Delaware State journal and statesman., 1863-05-19
NE MONITORS BEFORE CHARLESTON


lllLros HEAD, S. c April 70, 1853.
MY DEAR: Our friend CU-sh0wcd me one
paragraph Of your letter to him in which YOU re-
terredi apparently with surprise, to tile lnct.
that the attack Cn Charleston by the iron clncis
should have been discontinued ''when so few
casualties had occurred This is su obvious IL
reflection on the first hasiy view of the affair
aud yet so radically unjust when 10 look CALMLY
At the facts that. M Co.'s absence (he has
gone to ST. Augustine and Fernandina) will
venture to occupy your time u few moments on
the subjects
la oIdinary warfare the amount of casualties
will give fair idea nj the strength of the resis.
lance and The power and persistoncy OF the at
tack with wooden vessels, your remark-and
know it to h1 an all but universal one-vould
apply with truth; and il is because so accustom-
ed to measure battles on land or sen hy the
amount of blood Spilled that we nrc apt 10 err
III Judging an utterly uncommon aud unprccc-
| dentei battle by the ordinary or common stand
ard, Let me now submit some points:
!. 1t is now to be borne in mind that this $50
far as the navy is cnncrrued) was purely an ex-
pertinent as to the possibility Of taking city by
machinery. The Monitors might be called blood.
saving machines, with this penalty attached to
them; thnt whenever the loss OF life should
begin, it would involve the inevitable destruction
of every man Oh boarl. The number of men ia
the whole irOn-olad squadron was less than II
regiment; and these few hundred men, rushing
against forty or fifty Thousand, were to have no
other part in the fight than to supply the neces-
sary power for working the machines. II
Charleston were to fall, it was by machinery ;
| and the moment the experiment Wns tested 10
the point OF proving that the machines werl in
adequate to their work, it was wisdom to with
draw them aud would have been dangerous tool
hardness to have he'd them longer exposed.
=. The experiment was fully executed up to
this point with maguiloeuce OF gallantry be
fore which, rs a spectator, l bowed IN reverence
The macniaes were unlried and the conflict WAS
the first practical test we have eyer had Of the
power Of the new kinds of ordnance aud ord
nance material employed ngains, them Irefe,
70 The Blakely and Whitworth English Guns.
firing steel bolts and steel pointed shot The
warfare was almost as new to the Admiral and
ms Captains az it would have been to you or MY.
self-new kinds Of prrjeciiles raining on hiu
from aboyei vast torpedoes known to be under
meath his heels, ard every channel of entrance
blocked with triple rows OF totptd1-aTmed oh
slrucuols.
3. After less than an hours conflict, five out
Of the eight Monitors were dsableI-ihe Keokul;
sinking. Behind the forts, calmly waiting theit
opportunity, lay three OF the eneniy's iron-elads
| in plain view vessels not able in fair fight Ia
! live an hour before Que Of our Monitors bu
| held in readiness 10 cruise out and capture
any Monitor disabled by the artillery practice oil
the forts and batteries. This should not be lost
sight Of.
4. With two or three of our vessels of this kind
disabled, captured, repaired, and in the encmy's
service, what force would it require to maintain
the blockade Of Charledou! Wooden vessels
our suhboats and steam sloops would be useless;
ana our iron vessels uld. not live outside OF
Charleston bnr in rough weather Nor, even II
they could, unless he had enough Of them to