Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-10-24
RlFLE-CANNON AND IRON.CLADS.
HOW Great Revolution i'm Naval War
fare and Architecture was Begun,

How Great Revolution i'm Naval War
fare and Architecture was Begun.
5en.G.T. Beaurega d in the Phila. Weekly Times
shall row refer briefly to the use in
Charlest-n harbor oil rifle cannon and
iron-clad floating and land batter
les. In the attack on Fort Sumter. in
1861, those war appliances were first
used in the United States. When ar
rived at Charleston, in March of that
year, to assume command of the forces
there assembling and direct the attack
on Fort Sumter, found under conssruc-
ton rough floating battery made of
palmetto logs, under The direction of
Captain Hamilton, an ex-United States
naval officer. He intended to plate it
with several sheets of rolled iron.
each about three-quarters of an inch
thick, and to arm it with four 32-pound-
er carrOnades. He and his battery
were SO much ridicu1ed however, that
he could with difficulty obtain further
assistance from the State government.
lie CAME to me in great discourage
ment and expressed in vivid terms his
certainty OF success, and of revolution
lzlng future naval warfare as we'll as
the construction of war vessels. | APP
proved of Captain Hamilton's design,
and having secured the necessary means
instructed him to finish his battery at
the earliest moment practicable This
being accomplished before the attack
on Fort Sumter opened early in April
l placed the floating battery in position
at Che western extremity of Sullivan's
Island to enfilade certain barbette guns
of the fort which could not be reached
effectively by our land batteries 1t
erefOre played an important part in
that brief drama of thirty-three hours,
receiving many shots without any seri-
Gus injury. About one year later, in
Hampton Roads, The Merrimac plated
and rooted with two layers Of railroad
IRON, met the Monitor in momentous
encounter which first attracted the at
tentio of the civilized world to the i'm
portant change that iron-plating or
"armors would thenceforth create in
naval architecture and ornaments.
The one and a half to two-inch plating
used on Captain Hamilton's floating
battery has already grown to about
twelve inches thickness Of steel plates
of the best quality, put together with
the utmost care, in the effort to resist
the heaviest rihe-shots now used.
About the same time that Captain
Hamilton was constructing his floating
battery, Mr.. G. II. Stevens, of Charles
ton, (who afterward died brigadier
general at the battle of Chickamauga)
commenced building an iron-clad land
battery at Cummings Point, the north
ern extremity of Morris Island and the
point nearest to Fort Sumter-that IS,
about thirteen hundred yards distant.
This battery was to be built of heavy
timbers covered with one layer of rail
road iron, the rails well-fitted into each
other, presenting an inclined, smooth
surface Of about thirty-five degrees to
the fire Of Sumter the surface was to
be we'll creased and the guns were to
fire through small embrasures supplied
with strong lron-shutters. | approved
also of the plan, making such sugges-
tons IS my experience as an engineer
warranted. This battery took an active
part in the attack and was struck sew
eral times; but excepting the jamming
and disabling Of one of the shutters,
Vie IDdtIoIy IeHldlueu tIllUJuIou TO Ine
end of the fight.
From Cummings Point also, and in
the same attack, was used the first rifed
cannon fired in America. The day be-
fore received orders from the Confed-
crate Government, at Montgomery, to
demand the evacuation or surrender Of
Fort Sumter, a vessel from England ar
irving in the outer harbor, signalled that
she had something important for the
Governor of the State. [ sent out q
harbor boat, which returned with a
small Blakely rifled-gun, of two and
half inches diameter with only fifty
rounds of ammunition. placed it at
once behind sand-bag parapet next
to the Steven battery, where it did OPP
perfume service with its ten-pound shell
while the ammunition lasted The
penetration of the projectiles into the
brick masonry of the fort was not great
at that distance, but the piece had
great accuracy, and several of the
shells entered the embrasures facing
Morris Island.
The MISSING LINK.-Some years ago
a traveller came back from Africa with