New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-11
SEA-COAST DEFENDERS.
NEED OF MEN TRAINED TO HANDLE
HEAVY ARTILLERY.
COLONEL WILLIAM CARY SANGERs SUGGESTIONS
FOR AN ORGANIZED FORCE OF $1,000 ARTil-
LERYMEN. TO BE INDEPENDENT OF

FOR AN ORGANIZED FORCE or 5000 ARTil.-
LERYMEN TO BE INDEPENDENT OF
STATE AUTHORITY.
IFRoM THE REGULAR CORES PoNDEHT oF'THETRIGuNE.l
Albany. Jan lo.-Adjutant-Genc McAipn. in
his annual report brief summary of which has
already been printed in The Tribune. makes an
interesting recommendation. lie says:
The present appropriation for the support OF
the National Guard makes further increase OF
increase seems 70 be demanded by the tunes. me
general Government has an inadegua'e doree ri -
less adequate force to man what there ought TO
be. 1t would. therefore, seem prudent To- tfe STATE
TO organize at least one regiment of heavy aru-
,ery. with view to assist the general Govern
ment in manning the defences Of New-York har-
Dor.
Colonel William Cary Sanger a member OF the
Governors military staff. and a.so an Assembly
man from of the ON ida County DISTRICTS y
SO happens has just written an article for The
Journal of the United States Artillery. in which
he deals a.so with this matter Of coast defences
touched upon by Acknowledgement McAlpin Adj
vance sheets of this article have juSr reached him'
the magazine not yet having appeared. Col'ne.
Sanger is Assistant Chief of Artillery on the Gov
ernors staff and has paid great deal of atten-
ton Il this matter of coast dcfeLces In his ar
,cle he takes the ground that the United States
Government should organize force of $500 arul-
lerymen for service in the forts along the coast.
and he would have this force Independent of any
State authority.
THE PLAN IN DETAIL
After describing the defenceess condition of the
chief seaport cities of the United States. he thus
proceeds
In what follows 1 have outlined plan for or
ganlzng an adequate force and in order to facili-
tate criticism upon H. nave lormuaiea cer, ,ina
which, in my judgment should govern me organ
ization OF sea-coast ARTERY forces; \. to be
hoped that their presentation IN TINS article VIII
CAL forth such expressions or OPINION laVoraoe OF
otherwise. as vii practically determine whether
l. The sea-coaSt artillery arm of the Army must
2 Auxiliary sea-coast artillery formations must
be organized because the regular Army Will never
be- Created in TWO wavs First aycoast artillery
formations should be organized in the National
GuarG or militia as now @ m fe seq 70
do this; Second, new sea-eoast artillery force
should be created
g. In order to uniformity of organization
and harmonious action there should be one plan or
system for the organization Of our sea-coaS artillery
forces and all the different units of the several
forces should be given their proper places IN the
l. Xii our sea-coast artillery forces should be
given reserve of their own. by adopting the sys-
TEN of short service with the colors, followed by
s. The territorial or localization system should
Country should be divided into artillery districts
and the force In each should be recruited chiefly
G. Ali the a-coast artillery forces should be or
Ing into the forts enough men sufficiently trained
TO make the guns most effective against a foreign
l. The sea-coast artillery of the Army must
The mere statement Of the number Of officers
and men necessary TO make effective our new sea
coast armament renders arsHmeho S ANN
prove that the sea-coast ar!llery arm OF the tiy
must be increased. The lowest estimate OF the
forces which will be needed is $500 We have 10,
day in the Army in round numbers 5000 men trained
heavy or sea-coast artillerymen about hat
Harbor forts for one days action, less than one
quarter of the total number that VIII De reqnirGu
In he NAuF Nnr
ament Is compeie and ABOUT per cent Of ne tg'"
Opinions might differ regarding the proportion Of
our 5000 artillerymen which should receive the
to the officers and men in tire Army in this arm Of
the service but no one will deny that the present
port Major-Genera Miles says: 1T is perfectly well
known that there is absolute necessi,y ior tne IN
purpose OF manning projecting and caring i i9r
y grow as the Nation grows There is no reason
why II should become crysialized 1t ~ one or
ence Of the civil government that guarantees pro-
lection to life and property and is the main reliance
Power In my judgment 1t would be wise and
patriotic TO fix reasonabe standard by when the
ton and requirements OF the Nation
INsUFFICIENCY OF THE PRESENT FORCE.
The necessity for adopting a system which Will
provide a way for increasing our artillery strength
with the least possible cost the taxpayer is made
plain when consider how insufficient present
force is. If We were involved in war our first and
greatest. might our only danger would be
New-York Norfolk San Francisco. Boston. etc. our
artillery could not garrison the forts which We
for example, the forts in New-York Harbor There
are at present mortars seaTvicsa6ie smooth, boreS
ton to be mounted IN the NeTcY York Harbor toTt h
three relics. over 1860 men The Fortincations
Board STATED that the sfs of SnS
tars. These guns would require at least 5000 add
ditional men: If the recommendations OF the
Qure at tine lowest estimate 1890 artillerymen for
New,York Harb9r and 500 for all our forts , But
now exist find that New-York alone. with its
lerymen for one day acton We have YEA at present
5000 art!lerymen In the Army, and II they were an
men too few TO serve the present insufficient num-
Der OF guns In one days seton. one might sup
10 supply the needed men but of the 1900 men
who now compose iha, force there IS not II we
serve heavy seacoast guns Or guns OF position nor
would be organized or trained. The efficiency Of
the naval militia and its ability 10 render valuable
service afoat or snore are recognized by all. but
II is organized as a naval force and It is proper
assume that il VIII be called upon in lime OF war TO
do other work than man the guns in our harbor
The fact that the State of New York has no heavy
artillery force does not result from any lack Of
appreciation by the State authorities of the need
Of such force; but the proer organizaton ron, OF an
important questions that has been thought best 10
study that when action is once taken it will
complish the desired end in the best possible way.
The proportion of the total strength which The Army
should supply be and should be determined by
the proper authority, but without discussing this
question now may state as a self-evident propo-
sition which does need additional proof argu-
ment, that the seacoast artillery arm of the Army
must be Increased. When our military authorities
have agreed what this increase should be- all citi-
gems should unite in demanding that Congress make
the necessary appropriai ions.
THE DUTY OF CONGRESS.
Colonel Sanger then argues that Congress should
adopt plan Of organization for a seacoast artillery
force rather than the several States. He upon
this point:
Arguments Of great force can. in my opinion be