Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-04-06
Fort Fisher and the uaIakoff.
fFran The London News.l

= HUM n LyL4@A %tt"csi
Captain Co~per Coles has pointed. in a letter
addressed to a contemporary. the moral to be
draxn from The capture of Fort Fisher by a few
thousand men covered by the fire of a fleet. IL
cannot be said that the tale is without an inter
est for ourselves. We have for some years
past been dotting our coasts with forts, ia some
respects stronger, but in others weaker, than
Fort Fisher was, and in the ayOwed hope that
they would resist such an attack by sea and land
as that 10 which Fort Fisher has succumbed
But besides this. we have been building at enor-
mons cost a feet intended to perform just such
services as the federal feet rendered. yet a feet
constructed on wholly different principles.
When Admiral Porter. with the assent of Cap
tain Coles-a very competent authority-telis
bis country men exultingly that Fort Fisher wes
stronger than the MalakoG. we do not at all
dispute the assertion. But when tho Admiral
draws By implication the inference that Ameri-
can troops have done more than The French
troops did. he 10 wrong, because 10 takes account
Of only one element 10 the question.
\ work Is never tenable through mere intrinsic
strength. It is held By its defenders, who OBJ
Tain an advantage fIomiiis strength. And il
falls at last because. IN spite Of that advantage.
the numbers and energy which the asssilsDts Can
pour upon il. For the defenders have always
some advantage, more OF less. Even when a
breach is opened they hold the summit-a posi-
ANOl IL many u Va - N.f baN NDLI
are forced from il az last because their numbers
are limited. while the assaulting column Is prsc-
ticalIy unlimited This Is the first condition of
the capture. But the attack II only successful
when the assaultiug column can set 80 near be
fore leaving cover that they cannot DC crushed
before reaching the point OF actual conflict Now
the MalakoH differed from Fort Fisher in both
these respects. L was not held by al isolated
garrison, but was in Communication with the
whole Russian army. And "a the ground ia
front OF IL was swept Rot Ouly by It's own guns,
but by tue IRE of the adjacent Russian works, Il
IL was not Gill the trenches were pushed very
close that the assaGlting column had c chance of
reaching il alive. So that VIC shall greatly err if
We assent 10 the idea either that the French could
not have captured Fort Fisher as rapidly as the
federals, or that the Americans. had they as
saulted the Malakof. could have captured it
without the trouble Of sapnin2, or without silenc-
ing the guns.
But the last alternative "Opens 30 US the real
point on which Fort Fisher offers " instruction.
Its guns we're silenced, and that almost for the
first time in naval warfare. BY the FIRE of a feet.
Hitherto forts have hsd the superiority in this
species of duel. They have not, indeed. as We
have often shown. succeeded IN preventing ships
from passing them, or manauvering at pleasure
under their guns. But when a ship has deliber
stely attempted to silence a fort, the fort has al
ways had the hes, Of il. This was notably the
case on the recent attack on Charleston, ard in
the attack of a British man-of wsr and n frigate
on the mantell0 tower in Corsica. And the re.
suit was due no, merely TO the superiority of fire
of the fort-for in both these cases the armament
Of the fort was very inferior TO that of the attack
ing ships-but to the disproportion between the
armament and the power of resistance. The
ship was OF wood. aud was set on fire or sunk be-
fore her guns, though heavier. conld dismaptlc
the stone or earthwork opposed to her. Aud il
is, therefore. simply because these conditions are
now reversed thai the federal fleet sileneed Fort
Fisher, and so allowed a successful assault 20 be
formed without the opening of trenches. The
feet carried metal OF such weight and power, and
80 protected in shot proof batteTies. that il was
able to defy the shore guns. until il had made
them no longer capable OF being worked.
Here then We have the secret of the rapid fall
Of Fort Fisher. OF course all branches of the
federal service behaved most calamity; but.
nevertheless, their gallantry could not have pro
duced the same effect If IL had not been tina, it
was supported BY 4 Gre from the ships such az
was never before seen, Aud Capt. Coles saws,
most Justly. that ii our feet, instead Of being
driven of by the Sebastopol forts after one at
tempt. had been armed and protected like the
American monitors, the fall of the place would
have been. in spite OF lis large garrison, infinitely
accelerated. But what we could not turn against
the Russians will be hereafter turned against US.
Oar shore losts will not have their sasy victory
over wooden vessels. but they will be shattered
with the tremendous FIRE Of iron floating batter
les. How are we 10 oppose this new engine Of
warf IL is plain that ne can only do il by main
tain,-c nrr ancient sseendancv aA0af