Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-04-30
The CharIealou Bonlbardasnt.
C. H BoURDEAUx, sscs'y.


The result Of the Charleston affair cannot be
tsksn ss proof of ihe ineflciancy Of iTOn-elaI
vessels for war purposes. It may demonstrate
the fUtlity of sending small boats. with limited
aTnsments, against the c0ncsntric power of bat
terry upon battery, and fort upon fort there to
lie and melt away before irresistible strength,
without the power to return 1.-THE Of the injury
done thsm,-but as regards the principle Of iFoa-
plating the result is the seme before. The
turrots of the monitors were not pisrcad, and
their side srnlor does not seem TO have received
materisl iniary. The Ksokuk which was sunk,
was poor apology for an iron beat, being half
wood and half iron. Even her turrsts were Of
this fimsy material, being made Of alternate
strips Of wood and iron set edgewise, and GOV
cred, outside and inside, By a she'll OF plate iron,
with thickness in al os but FIVE inches and q
half. Size was Of course riddled, as every per-
son, except her builder, and those who con
trseted for her, supposed she would be. The
monitors proper WeTs not pierced, but wara lit
erslly pounded and knocked about to such an
extent that they became useless for any pur-
poses of offsuss. The power Of off5nse consti-
tutss an Important element Of their invuneCa-
bility, and when that Is tsken from them they
are only fit to get ont Of harms way a. soon as
possible Thsir equipment was two guns apiece,
and those 50 confined and crsmoed ss to render
effective working impossible. Yet they took the
hre OF over t6Tae hunQred guns, aud were not
blown out Of water or sunk to the bottom
The statement that the rebels have Whi.worth
guns may bs true, for ths7 have bad opp0rtuni-
ties enough to get them. The possession Of these
guns gives them the only effective ordinances
science has yet produced with which to combat
iron plating The guns are riAsd by hexsg1-
nal bore, and Pre- made Of wrought iron. The
proieetlel a-e the squere-fr9nted st3el boli, tho
only shot that has practically overcome the
Warrior targets Yet with this ordnance the
task Of penetrating eleven inches Of iron has
yet to ba Accomplishment that thickness pro
tects the gunners Of the monitor feet.
Had the eighteen gu3s which the fset Of
monitors carried engaged twice their own num-
her, or even three times, they might have come
out victorious; but when called upon 20 face the
FIRE Of three hundred or more of the heaviest
ordnance, their hopes were but slight. Such a
storm of iron was poured into them thGt their
answering shots were lost in ths tumalt, and the
only wonder is that they ever came out Of it
that they were not fairly hammered to pieces.
Iron is strong, and will endure m1ch, but it is
not proof szsjnst the upheaval Of nature, and
such q csnnOnade is twin-broths 70 an earth
quake. We hope the Administration is satisfied
with the experiment Il is another failure, and
failures at this stage, are liIils short Of dsas.
ters Charleston is unconqueTed, aud tbe iron
clad monitors have lost all their teTTors. Foreign
secessionists viii hold jubilee over the event,
end We shall find, presently, thst We have taken
another step toward inviting foreign inteTvsn-
tion.-ChieagO Times