The New York herald., 1862-04-15

including the Merrimac but the ammunition
magazines, and those two or three thousand
pieces of artillery, with our hurried abandon
ment Of Norfolk, fell into the possession OF the
rebels. We have since recovered number OF
those guns at Cape Hatteras, Roanoke Island,
Newbern, and away out at Fort DOnelson, Co
lumbus and Island No. 10. Had we recaptured
Norfolk, as we might easily have done al any
time between August and December last, we
should have had very few of these rebel de-
fences to overthrow, mounting from fifty to
several hundred heavy guns and no difficulty
whatever now in the occupation Of Yorktown
Why, then, has Norfolk been permitted so
long to remain in possession of the enemy,
when its extemporized defences, open at the
top. like those Of Cape Hatteras and Port
Royal, could have been shelled out by US at
any time by an overwhelming bombardment! !!
We cannot answer this question. We turn
over tho inquiring reader to Mr.. Secretary
Welles, who can, perhaps, give US as good a rea-
SON for bis mastery inactivity" in this matter
as for the late escape Of the rebel steamer
Nashville from Beaufort. In any event,
it tcannot be denied that our neglect of Norfolk
has given birth to that rebel monster, the
Merrimac, and that the Merrimac, while she
remains intact and adoat, is worth an army
of fifty thousand men in the defence of York
town. preventing, az she does, any naval diver
sion on our part in the James river in support
of General Mcclellan.
In conclusion, this siege of Yorktown, under
all the circumstances attending it, puts new
phase upon the rebellion. Our general sd-
vance is suddenly arrested, and the hottest
work Of the campaign is face to face before
us. Nor is it very encouraging in this aspect
of the war to find that General Mcclellan, with
a formidable enemy in front, is still subject to
fire in the rear" from our malignant and
intriguing abolition politicians anxious for his
defeat. We must, therefore, be patient and
trust to the skill of Mcclellan, the bravery
of his troops, and q wise cooperation of the
administration, to make Yorktown the scene
of the crowning victory of the war. terri
BILE struggle at that point is inevitable; and
while the careful preparations of General
Mcclellan are now fully justified by the obsta-
cles before him, they put to rest all those late
abolition fabrications, that his plans were SO
contrived that when he did move from the
Potomac he could move forward to Richmond
without hnding anything on his line of
march but Quaker guns and abandoned for
tifcations.
TIE RECENT NAVAL SCENES IN HAxProN
RoADs.-The public are very justly indignant
at the conduct Of our navy in Hampton Roads
on Friday last. The rebel feet, headed by
| the Merrimac, came down to Crsney Island,
and one of the rebel gunboats very coolly cap
tured three Union vessels. The Monitor, the
Stevens battery, the Octarora and the other
Union vessels-of-war took no apparent notice
of this proceeding. Not one of the vessels
there even moved towards the Merrimac.
From all appearance the rebel feet might
have captured every vessel in the Roads with
out resistance, so long as the Merrimac kept
her position off Cransy Island.
| Among the spectators Of this national dis
grace were representatives of the French and
English navies. They must have formed very
high opinion Of our navy from this sample Ex.
ceiling the rebel feet in the number and ef.
fciency of our vessels, we yet waited for an
attack. and submitted even to the capture Of
the unarmed vessels we were there to de-
fend, rather than make the first assault. Was
| it want of force that caused this remarkable
inaction? Look at our ships in Hampton
Roads, and, from the Minnesota to the Moni-
tor, we challenge the world to show us finer
war vessels. Was it cowardice, then? Look
| of onr hra va ssilors .pd romamhar xyhat thov
have done for the Union, and their cowardice
| seems impossible. No; it was red tape which
anchored our gallant ships and kept them from
attacking the enemy; it was red tape which
tied the hands of our brave sailors, and re-
strained them from victory. The wretched i'm
becility Of the management of the Navy De-
| partment has paralyzed the best sailors and the
best navy Of the world.
| Nor does the criminality of the Navy Depart
ment end here 1t is not only responsible for
the continued and threatening appearance of
the Merrimac, but also for the very existence
Of that vessel. Five months ago Norfolk could
easily have been taken; and again and again
General Wool has asked permission TO capture
it, but has been refused. During that time the
Merrimac has been preparing, and now it takes
vast preparations to destroy her and save the
Union feet, when long ago she could have been
seized at her dock by the Union forces. More
than this, the Navy Department is responsible
for all the loss of time and life required
now to capture Yorktown and Norfolk, since
the intention of the rebels to fortify and de-
fend these places, even at the cost Of evacu-
ating Manassas, was anticipated by General
Wool, and could have been prevented had the
department allowed it.
But space fails us to enumerate half the silly
blunders and foolish mistakes of the head of
the Navy Department in connection with this
Merrimac business. 1t turns out that the splen.
did preparations to sink her, Of which the de.