Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-05-13
Rebel Erou-Clads.
Thirty BsIt at ts South, aad TiOsaig. Nor
Coming Go~ Europe.

GuHtbAE Efu8 LAFpFe-
Correspondence Of the New York World
B~ALrIAoRE, April 2L-From the sources of lnformA.
ton alluded 20 IN a recent letter, I HAYS derived the fJi
lowing facts In relation 70 the naval plans Of the rebels
The operations Of tha Confederaies In Ibe campaigns
Of 1864 will not be confined 10 the maneurres Of theiE
land foress. II their plans are carried cut, naval opera
lions on q large scale will form q prominent part Of the
exsrtions which thsg 7yill put forth. Without iselud.
ing their foreign built vessels. Of which I viii speak
presently, and excluding also such vessels Is ths Gsor-
"a which are ussd1nersiy IS stationary floating bate
res, they have built themselves, mostly iIOm their own
materials, and have now at their command q heet OF
no Less than thirty one ironclad vessels More Than
twenty Of the largest and most powerful Of these YES
SETS, ss has been demonstrated BY actual experiment,
are fluffy capable Of eoastuise and river navigation,
and ans therefore capable Of taking part in Offensive
naval Warfs-s.
There srs four Of these ironelsi vessels a. shreve.
port. on Red river. In Northwestern Louisiana They
will no donbt take part IN the engagement with the
federal forces concerned In the Preseut Red river eNpe-
ditiOn, If the recent repulse OF the latter has not been
30 severe aE 10 cause the abandonment Of the sxpedi-
ton Ia ths East there are two ironelad vessels at Kin
sion, and one near aoldsboro. en- the Neuse riser tHo
on Tar river, a. q point Whers the latter crosses Che
Wilmington and Weldon railroad and certainly two
Tor three, If The last ons recently building Is completely
At Halifax. on the Roanoke river. These seven iron.
clad gunboRtE In North Carolina are Intended mainly,
al present, at least. for the defense Of the Important
railroad from Wilmington 70 Richmond. ana Ia order 70
prevent Union troops or Fssssls from advancing on that
road from Nembern, or from AlbemArie or Psmtico
sound Bat there Is nothing in their construction which
wuRld prevent them from navigEtsng those rivers 70
their months and sailing along the coast, for tbs exo,ri
euce Of their trial trips has proved thsm 10 be savior
thy In every respect They are mounted with guns Of
The ave iron-cisd vessels st Mobile, The ave at
Charleston, and the one Ia the Savannah river, were
all 30 accurately doscribed in sbo World, q short time
ago, that I nosd only refer 10 than. There as be-
sides, a. Charleston, two powerful iron-clad steam
rams, one Of which is commanded by Capt. Insraham.
Al Richmond, aud between that city ard EortsDarl-
ing, there are ten. ir0nclAd vessels, most Of them
mounted with rihed guns. OF thess the Msrrimae No.
2 10 the largest and most formidable. Her armament
consists OF ak guns, namely Two heavy column
biads on each side, one ten inch rihed gan at the bow,
aud another Al the stern. These guns al earry the
steel pointed projectilss- which oraah through and
through the sides Of our own iron clad Ga onBy IS II
they bad been made Of pine boards Thsse ten iron
clad vessels VIII play an important part in thedefense
Of Richmond, II that city Is attacked BY way of James
river or from the south. But 10 seems most probable
Bow that We VIII Hrst hearof item At the mouth Of
James river, In Hampton Roads, or, perhaps, even sail
ing up the Potomac.
In regard 70 The iron clad vessels tina. have been built
for the Gained rates in the ports OF Great Britain and
France duri z the last eighteen months, my lnlorma
ton Is positive thas they will find their way acrozs the
Atlantic before ths end Of June. Arrangements have
been made for tbs trsnafer Of those vessels that were
built for the Emperor Of China to parties who can
not be Identified Sith the South; and, after the trans,
fer has baen made, the governments Of France and
England can no longer inteEfers with them The par
ties Alluded 70 will then take them 80 = seaport in some
othsF cozniEyi where, By a process vel known ~ mar.
itims practice, the vessels viii ultimately come into the
possession Of agents Of the Coniederacy. These yes
Esls, OF which there are about twenty In all. Are built
expressly for ocean navigation, and some OF them are
Of he same class As the Warrior AID La Gloire. They
are ali constructed In the very best manner, cy the
most experienced European shlpbuhders, plated with
iron or malteable steel 70 \ thickness that oehrs pene-
trAtiOn, and mOunted with armanents far Rupenor 10
anything now ahoat In American waters When these
vessels reach our shores they will n0s be used for de-
fenss. To break the blockade Of Charssson. Whining
ten aud Savannah, Will be their first sitsmpsi and, after
that, Il Is expected that they will attack some Of the
sesports in ths Northern States
The ConiedsTates sre also making active prepsraticns
for breaklsR tbs blockade OF Charleston independent
Of The arrival Of this trannstianHa fest
They are preparing, by means Of ~torpedoes and other
methods Of nubmagios explosions, to attack our feet Of
Iron clsda in tho part whsre they, ike Achilles are
alone vulnerable to such assaults, namely In. The heel.
Ia other words, they seek % direct the missiles Of their
submarine warfare against or iron clad vessels to the
part not protected by ths-iron arnor. the wooden bull,
some distance below The waller line. The explosion in
the James river WAS only sn experiment. It will soon
be followed by attempts against the blOekading feet st
chsrlsston-atfsmpl which they believe, and which
there IL REASON 10 fsar, Will be more successful than
that againss the MinBeselA.