Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1863-04-18
The N. Y. Tribune replies to the Baltimore

The n. I. Tribune repiioS w ell0 D<'1oAi'o1o
American, on the subject OF the failure to re-
new the attack on Charleston as follows:
"He alleges, in substance, that tile Monitors
were SO slightly injured that they could nave
been taken into action next day; that their OF
fcers were in favor OF resaulng the hight that
Fort Sumter was 20 badly damaged that ano-
th usv honbardmcnt would have caused its sur
render; and that, therefore, the decision OF
admiral Dupont to Withdraw was premature
and the failure Of the attack owing wholly to
him. Not one Of those statements Is true
not even coloyably Or plausibly 50.
The injured iron-cads were not, and could
not be repaired on the spot, " Washington tel
egram to the contrary, having no better au-
thority than this which we disprove. Every
one Of their commanders-W possibly one
exception-was Of opinion, and so stated, on
board the New Ironsides, that it was hopeless
to renew the engagement. The extent of the
damage to Fort Sumter could not be ascertain
ed, but there is no evidence Whatever tha0 IL
was serious; that the strength OF the tort was
appreciably weakened by the bombardment,-
One officer thought he saw two port holes
Knocked into one, and that is ali! Even the
Americans correspondent apparently forget
ting for the moment that he has a case to make
out, says in one place that nothing IS known
as to the amount of injury to the interior, but
''several" ffteen-inch shot are 'behcVed' to
have entered the embrasure.
AS to the officers opinions, his statements
are EQUALLY inconsistent He declares IN one
letter that all the officers of the different YES
sells were in readiness and most OF them anx-
ious to renew the conflict, but IN paragraph
written three days later, can only allege that,
from the reserved manner OF the captains, ne
is inclined to doubt whether all OF them adyls-
ed the abandonment of the attempt Inc
truth is, that there was just one commander
who hesitated to declare positively against an
other commandment. The decision OF Adlnl-
raj Dupont was sustained by the opinions Of at
least eight out of nine of his captains officers
who were chosen as the flower Of their protes-
sion to command those iron clads- by that
of Captain G. r. P Rodgers, his feet captain,
than whom there is no ADLER or Drawer officer Of
his rank, or perhaps any rank, in the navy
When such men as these decide that the bat
tie is hopeless, it would seem as if even the
libelous mouth of the American correspondent
might have been closed.
Aside from their opinions, tits, unfortunate
ly, too plain case for argument The neat OF
this fight lasted about thrce-quarters3 OF an
hour, and in that period five out Of the nine
iron-cla DIS were SO seriously disabled as to be
unable to continue the conflict. They could not
penetrate the distractions to the channel, and
could not be steered into the entrance between
them. Still less was it possible to have used
the RATS and torpedoes. With the raft alone,
the Weehawken was almost unmanageable. 1t
Fort Sumter had not fired shot, it may be
doubted whether the n-clads could have
made their way into the harbor.
The Washington Chronicle characterises as
an ssinsolent assump tion'' that portion Of Lord
ID WI