National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-10-26
THE DUTCH GAP CANAL.
1MPORTA-ST FACTS IN CoNNECTIo.
" r1rrT Tu,- frOJSr RTTf1rTnN

1MPORTAIE FACTS IN CONNECTION
W rTH ITS CONSTRUCTION.
At the. reunion Of the Army Of the James, at
New y rk on Wednesday last, General Benjamin
+. JJutler made an able address, from which we
to Ge the following concerning the construction Of
che famous Dutch Gap canal. General Butler
sid:
i now come to what has always been objected
against the operations Of the Army Of the James
as useless and futile, but which. when the facts
are known and understood, as they really are, In
the light Of history, viii be seen 70 have been its
most successful and brilliant undertaking, car
RED far as we were concerned, to asuceessfulre
suit. refer to the cut-oh known as the Dutch
Gap canal. 1t was demonstrated to the COM
manding general Of the armies Of the United
States and the chief engineer OF the armies Of
the United States that It was impossible for the
navy to aid the army in our operations further up
the river than our right flank Of the peninsula at
Bermuda Hundred, because Of the want Of sum
Client depth Of water around Trent's Reach, even II
the river had not been commanded by the enemy's
batteries at Hewlett House and along the banks,
and in any future operations toward Richmond
made on the north bank Of the river, which was
the only movement against the enemy's capital
which could be made with any hope Of success
If not driven from their position, the enemy's
gunboats above Trent's Reach would give the
same aid to him and drive our forces back from
the river, our gunboats below could give to US.
1t was assumed by the commanding general Of
the army that If there was sufficient water to
float the gunboGts Of the United States they were
more than able to cope with the enemy's gun
boats and drive them above Fort Darling and
leave the bank oil the river Tree 1Or our advance
The river at Trent's Reach makes a sudden and
n very sharp bend and return like horseshoe, so
that while the distance around the circumference
Of the shoe is seven miles, the cut across at the
heel from water to water was only 400 feet 1t
was, therefore, determined, after full cOnsidera-
tion by the engineers Of the army, to cut a chan
mel 90 feet wide, 500 feet long and 10 feet deep,
through this bank, so as to permit our vessels TO
pass up. OF such Importance was it deemed by
work, that while it was going on they threw into
the excavations, in the shape ofshells, many hun
dred tons of iron, but because Of precautions
taken, with very little result, the cutting was
prosecuted on the south side until the earth was
all thrown out but an embankment Of 25 feet at
the bottom from water to water, extending up
ward wedge shaped, so as to afford protection
to the workmen from the direct fire of the foe.
This portion of the other side was mined and
some tons of powder put twenty-five deep at its
base for the purpose OF throwing out this last OBJ
structiOn, all OF which was successfully accom-
plished, and on the 24th Of December the mine
was fired, the cut opened, and three feet of water
was running through it over the debris OF the
bank left by the explosion. FOrty-eight hours Of
dredging would have opened the channel for our
gunboats to pass up, TO Join battle with the enc
my's vessels and clear the river, at least up as
far as the guns Of Fort Darling, which command
ed the banks some six or eight miles above, thus
enabling the advance Of the Union army from
the position which they held at Fort Harrison, Of
which will speak hereafter.
But at that hour and from that moment all
work ceased on the canal until the return of
peace, and the Army Of the James have rested
under an imputatiOn of futile and useless expen-
diture of time and money 70 do q useless work:
and it speaks highly for the patriotism of many
an officer and many private, who knew why 1t
so appeared, and that 1t was no fault Of theirs,
that they never have chosen to this hour to give
the reason why Dutch Gap canal was an appa-
rent failure.
Ihave said that the canal was undertaken for
the purpose of allowing the Union naval vessels
and monitors to clear the river, and put them-
selves In position, If need De, to lombard Fort
Darling. The door was to be opened in order
that the dog might get at the wolf; and this was
done with the full concurrence Of the able accom-
nd off a
that station when 1t was begun, and who aided US
in il by every means in his power. But there was
q change of commanders on that station. When
the canal was ready to be opened the command
ing officer Of the works at Dutch Gap received
letter from the commanding officer Of the naval
forces Of the United states stationed in James
river asking him not to 20 on and open the pas
sage through, because he would thereby give an
avenue to the enemy to come down through and
attack the feet of the United States stationed be-
low it. When the door was about to be opened
for the dog to kill the wolf the dog feared that
the wolf would eat him. In obedience to that
request Of the navy, which could not be made
public, because the enemy must not be informed
by any true patriot that the naval forces Of the
United States in James river were not competent
and able to resist and overcome the naval forces
of the enemy stationed in james river, near Rich
mOnd-and rather than disgrace should fall on
the American navy, the Army Of the James
chose to rest under the imputation that they
were unable to complete this great work for the
use Of the navy, which, however, might have been
Army Of the James saw in silence that their work
was fruitless, because the navy for whom it was
made refused to take advantage Of IL, not without
some reason, as was afterward shown; for q few
weeks after that letter requesting US not to open
the canal the enemy's gunboats embOldened by
the inactivity Of ours, came down around Trents
Reach-Only three of them-and, although one
got aground, the other two made an attack upon
our naval vessels, which fed ingloriously down
the river; and If the enemy had only known their
strength and made pursuit they would have cut
in two the armies Of the United States operating
in that vicinity, and been able to command its
base OF supplies at City Point. But, fortunately,
they did not know their strength, and they re-
turned, after having shown that our naYalYessels,
as then commanded, If able, were not competent
to cope with those Of the enemy.
The matter was examined by naval court
martial, at the head of which was the gallant
Farragut-whose name is held in no dearer re-
membrance by any Of his cOmpatriOts who fought
with him for the safety Of their country than by
the gallant men Of the Army Of the James; whose
memory is embalmed in our hearts, and who was
ism, the gallantry, and all that gives dignity to
the American satlOr-and the naval commander
was found guilty Of inetficiency and cOWardice.
Comrades of the Army Of the James: So far as
this canal is concerned, we have at least the sat
isfaction of knowing that of all the labOriOus
now of any advantage to mankind in peace The
rains are washing down the embellishments and
undermining the reYetments which our soldiers
put up with so much care and pains, and the
magazines we built are falling in; so that all the
miles Of works that were made in the operations
earth are useless, except Dutch Gap Canal, which
is now the main avenue Of commerce to the city
Of Richmond, demonstrating its feasibility and
usefulness in peace as 1t would have done If used
by the navy in war.