The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer. (Bel Air, Md.) 1862-1864, 1863-04-24
The Iron Hail Storm for Charleston.

The Iron Hail Storm for Charleston.
"a correspondent of the Boston you,aal,
writing frop Hilton Head, just before the
battle III Charleston, thus described the
weight q metal which would be precipita.
ted upon the city and its defences:
The armament of the New Ironsides
is sixteen ll,ineh- guns and two 200 poun-
der rifed PARROT gums. all of the Mem
itor class except the sKeokuk have each
an 11-iuch and 15.inch. The Keokuk
has two turrets, and an l1-inch gun in
each turret A&AT qNh Tl1ia EHT IA /
The 1l-inch guns throw q solid shot
weighing 1870 pounds the 15-inch guns
solid shot weighing 476. pounds. The
total weight of metal which can be thrown
alta single, DISCHARGE sums up -, ..-.,i
25elsyen7ipsh guns s...'",4i 500 i, 8,
3two-handred ibs... !. :. .. 400 lbs
34'guns.H aI aaa ,huatH 1922 lbs
But as the New 1lronsides will not be-
able To- use but one broadside at y time in
an attack upon Sumter, One half of her
broadside guns should be deductel--1 ,440
lbs which would give total weight of
6,762lbs. of metal which can be hurled
at given moment upon the rebelworks !
Guns ofso large caibre cannot be, fired
rapidly, not oftener than six freight times
an hour. Time must be given them to
cool. . Sixty times a day is probably the
maximum. AT that rate the expenditure
of ammunition will be enormous. "A sin
gle71l.inch gun, fired sixty times, Or once
every ten minutes for ten hours, will
throw ten thousand eight hundred pounds1
of metal. Il A 15-inch gun, fired at the
same rapidity, will require twenty-eight
thousand five hundred and sixty pounds
Any one of the Monitor class will re-
quire thirty nine thousand threeshundred
and sixty, pounds, nearly twenty tons Of
shot Each Monitor will also use about
two tons of powder per day. The entire
feet, working at the same rate, viii hlrl
at the rebel Publications four hundred and
fifty thousand pounds Of iron III ten hours,
at an expense Of fifty thousand pounds OIL
powder Or two hundred ar twenty five
tons Of powder ! ," 1,'''2ta }@,". 'l5ff 81,
Many people have wondered at the long
delay on the part of Admiral Dupont, but
they will appreciate the magnitude of the
undertaking when they learn that the
iron.clad feet would use up in six days
twelve hundred tons of shot and shell and
hundred tons of powder. sG12fin 2tom
Torpedoes are more 70 be feared than
the guns in the rebel forts andH batteries.
There will be points where shot from
Sumter, Moultrie, Fort johnson, Morris
Island, and, Sullivan Island will fall like
hailaround and upon the attacking feet, but
the swiftest flying bolts, will roll off harm
lessly, leaving no deeper dents than the
hailstones ola June Shower upon shing-
led house roof dt4a - htf9E 5dl.F
Butthere is still an impoftant'pcint for
consideration Win the ttirty-fouf guns
be able to silence the guns of the enemy =
Tho effect OF the shot throwpa against Fort
Pulaski at distance of three-fourths of ai
mile is good data. The first days fire
cracked ands crun,bied the masonry
When the white flag was 4raisedthe wall
WAS u ruin Ii this was accomplished at |
such distance it is reasonable to con- |
clude that the 15-inch guns at ons-third
the distance will be able to breach the
walls'of SumtcTGIos AIT r,dI a5il hHI
e Against esithworks no experiment has
been made except at Fort McAllister. ~
There tile fire was deliberate The twen-
ty-fve feet cmbahk,neuts were badly torn.
ODE gun was dismounted and this ut the
distance OF mile Eartl,wofks are stron.
ger'defonce than masonry They, can be |
repaired ut highland made almost as good !
as new. ri But the feet will not be COM
PEELED" to silence them before reaching
ChafIeston. They gan be passed by with
at least such is the superstition.
But when there iseso much that is new
aud antfioda-nsw guns, great guns, new
new defensive rand offensive
appliances, no satisfactory conclusion can
be 9arfivedat.n We must, waltz trial.
The following. is a list ofsthe ten iron-
clads engaged in the bodlbardmont Of
Chaflestou,swith' their tonnage, aguns, and
the humber of men engaged IN board of
Ifonsides:..a.a. 4 :. Z. s,4ss alsHiabSss5o
/ Montauk. III. !aa.t oAsS4 fI9di2bEiU oll0Oai |
Passaic........".... 1874 nj . lid Il 100 I'd
Catskill .,,.a,,,...-. y 1884 ,qa2 ., /, 100
Weehawksn s84 700