Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-11-23
EARrn MuKKs.
man.
RIoaHOsD. NV. -.

RICaNOsD. NV. u. 1894.
10 re Editor Of oA' Why; sf,
IL tAs lsaasr ~ youT LsGe Of yesterday, und1 Ae
elpGioa o. "7As Chang. As SyItGa Of Wac" the
dc. apparently Ia adISAesd h.I GoisnsVO HOrkS re-
.Or.sd 70 by he RaSan eSgassrs at ssblstOPOl we're
he inauguration OF ~ ensisy method OF deieLcs,
saieh be.ors IhA, Gmo lad DseE uat nPoysd add 10
Inoun IL military operations GVn1 the credit Of
snOss works 20 TOIebsn, OOS o6SsIVe ia tn'c, &c
produced ~ entre GGAGgs 70 Ghe Nhols sJSsm OF VA
.s i. had bssu carried Oh snVs the lnVsnGOn OF gun
"pOW1eE' -
..Tha moSt powerful foEtfc1.i5ns Of Stone,' joe
continue, 'cOud NOS have stood day before be A.
"tIsry ussd Sy tbe Alhes s,bAstepal. BSt against
.ths sarthuOrks raised By T0dlsbea uAs impO1snl
As sOOI - . brsaon VAS made, iE was hilsd u. IhS
nasT al being the bOsOn Of the cath iSen and VA
AR. employed beng amply that Of gG'dsrsr o.
sdlIcber."
A ali obi, i calculated 10 gJe in a. belief Wong
animate OF The actual merits and achievements OF the
dsus ushed Russian, "a we'll IS a. inaccurate toiioa
Of tbs condition OF the art OF the military engineer
nust or spacB 10 say that The Works erected 81 Be-
o,s,opl were N no Tesplot novel desces in VAT, nor
-, ,bey there Tor tho 6rsi tne emplOJed 10 pr'cia-
- tss ssms wy as vas done Wsi ty Totlsben..
0. this you may salily ssIiSiT yourself by turni1g
81, Nshan's little WoIk on Field F0rllacStiOnS" which
b,s bssu text book at the school 1T West Point for
uors than thirty years. 10 that book you will 6ud
io,I instructtn 10 tho construction OF every species
Of ssrthUCrk erected at SehAstoPoi, Including what
ara noU ts,ued "IiAs pits" And every graduate NJ
,k,t school uAs required kpOW hoy TO throw them
81, and under What circumstances. TOtlsben's mer-
- which are uIqaesionAbs, we're not In the inVsn-
dan OF addition Of nsW elles o; works or lines OF
I,e5as but ia the energy With which be constructed
cha ,opsum1aAe skl with which be selected and adAp
"a % ths ground the particular character Of uOrE
- sleuated for the pOsltiospand IN the fertility OF
rsourees which he dsphy, IA tie eXigenCes Of the
,opr and az each phase OF the siege. In this way,
sIad mat the genius OF the engineer, or bis apt-
- a Cor his art be shOan the books can only tell
80. IN huId-his genius alone enable him 10 So
lees apa properly dispose the right class of works and
lines.
SebastOpcl as ycu kaos, the great laval depot aud
.sapst Of Rnssa 10 ths Back Ssa, provided only
Ian substsn,ial defenc,s against attack BY see;
,andsard Il vas comparatively uadeended. To remedy
Ms H6eld uoIks' necessary soon ~ IL b.
M anpsrt mt that the Allies marching ~ attack
!, from that quarter The right man for the Work-AA
~,
T,tlsbsn welded she immense labor resources Of the
Rnss;ans with equal resolution aud ability; but il lie
~ the fact that be introduced IN the art OF which he
bsc,ms an ornament a. did our lam nted HGrre any
ma. material" n6r employed aOy old material In
ne0 and hitherto unused ways. the notion that he
lid 40 lie founded in The looSs writing Of Journalists
nresent at the siege Al heir decks Ia LendOn and
M York uaacq tainted with the details OF military
When Geaersl Taylor, in 1916, under the orders Of
Mr. Polk took up pOsl,..- the Rio Gfsnde. his
ERgnesr Mansfield, threw up an excellent field work
opposite the Mexican works at hstsmorss, in which
garrison of regiment Of infapty and several artillery
e,mnAnias vas left hen ths American General found
IL necessary 10 march With main force and reopen
his communications with his depot of supplies or base
AZ Psin Isabslla Tna. work at once invested by
tho Nex.oans, who opened upon It with numcrou,
s-tlsrV DEVISED and cOnHtruoted with skil il served
he ends for Wh CD had boon provided as fully as any
sork az Scbastopol ard was az oredsbls to the art
Another " field work" vas at the sams time built to
cover the depot al Point Isabelle and the troops OF
tho United Satos worked IN its trenches late ss IL
o'eldk Of tue day, then marching meet the Next.
cana at PaIo Alto Whch al took place the following
dsy.
themselves were fast led, under the Inspiration Of
rotebsu 70 resort 10 sd works after their eefsat at
AEaa; fos ths fact is that the glish encountered
heavy Woks Of the class With 'Open goIges on that
field. u.1-.
la g paper communicated By the present writer to
ei;heryouF journal the Alexandria Sentinel In March
o. early in April, 1851, bsoTe Virginia seeded ins
ieatod and urged tie great worth of the spade and
mex In the impending q means which the
Sogthsrn sodiery Should gesort 10 to protect lives
far more valuable than tbs neTconGres that would be
brought 10 oppose u.s. and 10 equal1s numerical dif.
fersucea Aud here lst remsTk that the called
Dr;as pits" ara simpi, Whit known az being in-
sastry breestsorSs, fully laid down 10 the books-hs-
h,n-SSaSbs' attack anu defence, sad by similar vTi-
s WSioh for gFsaes CELEBRITY Of execution, are thorn
CD With She dc5 50 tbs inside, and forming part ct
the shelter Of those Hho oc5upy the line. E&8
AoFeoVe-, may add chat toe epplOe ment OF earth
CT pssBes has not been confined TO field works alonH
81 shy mssnA The fact is that the rsnpsrts Of per-
! n srsnt fot'i6cstions toe, which can only b. ap-
sl7 Of sarhthat is, III portions exposed 70 the d.
rect Gre Of artillery. Store and brick psropets hsve
long ncs been used Only for works designed Ike Fort
srut and those defending the hs,bor Of sebastopo
aud such are indeed imp0tent sgsast oisrn artillery
n Stationary land bssioIies-
Il eorc usicn Il may not be cut Of paes to venture
he assertion thsfin amount Of engineering sSll,
= u-os sEd labor hraeeht into psy on bath sides IN
Ire epssaons around Charleston, the siege Of Ssbas-
tcnsl sil not compare. horeoye-, IN tie deplly Of
rscuss sppic9on or adaptation OF RESOURCES Tor De-
fsaee and 10 oucond ever rssdy skill the hT neer
mo bsl been INN sdia,ey entrusted with the dutes
AZ ~ at il Fort SanteF has had no superior in sny
seyvee-an officer "a yet unknown to fame. / refer
20 John johnson, recently made Major Of Provision
81 EuEinssrs