The New York herald., 1863-08-27
New. Military Hosk.


systems Of Military Rridgoa in by ,hs Unltsd stass
army those adopted BY tho great Eurofe ID Powers,
. and sich a. are employed h Brissh indn. viii ~
rections for the essrvAtoo Destruction aAd Re csta
Iiscmont q Bridges BY RriE. Gen. Ccs. ". Cuinn,
Liout. ooa Corps Al Engineers. u s. Army, Chef a
S TO che General Chief the ARMIES a the Usitoa
states, &C., nc. New York d. Van, Nostrana. zef
Broadway. 1906"
or All ths anxious prosioms in tho great game Of waS
requiring courage science stcadness and mechanical sG
their solution Of interest
tho passage war barriers In the presence q bold and
entesmising enemy To sce Of the enemy and s
spite Of any resistance be may ofer. u bus ono asl
perhaps the greatest Of the difncutss. Tho q
retreat DO held OPEN ana above all. the machinery
paasng rivors and mustbs compressed into
and weight admitting transportation who SELL re-
tanning the necessary strength In present war ths
art Of the pont00er has played conspicuous part IN d.
Gliding the fate OF attacking and rotreang armies 1he
blunders Of Burnside and Hooker M Fredericksburg and
Chanoelosvie, and the defeat OF Lee At Gettysbsrg
only redeemed from utter dsaster by the Art anA
prompnoss OF tho pononers, who had constructed eal
held open without obstruction the causeways for
safe retrest Throughout Western and Southwcs,sra
campaigns where from the nature OF the country pums
rvers and have had to bs crossed by a.
vancing armies, the subject OF "mitary bridgsss has
long since been recognized OF the rstsmportanos
and yet, ia the volume now before from the pen of
that careful and yet prolific military writer General Cal
ium have the frat practical Code OF Instruction
creation. preservation and (ot less important for the
destruction and recstabishment Of all descriptions Of
water causeways.
with difference on the subject matter Of this volume
than General Cuum who, 20 far back the breaking
out of ar with Mexico specially charged by the
Engineer Department at Washington with the planning,
building and preparation fr service OF all the pontse1
trains and most OF the engineer material ths
Rio Grande for the Of armies Il while tls
discharge ths duty and under The stimulus Of the III
hutn In tran Ast,o
Of the ordinary heavy ponoen traips distances
embraced In the Mexcaa war; that Gene
raj Cuum invented and out into successful operation the
light easily compressible. portable and yet powcrut
India rubber pontoons which have since been rs
tanned In the armies OF the United States, besides
ing the compliment OF almost universal European adop.
Pontoous Of this description, with their frames
in Their Compressed state At the same time ryns tns
maximum Of buoyancy when inflated for Immediate use,
and may therefore, be regarded tho perfection Of this
Hut il is not every army or fraction of an army that
carries with needs regular ponseon train although
resources within himself for the construction a rhs
necessary 70 cross any ordinary river creek
retreat For the construction of s kinds OF bridges
treste, boat. ran, pile and iron, and FOR the
Of work o nssa.s
ample and extremely clear Instructions, accompanied
by charts and illustrations. From the arEs
operation connected with military bridges freely ana
cited-those triumphe bsirg pointed which
OWed thor 10 tn0oc great dt8abtorU
being forth and explained which due 10 the
bity neglect OF various comaners In all es OF the
world 10 the msans OF rapid transit watsr
ways The work gianoss briefly, but clearly AZ the
and character OF all the grsat military epdges
toned in history, givng the results Of the eApericace
pouonscrng art forty centuries of war since the
passage Of the grcat Of India BY seusramis.r
also fully forth the pss, ccnsructios, necessary
tools ransporsan and oquipage for a ths bridges and
pontooos used In the armies OF Europe and Bsitsh
india arhc entire work 10 o. the greatest interest,
and from the terss simplicity Of s style. the q
valuable Of tho many valuable additiono made our
military literature by its distinguished author.