Civilian & telegraph. [volume] (Cumberland, Md.) 1859-1875, 1863-10-08
ST. ELMO, SEBASTOPOL AND SUM
TER; 1865, 1854, 1868. ~.

The success of General Gilmore in
his assault on Fort Pulaski was seven
days wonder to the artillerists of Europe.
The bombardmeut and total destruction
of Fort Sumter completes their amaze
ment. To batter down a strong fort at
the distance of nearly two miles, ten
years ago, would have been considered
we'll nigh impossible. Three years ago
it would have been deemed in the high
est degree improbable. Now, actual ex-
periencc has proved it to be among the
common possibilities of offensive war.
So rapidly does the mind familiarize
itself with the progress of ofinvention, that
we need to use special effort to keep up
sense of the greatness and the rapidity
of that progress. A comparison of diff
erent and distant events will aid US in
doing justice to our own day and to its
wonders
It is now nearly three hundred years
since the famous siege Of st. Elmo, in
the island of Malta. 1t commenced on
the Oath of May, 1868, when the trenches
were first opened. 1t was not until the
23d of juno that the handful of brave
defenders succumbed to the whole power
of the Turkish army. Their victory
cost the Turks eight thousand men, and
the long delay made that victory itself
useless. Had Mustapha and Dragut pos
sessed few of General Gilmore's guns
the fate of the place would have been
sealed before the setting of the sun on
the first day of the bombardment. Even
Mustapha's bad engineering could scarce
ly have prevented his easy triumph.
Sebastopol set at defiance the combin-
ed armies of England. France, Sardinia
and Turkey for whole year. Artillery /
of what was deemed almost fabulous /
power was employed, and the engineer
ing especially that Of the French, WAS
of the ablest kind. But the siege began
in September, 1854, dragged wcarily a.
long into the winter, into the spring. in
to the summer, and into the autumn
once more, before the Malakoff fell and |
the place was captured. With the artil!e-
ry which poured its fire on Sumter. Sebas-
topol would scarcely have held Gu: for
week, and England and France
would have been spared those sad and
terrible memories which hover over its
deadly trenches.
. From ST. Elmo to Sebastopol was two
hundred and ninety years from Sebas-
topol to Sumter was only eight years.
When, however, we compare these three
sieges s-the means Of offerse and the
success that attended their use-we could
almost suppose that the eight years mark
ed the interval from St. Elmo to Sebas-
topol, and the two hundred and ninety
that from Sabastopol to Sumter. The
progress of the last eight years is cer-
tainly fully equal to that made in the
two hundred years preceding.
The great results which Gen. Gilmore
has attained are due to the splendid artil-
lery With which he has been furnished.
And in the manufacture md use of this
ar .illery we now stand second to no Power
in the world Indeed, the English jour
nails arc beginning to confess that we
have in common and successful use ar
tillery to which they have nothing equal.
1t will not be many days, probably, be-
fore We hear of other achievements of
General Gilmore's guns, equal to those
by which he has made for himself name
that will never die. The bonn bardment
Of Charleston from the batteries of Nor
ris Island is imminent, if it has not al
ready begun. 1t seems as though, in the
of heavy artillery, the pro-
gress of ordinary centuries have been
anticipated, in order that special empha-
sis may be given to the punishment Of
Charleston, which has been specially nc
torious as the home of treachery and se-
dition. the birthplace of Secession and
foul Bebcllion.-PhI. Ing.
-.s<.~.es-
D.rproTI -sEood MORNING G. !