Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-07-02
THE IRON-CLADS.
SO be it. :

No previous naval engagement probably created
such sensation in Europe that between the Monitor
and the Merrmac at Norfolk not of course from its magn
tude actual Importance, but from the fact that it
the first trial of newly invented vessels and the result
virtually annihated the naves of the world far the
pesses were concerned rendering all the then existing
ships of war ineffective and useless In Great Britain
particularly it created perfect trepdation, well it might
for it a very heavy if not fatal blow to her naval
power and supremacy and rendered it necessary to build
an entire new navy member Of the House of Commons
publicly declared the floor that the Monitor which
gagged the Msrrimsc match for the whole wooden
British navy Since that period the most steady attention.
both n Great Britain and France has been to the
construction of cads only for harbor defence
but cruising vessels and the most extensive and
costly experiments have continually been made with newly
invented guns to their power and the resisting Of
plated vessels but yet without satisfactory results
regards the latter and thus far they have produced nothing
which compare to our ironclads have tested
them in actual fight All that have DONE and al the
experience we have acquired the subject has very
omnous bearing upon the naval power Of Great Britain
and under the knowledge gained by the attack the
numerous and powerful batteries at Charleston we
introducing improvements and alterations in the iron
clads now building that will put still further in advance
of the European experiments.
The recent fight between the Weehawk and the At
anta is also an era in the history Of naval warfare
h the first and decisive engagement between
cads and demonstrated the great power and efficiency
of the newly invented l5-nch gum for the FIRST
tried in an actual and purely napal 6ght-vesse against
vesseand has fully established the value of such guns
most effective and crushing machine The l5-nch solid
ball weighs 440 pounds and the fret shot from the Wee
hawken struck the side of the Atlanta at angle of forty
or fifty degrees. Though it might have been supposed
that this angle would have glanced off, yet without any
change in its direct course the shot penetrated through her
thick iron plating and twenty inches of solid timber
by which it bushed if it had been soft earth crush
ing every thing before it and prostan forty Of her crew
h iron and wood spner and the severity Of the
sion The second shot broke Of the heavy iron port
stoppers sending its fragments among the and wound
ing seventeen that at the gun and the third
mashed her massive iron potb woundng stunning
all the that in it These three shots ended the
contest for though the Weehswken fred two more the
white flag the Atlanta was being raised just they
we're fred.
The Atlanta not only the largest and most powerful
ron-cad the rebels had but she probably for
midsbe vessel than any possess shoat except per
haps the Roanoke at New York and the Ironsdes off
Charleston.
1t is an unparalleled event in naval warfare that large
vetsel (20U0 ons) with such equipment and power,
should thus be compelled surrender by the effect of only
three shcts and is gnal proof Of The immense advance
which tho pciencs 6f ravs warfare both 10 annoyance and
defence has made since the As great European naval
From the energy with which the gubect is now being
studied and pursue both IN the United States add Europe
may not reasonably expect 10 such further progress
made will put the present monitors and iron clsis
in the shade much they have put wooden vessels
The desderatum to be obtained s ball proof and
ronclads active cruisers the broad ocean and
we feel full confidence that American genius will accom-
plsh it ere this war closes.