New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-25
A DEFENCELESS SEABOARD.
COLONEL WILLIAM CARY SANGERS CUM
MENTS AND SUGGESTIONS.
NEED or A HEAVY ARTILLERY FoRcE-NE"-
yoRK.s INADEQUATE rROTECTIoN-PLANs
FOR OBTAINING MEN FOR Duty AT

NEED or 4 HEAVY ARTILLERY run -'''
YoRK.s INADEQUATE rRoTEcTIoN-PLANs
FOR OBTAINING MEN FOR DUTY AT
HARBoR FORTS DISCUSSED.
| Albany. March "a (SpecaD.-The annual report oil
tho Acknowledgement OF the State which has just
come from the Public Printers contains a great
variety Of important and useful information to"
corning the condition and progress during 'he ',S'
wear Of the States National Guard ohe u NV
most notable contributions to the report mace -
the Governor and the Legislature Is paper ~
ienated as Appendix y, written by C0Iohei N''"''
Cary Sanger Assistant Chief Of Artillery WIN Nv"
sits in the Assembly for one Of the leg'sau'e VI"
tricts of Oneida County. Colonel sanger j. 'y1
ri7ad here an one of the most intelligent cuu-
waited and philosophical members OF 'he i's'
ture as well as one of the most zealonS anu rs
6ciont workers on the staff of the state "ua'"'
| His report to Adjutant-General Porter ued"n5' "
Il does with the vital question OF coast 'e',r
and the difficult problem Of cooperation pE u"' "
tional Guard with the Regular Army lo' INV "
| ter protection of the now absolutely Nune'""'' ,I
board cities of the state, deserves 10 a''iH''
| attention. , .,
Colonel Sanger spent portion of last summer Il"
! Fort Monroe. where he made thorouEH S''r' ~
| the methods used in the artillery schooi u
| Regular Army. and acquired a de'a''e4 A"0"'e
of the conditions OF coast-defence WorK'
! After summarizing the painfully meagre progress
made with the new harbor for,itications proJec'eu
under the scheme of the Endicott feue.a' i'''. .,
of 1886 and demonstrating that Ne"-'o'N ",'-
other Atlantic seaboard cities are at present pa
| cally defenceess against powerful "0
| Colonel Sanger says: go, ~
| Unless we are willing to DO away win al, al,
preparation for war and are wl VIII hon .1 IL began
tne bp TiIy new navy and to manufacture heavy
guns for our harbor forts it is the az roteC
of orr the Na4n IL Re Were our
first and greatest might say our onr} ma sea
c Moeio cities such as NewYork San Francisco.
& ~, reason Of its numerical weakness. to sarr
son the few forts which We posses, ra,nnie he
forts in New-York Harbor. There are at presbSnr
serviceable smooth bore and converted anu I'm in
rifles m1qR5sG H 81 i forts which would require
for single days action, with three re''e'S' o'''
stated ea th' for {hs pT @dG
| aeieh i ,e az eY d,ortars: these guns would
reare at ieas 80 additional men if me recon- mto
fS"i we world require at the lowest estimate
IL 900 arierymen for New-York HarDor, ana oS 1|y
he Conditions as they now exist. we dnd mar -rr"
York alone with rs PreIiim FOR one days
action We have present $c9 areryfn ,,n "' 70
every 'heId in w {oG N bs over s men
roo few TO serve the present insufficient nnlot ~ %
guns IN one IA Mtia would be the force to supply
the needed men but OF ne mo- No. - we except the
SnXai Nina one company trained to serve hcaFy
sea-coast guns or guns OF posisiUVn 60 Under yalu-
hln service alioat or on shore are recognize py
ALI but IL Is hat II viii be called upon IN
! lime OF war to do other work than serve '"e gums
N HOoH1t5 ms the high standard Of eXceence
attained by the militia or Naona 70 saw tha,
the armed forces in the nitfd states ARM arg 90
without organization Snoe ant 10 wage in
| aided an aggressive defensive war 81 any M
nitUde we , nays fS %S oa Strength o. 2
hut organized entirely without regard 10 inc po11S
D.fS each other or with the Army In some OF The
States the organized militia is not only b
TO supplement the police ana PIesefVe orIvT sead
state has been recently shown & ynTk bHi
| "a also well disciplined well drilled and capable
| after a short experience in tho field, OF rendering
fa az i the defence OF the coast is concerned
there is no State in which the militia Is adequate
p IN it's state against dangers which It IS
| exposed: and in many OF the states me militia
work
Discussing the various plans suggested for a better
system OF coast defence. Colonel Sanger continues
T The question how We can best organize an ade
| auate artillery force for coast defence Is beyond
| doubt the most important military question OF the
Ss AMY ann it is beginning 10 receive some Of the
1 ention which it deserves, and as our new aIIna-
| ment gradually finds its way to the iorts' pubic
4 interest question is certain TO increase There
! four plans which have been snsgested In order
J. Existing infantry organizations might be trained
as artillerymen in addition to their Work as IN
. Some Of the existing infantry organizations
g. The existing State force might be increased in
numbers. and the new formation might be organized
T. 4 new force might be organized either M) by
State legislation; or o. by act,oh OF oohsress or,
The FIRST plan would be. at best, imperfect and
unsatisfactory. Even in the army. where the men
| can be continuously instructed during the entire
period OF their enlistment, it IS considered IMPOSE,
be to make the same men good infanttymen ana
good aIerymen ana YIN me Hm nrI or me 1Gr
militia. it would be utterly Impossible to accomplish
? The second plan is open to equally serious OBJ
lection of another kind there IS no state today
saficeny Strong numeric1iiy 10 permit Of cnang
ing some Of the formations into artillery with any
co1siy Weakening the infantry.
g. do not know Of any state in which the nl.
law or by financial limitations would not preclude
the enrolment and organization on an adequate ar
legislative action would he necessary.
Z This brings Us to the last pan which In the
luton of the problem: namely. the creation OF a
Congress. or by the combined action OF both We
find in a few lines OF the constitution or the
many respects IS the simplest ana most practictl
That wonderful document which beyond az Other
written constitutions mas successfully controca LIZ
action OF the people for whose guidance II was Pre-
pared, gives Congress the power 10 pr33Xde 10Y
organizing, arming and disclpning the mlitld all
for s9yer9ns suGh part OF them a. may DC in
TO the States respectively the appointment OF the
officers and the authority OF training the militia &C.
! cordng to the discipline prescribed 10y Congress
, Congress. under the direction Of It's wisesi mill
tary advisers. could pass law organizing the neces
gary force The unit would of course. be the bat
the number of batteries would be deter
mined by the armament at the different fortified
places The would be enrolled In their severa
, States. and the officers would receive their commits
sions from their States.
This would give the constitutional force con
templaed by those who framed the Constitution; il
would be organized with the clearly defined purpose
OF protecting the Nation from foreign attack and II
the way best calculated TO attain this end. II Would
at the time avoid all the objectionable fea lures
OF standing army. for il would preserve the char
acterlstcs of State force, with its officers deriving
their commissions from their respective States. thu:
keeping that proper balance between the state anf
National authorities essential In the organization
fnrco g,nh fnrcn ndN0 %