Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-05-09
zsiVar Defenses,

! From tLs C0iuuuus Ca E-qUirer.l
The unvaryiug successes Of the Ted5Ial gun
| boats, IN reducing Cy passing all our river de-
fenses which they have vet assai!ed. arc .as-
ursly alarming to all cities On the banks OF our
navlCable streams and tine defensive works
heretOtoTs opposed TO them having proved ul.-
availing, we think it time that new plans should
be tested. Their 5teei'p0inyst balls peHa uated
and Greacaed the tBlca walls Of Fort Pulaski
ana their shells drive cur men from Inc urotac-
ton Of open sand deiensss Works oF either OF
these classes cannot Oe relied J4 against ron
clad boats with heavy guns aad mUTtazs, that
can approach within pOint-6iaa6 range and pour
N their shot and shell from cover as nearly in
PeGstrable as the works they are essaIiing. In
/ broad and deep rivers, Ike tie Tennessee and
Mississippi, N which some of tbe. boats can
pass cur works while the others are holy en-
gsglng them, It may be difficult 70 End a remedy
OF cheCkInste for this advantage
But we believe that the result. O. The war have
already indicated the kind of battery that can b.
successfully used for the defense Of rivers with
narrow channels Il was first tested at Charles
ton, as Rn offensive engine of war, in the floating
battery and Stevens iron battery; aud It mas
since been tried in the Manassas at New Orleans
and the MeTTiUBc at Narfoik In all these trials
It's success he's been signal and brilliant Why
cannot stationary bG.ts7iss made cG 5lOpiug rail
AoeU AOA GLiu presenting 1901 ron which EG6
eneDy's balls must glance without penetrating.
be made s5 effective, when built az tho waters
edge, near a narrow channel, 20. The defense ofa
river, as the floating iron battery was at Charles
tom They can, on our narrow streams, be
located very near the channel at an ADVANTAGE
Gus point. and would he prccf against both
bombs and balls. To oppose mailed gUnboats
with an assurance Of success, the battery would
have TO be statiOued very near q passage which
they would have to make, bu' it would be 20 BE-
cure against the enemy's sh0- or shell that this
position could BE- taken With security. Onl7
slight obstruction IN the river would be al etfec-
tuaI barrier to the passage OF gunboa. under tie
close FIRE Of battery Ike this
Works of this kind are moreover recommended
By th5iT Cb5apness and the facility With which
they can be constructed. We believe tagt II
wcUld be liberal estimate 70 SAP that ten thou
sand dollars would be sufficient 10 put q aarro7
river, thus guarded. u complete and reliable
state Of defense and the railroad irou could
with much greater facility he used for this puJ-
pose than any other material
We observe that the people OF Montgomery
are beginning TO contemplate tda possibility OF
Federal gUnbOats ascending the Alabama river,
and to inquire into their leaas Of defense and
perhaps there sTe cities on other rivers that
could wisely turn tEsu earnest practical sttcu.
lion 10 the same question. They should move
eIpeditou5iT, or they rGay be too la.e and, in
our opinion, ths successes OI The iron batteries
ai Charleston, Of the AaUass-s sd The Nerri-
mac, have indicated the cheapest, yeadie5t- aud
5Urest means Of successful defense