The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-28

mond." And in the same letter he adds: IS
under your cOmmsnd as soasi in importSSct
Admiral Porter stetes that the man who fired
the torpedo that destroyed the Commodore
boats. This ia a mistake. He was still liyina
torpedo importanoe. He also says that the
men captured were very communicative
am sure admiral Lee Thought shey we're. and
good and true men AZ. ever stepped IN shoe
leather. aud had. often been we'll drilled as to
for we were Always @SsS exposed Ssdo' Had they
been untrue the neet could, have CAPTURED me.
River fap n' the torrsdo dsfo Oees 09 That .. same Sns after after.
isr at .pSpfss Blu and, l believe. to the cap.
I have often thought there was a. much to
be accomplished. in working upon the sredul'
the use Of your weapons. and that = special do
that purpose. This suggested itseif to me dur.
could not then DO assisted by gun batteries NJ
the several torpedo stations, and ! was forced
defencos without such assistance. Think
what might have been done with n highly ner-
Hont than %"n ma ,its e se b BTssT or n.S sTSn s sser an N:
read: THE difference between GIANT and me
is. Grant don't care a d-n what the enemy is
doing, and IL Just runs me crazv."
The person"el Of war ia not madr up of Lees
or Grants, but ot com paratively very inferior
tuDIIhuCbS. n IA tne larger nutn0fT OF hlHu Of
fcers could DO easily thrown off their guard
and made to vacillata. DELAY. and sacrifice their
opportunities by annorinv devices. plans.
demonstrations. &C.. well arranged and put
forward by some such genius as wonld make a
frst-class detective. for instance. OF course.
in the case OF the torpedoes. the side that did
not use II would Q under q d'eadyantage.
Gen. Nealcy. Lieutenant comnsnde Cushing.
and others when making reconnoissan ICE up tho
James River II think In August. 1869. accom-
Commodore Barney. was ahead. snd inst above
Atkins landing. when An electric torpedo Of
was prsmaturely exploded, under her bows:
but her head way took her under The falling mass
Of mud and water. and many men and much
material were washed ashor,. The "ortherr
Papers stated there were thirty. six men killed
and wounded. The othcsr In Charge OF the tor:
oedo station had the buck fever and fred
the torpedo from sheer nei vousness. and when
l arrived at the station half naked. from n bed
of r !llTe' s.s se the Seu lar ssTH Station Ssas On the river at
on that day I was Ill In he'd with bilious fever.
to arrive In time. IL was Cushinc's sudden
dash up the RI ger thst saved the situation;
ney pass on up and waited for the Monitor.
knowing. that at least the Bar-ey could nave
been DESTROYED on her return. 1t ls very slnSu-
lar that this occurrence did rot give sufficient
warning 10 Admiral Lee to enable him to avoid
the destruction OF the Commodore Jones. and
carry out the object OF his expedition In MAY.
1854. whom cooperating with Gen. Butler In
the attack on Drugs Bun on tho same river.
most unfaroraIle impression At Richmond.
and increased the howlof IHropoonents against
the service was Engaged IN; but Twas always
greatest confidence In the success OF that
menns OF warfare. and by our mutual friend
came Chief Of Ordnance. and then tho Torpedo
De aartment feared no enemy in the rear:
In ADMIRAL Porter's remarks as to the at
Jack on the Minnesota. he srye that mo aeri-
Gus damage had been DONE and ''the torpeio,
which weighed hfty pounds. was not RACED
exploded" There statements are incorrect.
There VISA board OF inspection ordered on the
enough to justify the assertion that the tor
pedo was not "nrematurely exnlodrd." II We
had no other evidence; but the contact was as
vol made as II Is possible with anv rammtng
torpedo known even at the present time.
The report Of The inspeeting board, or OF the
that tho torpedo exploded just nbrtart Of
niaas OF shot and shell that the Minnesota had
,S,s I.d taken zen IN TO carry South; Moreover. the
time. } could not get q larger steamer suitable
for the purpose. and the one l used. would not
with u larger torpedo down In an
ordinary seaway In such open waters rs the
mouth Of the James R!v,r.
The attack. however. may fairly be called q
kind during the wa whore any success was
met with without the loss of the attacking
party. and consequently the only ono TO prove
sons,d.red that l had e explode INV sGrpedo
A1lhb liz blucb. WntIC1S Lieut..
Gushing was luck! enough to find a vessei hay
Ing en- Moverhans" The Albemarle, under which
r rec eHT,G n contact asts f Win St eis si sGse0a0' he ''d"'
As to being drawn into tho hole in case 1
had made one IN she sid, OF the Minnesota las
Housatonici, l had provided for that BY previ-
GUS practice OF direct ramminE at an angle,
and practising the engineer TO 20 full speed
aatern as soon as ne felt the blow. without wait.
OF tho Minnesota and eNn1ple1 in that ohnnf
one second after cuntact-an excellent result
for the fuse Of that day. The pole was shat
back forcibly.
When she lacked Oft about afty yards. end
cylinder engine caught "on- the centre" And
there we remained 1T seemed to me about forty
yeArs-under The fire OF the Minnesota. The
engineer. Mr. Wright lone of tho bravest Rad
coolest men I ever knew. got the engine free
again. having to feel for the different parts in
over with bullets. Several passed through my
clothes. bus we got Off without ANY injury
folk 70 throw pursnsrs on the SCENT. wh'en
prove successful: There was a steamer under
the stern OF the Minnesota that ought to have
deck forward. and those were fired Mt rapidly
% prevent their casting OF their line. and she
i believe there are those still living who.
during our civil war, regarded torpedo warfare
as 3 nswG1rt n1Sos the higher 4o sru qualities and drtie. Of
Whose ipdrment and foresight have pro gad
the sonndeHtr To those " ho believed |. unfair
and nlevitimAto / invite n careful study oi al
the circumstances attending tho exr oil
Con. GRANTS mine before Petersbura. as COM
pared with those under VIII ,ch thu Commodore
Jones was destroyed. Before making up my
mind during our war to devote al, my energies
to the development o! torpedo warfare. I thought
OF the humanitarian phase OF tho
question. but Il did not take long to come to
the conclusion that what We call Immunity n war
the disabled. Of course. Grant didn't think
much OF humanity when he used the mine Mt
Petersburg. nor when he refused to exchange
prisoners, kno wing that the South was wholly
unable 70 feed even his captrrol men and to-day
I believe that the more de destructive the weapons
enjoyed In wars. the loss apt are wars to occ ar,
An! the soonest over. Long wars spread desola-
tton and darken the earth. It would DO far
better TO blow q whole. Afmv up in one mine
and a fleet with another than that n war should
last four years. HUNTER DAVIDSON.