Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1863-01-08
The ca,nsa.

ship yards, have for months past resoaDd
ed with the din of preparation, and an immense navy
has been hriit and much of it will soon be finished
Many of the new vessels iron-clads of the Monitor
pattern, got up at stupeDdous cost. Monster guns
have been cast to be used board these vessels and
the whole expense. when summed up, will be found to
amount to something, which, at first sight would ap-
pear to be almost fabulous
Upon the operations of this great naval armament
high hopes have been founded. 1t is looked to to
pair errors and compensate the failures OF the army
and the cabinet and retreve tie fortunes of the sinking
dynasty at Washington. That it can do all this we
have idea, but that the attempt viii be made, we
cannot entertain doubt, nor can fatter ourselves
with tie hope of immunity from attack.
1t cannot be supposed that the Lincoln government
would expeud SO mucpmoney aid so much labor, make
so many promises raise many expectations, with
out at least making trial Of the collie cted with
so much laborious preparation. The whole North has
been buoyed up under its repeated disasters in the field
with the of what is to be done on the water
Cities to be TAKEN rivers penetrated and whole sec
tons of country subugated and laid waste. This Is
what the North has been taught to expect as the fruits
of the several naval expeditions which to be sent
against the ports and rivers OF the South. 1t is just
we'll for to bear 10 mind that this is the Encoln
lite programme and it is imperative duty to be pre-
pared to meet that programme with measures adequate
to the occasion and calculated to defeat it. The back
bone of the enemys power is broken land. Its claws
and talons are still uncipped at sea. We must be pre-
pared to inerpee steel to steeto meet every attempt
to fasen these claws upon coast wit mpenatra
bic shell, from which they will recoiI, bruised and
less.
Hac this is to be done must of course be devised by
the engineering skill Of our military authorities, but
think not trenching upon the peculiar sphere of
these authorities when call attention to we'll estab
shed facts and respectfully urge the great efficiency of
we'll devised distractions of which the affair at Drewrys
Bluff affords such striking Illustration, having been the
chief means of resting the advance of the enemy's
feet to Richmond, thus saving that city from the hor
rors of bombardment from the water.
How far other points capable of complete o!sl NC
ton hardly say but that many are, to extent
far beyond anything that has yet been DONE few, we
think will doubt end in view of the considerations to
preparation Of the enemy, the confident expectations
founded upon and the consequent certainty that the war
will not be permitted to end without the exertion of its
full force upon coasts and rivers and that within no
long tmC~c cannot too strenuous call the attention of
the auti critics III this direction too earnestly urge
the adoption OF very that science can devise in
genuity suggest 10 render rivers and Ibors i'm
plunde, rs OF the shore. We have at least one mere
severe ordeal go Though We trust that it will not
find unprepared.