The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-11-26
North Carolina Inventors Robbed OF theis
HOnora.

NEW YORK, Nov. IL, 1868

NEW YORK, Nov. IL, 1868.
Messrs. Editors-No doubt you have seen. or
will see. much In the newspapers about Captain
Moncrlefrs protected bdrbette gun carriage Al
ready the New York World has an article on the
subject IN which 1t IL characterized as one OF the
most important inventions 10 the art OF warfare
in modern times, and Congress Ia urged to devote
special attention to 1t carry In the December SEES
sion.
The inventor, Capt Moncrief. is an Englishmsn,
and mail for you. with this, the illustrated Lon
don News. confirming representation OF the car.
rage, with heavy gun mounted and men posted
ready for firing. The article referred TO In the
World suhjoin. Besides, II you desire It, you
can get full and interesting account OF the ex-
perments with 1t in England from the News:
The Moncrief Bd,iery-We call attention 70
the matter we print In another column from the
London Spectator, concerning the Moncrieh bat
terry. This latest invention In the art of warfare
s one of the most importent discoveries OF modern
times, In that II actually does away with the cum
bertome and expensive forts and coast deienses,
and makes every gun forti6cation In itself. ln
brief the construction of the gun carriage Is such
that the reco of the gun Is utilized as to drop
the gun down instead Of driving IL back, and. by
means of counterweight, the gun is thus lowered
to load and raised agein to fire. The heaviest
guys are thus used with as much facility in the
held as If they we're rifles. But more than tbs the
koncie6 battery dispeDres with embrasures, sad
avoids the difficulties and dergers OF firing en- oar
bette. mere mound OF earth Is al the deIense
.
msy be placed 10 pit since it appears only 70 DC
fred, and instantly disappears behind the einoank-
ment, or below the surface in the pit. The plan is
SO simple, and s'l the experiments have been 80
that The battery sspscsy
now engaged in building enormously expensive
Notifications, IKE Fort Richmond. for instance, In
THE hsrbor. We cell upon Congress to devote
special att nton early IN the December session ID
this invention. II the Mopcrief battery does
what 10 claimed for IT, expens've fortdcsuops and
exirsvagant appropriations therefor my hence
f.lih be avoided. There can be no cheaper or
more complete defense than this battery II can
be used anywhere on the coast or In the field il
commends itself especially 10 the emperor of
Russia and those who are engaged with him In
mitigating the horror of war;" The true way to
90 this il to make war 80 horrible that nations
will hesitate TO engage IN war and this battery.
which threatens the foe only and Offers absolute
immunity 10 the protected artlleists is thing to
be introduced generally, and especially IN ma
ton whose president elect announces "a his plat
form, "Let rs have peace" The Moncrief
battery is a practical illustration of whs.
Burke calls " the cheap defense OF nsron-."
Now, you may be surprised when inform you
that the late Col. George B. Sngeltary, of N. c.,
during the first year Of the wa. and while sta
toned at Newbern, invented similar gun car
rsge which. ss remember. had all the advantages
| claimed for Capt. Moncrieffs The model carriage
YVES gotten up under the superintendence OF Col.
| Eingelt,ry, at the st,p yard Of Messrs. Howard
| Co.. Eewbein, and the gun ives made N the shop
of the Atlantic and North Carolina railroad by Mr..
| Thomas h. Hudson, at the time master mach'nst-
| The work was beautis oily executed and the whole
reflected great credit on the skill OF the me chanics
| as well as the genius of the inventor. But, not
| unlike many other matters of vitcl impo-t1lce,
| there was too much red tape to go throuTh with,
and too many officers with ancient notions to con-
suit, 70 get it adjusted; hence the whole thing
| YVES allowed to perish In parturition.
Only few days before the sad event, which de.
| pr.veo the army Of one of its best and bravest
officers, Colonel Singeltary observed to the writer
Of this, that he was still sanguine OF tle success
and adoption of his gun carriage, as Soon as he
could get time to demonstrate, by experiments, TO
| the proper authorities, the great advantage II
gave, in war, over the ordinary carriages then IN
| general use. l..ol
We trust the model carriage Ia still Ia existence,
II not in the poFsesson of the family OF Col. Sin
peltary, for at least let those to whom II is due
have the honor If no other benefit is 10 be derived
from such an important invention.
While on this subject we will mention the fact.
| of which we believe you are now cognizant, that
in the year 1929 John Gill, of Newbern, inventc 4
| revolving gun, almost model Of Colts pist lls.
| and some years afterwards, and previous to Colts
| patent, carried it TO Washington TO have 1t pat
| ented Unfortunately, though man OF great me-
chanical genius, he was as simple and conhdne
as Q child, therefore, on his retarL home, his
friends were not surprised to find tina. he had met
ia Kind frfend, who informed BIN II vas an old
thing" and it would be simply throwing his money
and time away to attempt to get patent: In the
meantime an opportunity was offered and availed
of for thorough examination OF the CUR. Gil
died in 20. erty, in the county where lie was born,
and is now almost forgotten by his neighbors
while Colt died q millionaire, with q worldwide
reputation. OF such is the kingdom of the
world f..I .lff ...l.a .rr.I- gt1 s.-
The Gill gun was In the possession Of gentle
man residing in the city Of Newberu and wa'
lost when that place was captured by Burnside's
expedition. r..l.t AIRS. -. a..-.,.-
When Col. Thos Rufin was in Congress many
facts 10 reference to this invention were collected
and given to him, as the children Of Gill were lief
very poor but the war coming on prevented biz
taking any action in the matter which could ever
in any way rebound to their interest. d.