The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-05-01

Batteries asI t}uHbsass
Il eannos be denied that. with one or two
exceptions. the gonnerv OF our shore bate.
1iee most have been most miseraoiy managed
from the very beginning of this war We
never heard Of better marksmen than we are
with small arms, For OF mors indifferent shots
Ssom big euns. AL this is, Of eourse, the
WGat OF practice. but. whatever the cause, the
chips have had it Ill their own way with the
sacre batteries The ships during this war
seem TO have made up for all their Losses in
former wars and 10 have visited upon the Con
fsdssate shore batteries ali the rumlneiincs
thsy have received from shore Do ,terics from
tte beginning Of the world The Whole his
Try Of warfare hss exhibited az Fip1os, IN
broken aueoeasion OF Ito dsfe2t o. shit ~
and fcst'feations y hsnever they came liz col
lisfeh II wss almost ss inevitable that Rh,r
elieuld be damaged By coming in collision
With forts DO with breakers. The ,rtfo6ue.
ton Of steam nade no cert VI difference in this
Respect TIE Ergiish aud French, with the
most splendid sseam nary that the world has
ever seen, scarcely dared 10 attack a Russian
forttDoasien, during the whole Crimsan war
and whenever they did, were whipped out of
their boots. Either our " rks must be misera.
ably conssruused. or our guns wretchedIy
sAyved, or both, for We never heard, in all the
tide Of time. of anything like the poor show
we have hitherto made IN eouHicts with gun
boats.
We have had, however, CONS notable ex-
eep6ons, and those exceptions deservs to be
tosne IN mind by she public, and by the de-
lenders Of our remaining fortifcstions, be
cause 6hsy prove tina, it Ia per fec'ly practicable
SoT land batteries to drive of aid to demolish
ships, and that there 10 no reason and DO excuse
1br their surrender 10 the enemy. The triumph
ant success OF Bragg's batteries at Pensacola,
not against mere gun boats, Int against the lars.
est and most powerful steamships of the Ameri-
can Navy aided ~ they were by the heavy guns
Of large fort, shows conciusively that if land
batteries are properly constructed, and the
guns properly worked, ships are not match
fsF them At Fort Donelson, even gunboa,s,
shea&hsd with iron, were entirely unable TO re-
ssst the heavy guns Of the fort. On narrow riy,
sfs especially, it will be a shame ard ecanda
il anything that pretends to be a fertilization
permits gunboats to pass it in safety. The
Yankees, Wit. their accustomed talent for
humsugeery, have induced a good many of
our people 10 believe that there is come magic
invulnerabilisy end invincibility about gun
boae TINT II IL useless to contend against II
they can make us believe it. we deserve to bs
the dupes Of superior cxaft, and if we allow
Ourselves 70 be bounded In this way and driven
ont Of our strongholds, the disgrace of Manas-
sas wiz b glory compared with our shame
Not only can gunbosss be demolished by bat
seriss OF heavy cannon, skifuily served, but
ssdemen on the banks Of 9 narrow stream can
PICK of the pilot, and all the crew who EXPOSE
themselves. Thees vessels generally carry
very few men, and nothing Is easier than on
such river as the James, in portions Of ts
course, 10 kill the man at the wheel and every
ether man that shows his head above decks.
We hear 1t of'en saiJ that there Is nothing
more 10 prevent an ensmy from coming to
Richmond than 10 New Orleans Perhars
there u not; We have batteries. and no " syf,1I
ONES; but We believe before hand tba, they
are OF no use, we would better surrender be-.
foTs hand and spare the sffusion of blood.
n " cannot 90 obstruct and defend the James
nvsr - 10 keep the Yankees out of Richmond
~ aFe beneath the Chinese in resources and
valor. They obstruotsd and defended the an
prosshss TO their capital ia such way that
tbs powerful English fleet not only failed to
pass them, but was almost anpihilated Shams
sasne. shame, II we permit these Yankees to
ssoonphsh m achievement over us which
even ofsss Britain wac not able to accomplish
over The Chinese! The scandal and shame of
such transaction would be more ruinous even
than defsai The moral damage 70 % in tAs
eyes Of al nankind would bs infinitely worse
than thevast material los which would follov
tho capture Of the dty There must be 70
: ossessd 10 second edition Of New Orleans,
here, end as the doc - Of this capital we must
prepare TO explode the ridiculous notion Of
suuboat isvissibdlity. o. prepare 20 become
ourselves ~ Laughing stock Of the world