The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-01-29

JANUARY %, 1876
TAs 0restaess % This Cs~atry ana the
Prospects or . Foreign war.
The extraordinary military and naval opera
tons Of this war-the recent capture Of Fort
Fisher, Sherman's grand march and occupation
Of Savannah, tho demolition Of Fort Sumter, tho
taking Of Fort Pulaski, passing and capturing
Forts St. Philip and jackson at New Orleans,
and Morgan and Gaines at Mobile, and the
brilliant storming OF Fort McAllister on the
Ogeechee, have been . preparation or rehearsal
for foreign war, and Tho present civil contest
Is therefore Of the greatest possible advantage
to this country in Its development - the lead
ing nation Of the world.
Taught by . dear but valuable expo
rience, we arc now equally strong for
attack and defence. At the close Of tho
war Of 1912 our military engineers estab-
lished Q chain Of formidable forts along
our Atlantic coast from Maine to tho Rio
Grande. These forts were designed to protect
us from another foreign invasion; but before
they were required for that purpose the rebel
lion broke out, the rebels seized our Southern
fortiAcations, and it became necessary for US to
recapture them. Thus, by singular combi-
nation Of circumstances, we have been COM
PEELED to test the strength Of our own works.
The result Of this test briefly stated y that our
present fbrs can be taken: n the enemy can
effect landing with any considerable body Of
troops. We know this, because our own SOL
diers have retaken them all, with the exception
Of Fort Sumter, which we have reduced to q
mass of ruins, and Fort Caswell, which is said
to have been blown up by the rebels. II is,
perhaps, hardly fair to estimate the bravery Of
English or French troops by that Of our own
armies; for Admiral Porter says that Fort
Fisher Is much stronger than the Malakof,
which the flower Of the English and French
armies failed to storm; and yet we captured
Fort Fisher with but few men and compara-
tive ease. But still we can congratulate our.
selves that we have been the first to discover the
weak points of our coast defences, and that,
with the knowledge thus gained, we shall be
able to render those defences perfectly impreg-
nable in case of a foreign war.
Within year or two after the rebellion is
subdued and the Union restored we shall have
Gordon of the most powerful fortresses ever
built. All the faults Of the present forts will
be avoided. Our new defences will not be
composed Of masonry which crumbles away
during heavy bombardment Earth and iron
will be the materials, and the combinations
will be those suggested by the experiences Of
this conflict The new forts will be armed with
the best and largest ri6ed cannon, like that
which throws one thousand pound ball. They
will be 30 arranged as TO be unassailable from
front or rear. The places where our troops
have landed, and where foreign troops might
land, will be eHectually guarded. With such
defences at every harbor and every exposed
point along the coast it will be impossible for
an enemy to do US any damage Besides these
forts we shall have iron-clads and floating bat
teries, themselves perfect defence. These
may be relied upon TO sink the enemy's trans
ports and drive of his armed vessels. Should
be pass through this outer line-this chain Of
ocean forts-the harbor defences will have to
be encountered. Should he succeed in landing
he will be received by an army Of veterans
larger and drawer than the world ever saw
before. BY our railroad system, as illustrated
on smaller scale by the railroad system o.
the rebels, we can transport as many Of these
soldiers as are needed to any part Of the coast
with extraordinary rapidity. The sea coast and
the lake coast will be equally well defended, and
the enemy will be at disadvantage whether he
makes Europe or Canada his base Of opera
TONS In the event of such war, however,
Canada will be seized and garrisoned before
the enemy can cross the ocean. Before q
foreign army would be able to begin cam
paign here it would have TO meet and vanquish,
first, our powerful ocean navy, reinforced by
iron-clads; second, series of iron-clad floating
batteries along the coast; third, chain Of i'm
pregnable earthworks, and, fourth, an army o.
veterans which would oppose its landing. Al
this would evidently be impossible fer any
foreign army, 80 an invasion Of this country
would be impossible.
It follows, therefore, that our next foreign
war will be fought not upon American soil,
but upon the Atlantic and upon the other side
of the Atlantic. Tho chances Of such o war
would consequently be overwhelmingly in our
favor. Our navy is already quite equal t.
tho combined navies Of England and France
and in Eve years more We shall be absolutely
without o rival ~ . maritime Power. VI
know that we can capture any English d
French forts, because we have already captured
forts just like them, and even better, along oul
own coast In the event Of war, then, boil
London and Paris will be at our mercy. Tht
generals and the soldiers who marched gaily
through Georgia would think nothing Of march
Ing through France or across the little ISLAND