Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-05-02
Correspondents Of the n. I. world.l
BALTIMORE. April 2l.
A WV ELKMENr on REREL srRENerH

facts in relation the naval plans of the rebels
The operations of the Coniederates in the
. campaigns Of 1864 will not be confined to the
maneuvers of land forces. If their plans are
carried out, naval operations on large scale will
form a prominent part of the exertions which
they will put forth. Without including their
foreign-built vessels, of which / will speak pres
ertly, aud excluding also such vessels as the
Georgia. which used merely stationary
floating batteries, they have built themselves.
mostly from their own materials, and have now
at their command, feet of no less than thirty
iron clad vessels. More than twenty of the
largest and most powerful of these vessels.
has been demonstrated by actual experiment. are
fully capable of coast wise and river navigation,
and are therefore capable Of taking part in Of
fensivc naval warfare. Ii is more than likely
that this element of strength on the part of the
rebels has not entered very largely Into the plans
of the campaigns for this year which have been
formed at Washington, for the simple reason that
the facts related below either not known, or
are not believed there. However this may be,
certain il is that will experience far more
trouble from the Confederate navy, before the
year is out, than any one at Washington expects.
MANUFACTURE OF IRON PLATES FOR VESSELS AT
THE SOUTH
NY letter of April 10th contained a statement
of the places at the South where railroad iron
and heavy machinery were manufactured. There
are OILY three OF t0ece pldceS, DOWcser, where
iron plating for vessels is being made OF has been
made; namely, at Richmond, Charleston and At
lanta. This, by the way, in another reason why
the capture Of these places would be vitality
important TO our canse. Bars of railroad iron,
however, have been used to a considerable ex-
tent in plating the vessels that have been built at
the South. These bars not always of the
heavy 4 shape; but are in many cases simply
Hat r'sils two and half inches thick and three
or four inches wide. When this kind of bars are
used two layers of them are always fastened on,
crossing each other diagOnally. This secures
thickness of five inches Bradley's new iron
works at Manchester, opposite Richmond. which
were put up last spring. and the machinery for
which purchased at Glasgow, Scotland, and
brought over last June and July in vessels that
ran the blockade at Wilmington, has been run
ming with full set of hands ever since last Oc-
tober and during the last four months has dore
little else than TO turn out fat bars OF iron for
plating vessels. two inches thick and four inches
wide. The vessels that are plated with these
bars have three layers, one over the other, and
thus have plating of six inches thick.
CONFEDERATE RAILROADS. ETC, PROTECTED BY
GUNBoATs.
There are four of these iron-clad vessels at
Shreveport, on the Red river, in Northwestern
Louisiana They will no doubt, take part in
the engagement with the Federal forces concerned
in the present Red river expedition, If the recent
repulse of the latter has not been so severe to
cause an abandonment of the expedition. In the
East there are two iron-clad vessels at Kingston,
and one near GOldsboro, on the Neuse river: two
on the Tar river, at a point where the latter
crosses the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad:
and certainly three, (if the last one re
Gently building is completely at Halifax, on the
Roanoke river. These seven iron-clad gunboats
in North Carolina are intended mainly at present
at least. for the defense of the important railroad
FROM Wilmington to Richmond, and in order to
prevent Union troops vessels from advancing
on that road from Newbern, from Albemarle
or Pamlco sound. But there is nothing in their
construction which would prevent them from
navigating those rivers to their mouths. and
sailing along the coast for the experience of
their trial trips has proved them to be unworthy
in every respect They mounted with guns
of English manufacture.
The FIVE irOn-clad vessels nc Mobile, the FIVE
at Charleston, and the one in the Savannah river
were all so accurately described in the World
short time ago, that | need only refer to them.
There are besides, at Charleston. two powerful
iron clad steam rams, one of which is commanded
by Captain Ingraham.
TEN IRoN-CLAD VESSELS AT RICHMOND.
At Richmond, and between that city and Fort
Darling. there are ten iron clad vessels most of
them mounted with riAed guns. OF these the
Merrimac No. is the largest and most formida-
bic. Her armament consists of six guns ma mely,
two heavy Coumbads on each side. one ten
inch rihed gun at the bow, and another at the
stern. These guns all carry the steel pointed
projectiles which crashed through and through
the sides of our iron clad Gaiena. as If they had
been made of pine boards. These ten iron-clad
vessels will play an important part in The defense
OF Richmond, If that city is attacked by way of
James river. or from the south But il seems
most probable now that we will first hear Of
them at the mouth of James river. in Hampton
Roads, or perhaps even sailing up the Potomac.
TWENTY EUROPEAS-BuILT IRoS-CLADs TO ARRIVE
THE SUMNER.
In regard to the iron clad vessels that have
been built Ter the Confederaies in the ports of
Great Britain and France during the last eighteen
months. my information is positive that they will
fnd their way across the Atlantic before the end
of June. Arrangements have been made for
the transfer Of those vessels that were built for
the Emperor Of China" TO PARTIES who cannot
be identified with the South; and alter the trans
fer has been made, the governments of France
and England can no longer interfere with them
the parties alluded to will then take them to a
seaport in some other country. where. by a pro
cess well known in maritime practice the vessels
will ultimately come into possession of the agents
OF the Contederacy. These vessels of which
there are abOLt twenty in all. are built expressly
for ocean navigation. and some of them are OF
the same class as The Warrior" and LA
Gloire." They are all constructed in the very
best manner by the most experienced European
ship-builders. plated with iron or mslleable s.eel
TO thickness that deies penetration, and mount
ed with ornaments far superior to anything now
afioet in American waters These vessels will
prove an element OF strength on the rebel side.
the Importance of which has been entirely over
looked by the Administration, intent on ifs
utopian negro schemes When these vessels
reach our shores they will not be used for de-
Tense. To break the blockade of Charleston,
Wilmington and Savannah, will be their first
first attempt And after that il Is expected that
thew will attack some Of the seaports in the
Northern States.
ToRPEDoEs AND SUBMARINE BATTERIES
The Confeierates are also making active pre-
partitions for breaking the blockade Of Charles
ton, Independents Of the arrival of this transa,i,n
TIC heet The recent torpedo explosion in the
james river was only an experiment They are
preparing, Ly means of torpedoes and other sub
marine explosions, 70 attack our feet of iron
clads in the part where they. like Achilles, are
alone vulnerable to such assaults, namely, in the
heel; IN other words, they seek TO direct the mis-
slles OF their submarine warfare against our iron
clad vessels TO the part protected by the iron
armOr, amely, the wooden hull, some distance
below the water.line. The explosion In the
James river was only an experiment II will
soon be followed BY attempts againss the block
aiding heet at Charleston-attempts which they
believe, and which there is reason 20 fear will
be more successful than that against the Mime
sofa.
DISTRACTIONS IN RIVERS AND HARBoRs
Such then are the dangers md al ff;cult;es th a,