Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1862-10-28
For the Standard.


Mr. EDrroR:-If the war now in the course of
prosecution between the South and the North has
taught the former one lesson more than it has an
other it is this-that the Confederacy is but too
vulnerable through tho many rivers which flow
like so many arteries from the ocean to its vilaS,
and that unless those rivers well fortified and
INSTRUCTED the enemy has it in his power to inict
incalcuablc injury upon us whenever the waters
are sufficiently high to admit of the ascent of his
gunboats. Already have we lost millions of pro
perty and thousands of lives by leaving these ave-
nues open to piratcal incursions and one would
suppose that such dearly bought experience would
have awakened both government and people to the
necessity Of applying the proper remedy. But
alas! a strange sort of lethargy to have fas-
tened itself upon the public mind in reference to
this important matter and but little comparatively,
has been done towards securing ourselves in the
future against this DANGER which is now loom
ing up IN the Northern horizon. Some are of
opinion, Notwithstanding the past teachings of this
war; that forts alone sufficient to prevent the
entrance Of the enemy's fleets. But be not de-
ceived. Vessels propelled by steam have passed,
and will continue to pass such defences with case,
particularly if their crews are sheltered from our
fire, is the in vessels of the Monitor kind.
Besides that it is next to lmpoSSIbility to hit a
moving object deSignedty with the heavy pieces of
ordnance which necessarily constitute the arma-
mentS Of forts They cannot be managed with the
facility with which sportsman handles his fowl
ing piece and brings his game to the ground; nor
can a vessel Of war be disabled by one shot or by
many, unless q shell chance to explode in her
magazine and blow her up, and this is an occurrence
that rarely happens. And what it. in consequence
of some extraordinary lucky shots our part, the
enemy loses one-fourth even of his gunboats. He
expects to make such sacrifice when he enters
into battle, and is well satisfied in getting the
balance safely by and reaching the city or other OBJ
Of his daSirn IN / hafOr ha la.
ceived. Batteries alone, unless Immediately sur
rounding the place sought to be captured as Vicks-
burg for example, land it is well known that the
batteries there passed by Farraguts leet) are
insufficient projections to the country above, I'M
less there distractions also in the wafer close
under'ther guns, strong enough to bring the at
lacking force to a halt and thus enable its oppo-
nents to fire with accuracy Of aim. Nothing but
the combination of battery with obstruction saved
Richmond; and there is not a river in the COnGede-
racy q will not even except the Mississippi which
cannot be INSTRUCTED in one way or the other, and
made impossible to the enemy. Most of them
can be made impossible with massive RATS strongly
bound together and kept in position by stout chain
cables or other appliances, or by cribs filled with
stones and placed few feet aSunder to allow the
current to flow through or by very large and tight
diamond shaped boxes OF timber, filled with sand
or gravel then decSed over with holes bored in
their decks to allow the Escape of air in sinking
and sunk wherever desired care being taken to Sc
cure them, by proper means, against displacement
in the season of freShets.
II is useless however, to specify any further the
various ways in which the blocking up of water
courses may be accomplished. They will occur to
any practical intelligent man, who is cognIzant Of
the powers of vessels Of war for offensive purposes
| will, therefore, conclude by saying that, II posi-
bic, batteries should be located bluffs and the
instructions placed so as to be Immediately under
their control, to prevent removal by the enemy, and
that battery should be without its corps of sharp
shooters, as they Of inestmable value in demon
azing the of uncovered vessels, in especial
by picking them off" at their guns.
DIXIE