The New York herald., 1862-10-21
The in mes Projectile.
TO THE DrToR or THE HERALD.

Ny attention called this morning your obituary
notice Of General James IN your issue Of the 18TH
necton with which statements made in regard
proeccs at variance with ruth that justice and the
public good require q correction OF them.
You say that General James claimed for his proiecte
superiority all other inventions OF similar charac-
ter but II has yet to be pronounced BY any board Of
officers that have expcrimcntcd with IT," nc. IL would,
fear, take your paper than you would be
willing spare the different "bcardsr Of officers
that have put this proect;e the thorough test
and instead Of none Of them pronouncng 1t superior
they have all, without exception, so pronounced II.
have my possession OF the reports referred to-
examination of which Il invite you TO ~ will show
how unqualihedy the judgments are pronounced: and
when you see the names Of those who composed these
"boards you will not, am sure, question the
Again, you say "thc trouble with the rroectilc ap.
pears 10 bcon that the covering Of lead round the
base Of the shot or she'll which Is intended to adapt
itself 20 the grooves Of the gun, was apt 20 strip on
after II had lett the muzzlc, and thai soon
AZ IL did the shot would turn over and over
thereby destroying all range and accuracy" The alb.
surdty Of this statement would appear 10 any mind "
common intelligence on looking at the prcectls itself
such thing is simply an snpossiblty wsh the James
procctle or the thousands that have been fred ven.
ture the assertion that not one known per-
form the feat you describcunlsss, possibly, IL was
thrown from gun whose grooves were entirely filled
with dirt or the lack d proper cleaning ator ring) a.
TO preclude the possibility of the shot getting hold OF
them at all, making the gun TO all ntcnts and rur
u
Of the gun IL well known that all elongated shot will
TO- over and while the objection you refer 10 has been
charged against other rife projectes II Is the FIRST time
have heard 10 inmacd against that Of Gen. James.
The OF this proece at Fort Pulaski, to which you
refer, Of immense service to the government and IL
u had only hall the merit accorded TO II by those whs
used II there, well as by those against whom II
used he officers taken at the fort pronounced II the only
proectie that was effective against them II should be
tho only rifle projcctile used by the government.
80 In the battles at the west--the James proiec.
tile has proved itself 10 merit the superiority
haro ehA
strongest evidence 10 this point that could be desired
As for Colonel Brown, 10 whom you refer will wait
short time and let him speak for himself You will pro-
baby then know what he thinks Of the James prolece,
he will then have tested It's quality You were also OF
course quite Ia error In stating that the firing Sag
Dor at which General James lost his ie was for the pur
pose cf testing some shot he had with view
obviatng the difficulties you have referred te II was
solely for the purpose u showing several
foreign officers who had recently 10 this count y III
splendid results 10 be attained from firing such shot and
shell he had been making the last year There was
nothing about them, and bssvc those cred that
day we're made several mouths ago.
A. J. RICHARDSON