The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1883-07-01

Our navy .. sss civil war.

Osr Navy .. The civil War.
We are sorry to cay that Scrbner's series
Of monographs relating to tho work OF the
navy during the Evil war. and which was hap.
pily begun with Prof. Soiey's account OF The
Blockade and the Cruisers" betrays q lamenta.
bic falling of in tho volume compiled by Rear
Admiral DANIEL AMMEN. and purporting to
describe the naval operations on TIE atlantic
Cbast We could not but regard the appear.
ance Of this book In any collection having OF
asserting any literary pretenslons rs an i'm.
pertineRce.' But VIC are tho more astonishcd Al
the publication OF a narrative SO sloveniy IL
FORM because tho series treating of military
operations 10 which It L. supplemental con.
formed. upon the whole. to high standard Of
correctness. iucidity and energy Of diction.
II must not. In fact be overlooked that cer-
tain degree OF literary excellence was an essen.
tiai feature OF the scheme conceived and car.
ried out by the Messrs. Scribner. It could By
no means have boen their purpose to prsssat
In crude. undGested form tho facts and Hgurea
drawn from Official reports or culled from the
rocitals OF eye witnesses. We do not under.
stand the publishers to have aimed at repro
ducing the raw materials OF history. for which
tho professional student always know where "a
look; their object We think. was rather to ron.
der authentic data not only easy OF access. bat
easy Of assimilation. To this latter end II vas
essential that the matter. after being verified.
should b SGT forth In a clear. accurate. and
engaging way. From this point Of view IL
would be Of only secondary import what mikht
have been m officers opportunities for acauir.
ing Information. II lie were obviously disausli-
fed from discharging the function OF an his.
torian by gross faults OF style. Such . man
might be vs. great a strstegist upon tho battle
field as Marshal SAKE. or IA great a naval CON.
msnder as Lord Nelson but II no spelled ~
badly rs the Que. and we're Us ignorant Ms was
the other about everything but seamanship. he
would do vol not " essay description OF his
victories.
Now whatever may have boen Admiral Am.
mems professional aptitudes requirements.
and sorvices-it is proper to ronark that he
commanded vessel both In the battle Of Port
Royal and during subsequent operations on
the Atlantic const up TO 1863. anI that no was
also present in the two bomhardments OF Fort
Fisher-he Ia ludicrously unilttcd for the task
OF historical writing or for any work that i'm
plies an acquaintance with the laws and mRs-
terry over the processes Of literary composition.
Is the fashion In some quarters to stigma
tze An ambitious. incorrect slip-shod diction
as newspaper Ensiish;" but should the au-
thor OF this volume ever be constrained to win
his bread by writing for the newspapers. he
among the agencies which insure the survival
OF tho Attest has been played by starvation.
To prove that the presence OF this book
among the volumes published in Scri bner's
Campaign Series Is an unwarrantable intrusion.
1t will only be necessary to cite some gems OF
expression from the profnce. and from the pre-
llminnry observations on the condition Of the
navy at the beginning Of the war. 1t is reasons
able to suppose that those remarks were writ
kn,, Il hat lt.asys
Garded with some complacency by the author
and the naval critics to whom we are assured
they were submitted. may DO inferred from the
fact that none Of the excres cences. obscurities.
and other biundcrs to which we shall direct at
tsntion were thought to require correction
In the preface. for example. the writer desires
to say that non professional men are moro
likely to recognize technical merit when 1t re-
suits in triumph than when. being displayed
| against overwhelming Odds 1t Is unsuccessful.
| At the best this IL truism not worth
saying. but the form which it assumes In Adj
miral Ammen's pages il insufrerably platitu-
dinous. viz. the public can Of course moro
readily appreciate brilliant success than lack
| OF It," In the same preface We hear OF "mere-
| trlcious" quotations.. where 1t secms that y" ndu-
| latory" or "vainrlorous" is meant. and we
are told that events "transpire." and that " as
| aCtualitv. two centres Of operations existed"
| the words italicized b,ns plainly superfiuous.
Presently We come upon the same big and
useless word In the phrase "hostilities became
an actually" when the Admiral might have
| said simply when hostiities began" Anon
| we hear about mask that had not con-
cealcd. and yet had been respected by the
| general Government" being thrown of
| by the consprators." Inasmuch ~ conceal
| happens to bG an active verb we are forced to
| conclude. after much wrestling with this sem