear. is an impossibility
The art of photography will be
Invaluable iii time Of war. Weeannot
conceive the variety Of uses to which
this marvellous invention may be deYo-
ted It will serve the accommodating
officer, the spy, the historian Of the
campaign, and the artist, who may
seek to immortalize its fearful glory.
The science of aeriel navigation will
also be exceedingly advantageous, and
we see that one of the Regiments,
which recently left Washington for
Harper's Ferry, took with it large
balloon, for the purpose Of sailing
over the country Of the enemy, and
discovering the strength Of their force
and the availability of their position.
so long as the difficulty exists relative
so steering balloons, when in the air
so experiment of this nature can be
prosecuted with certBinty. A current
of air would be as likely to carry the
aernnaut into the mountains of Penn
sylvania rs into the plains Of Fir-
ginfa and if he should go as far as
Manassas Gap or Richmond, his ex-
periences would be Of little use if the
breezes of Heaven refused to wait him
back again. Electricity and steam so
mighty in peace, will be as mighty in
this time of war and when we rem
ember that an important part of the
Massachusetts regiments duty, in it's
march 10 Washington, was the repair
Of steam engines and railway tracks,
we can see how less poetry, and how
much more common sense, there is in
the soldiers life.