The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-06-09

NIGHT SESSION OF THE BOARD OF STRATEGY.
whole regiment of men were delayed
from moving to the front not long ago be-
cause the tentmakers could not furnish
shelter tents fast enough.
1t is safe to assume that the members of
the board of strategy are fairly efficient
men and are doing just as well as they
know how. The board meets in the naval
library on the fourth floor of the big gran
ite pile known as the war, navy and state
building There the men who are running
the war gather every day and sometimes
at night.
The board as it now exists is composed
of Secretary of the Navy Long, Captain A.
Il. Mahan, Captain A. 5 Crownlnshield,
Rear Admiral Sicard and Captain j. Il,
Bartlett. Secretary Long does not pretend
to know much about naval affairs, but he
is a member of the board by virtue of his
position His lack Of naval knowledge is
more than made up by Captain Mahan,
who, as every one knows, is the leading
authority Of the world on such matters
Captain Mahan is no mere theorist. He
has never commanded fleet, but he saw
active service all through the civil war as
midshipman on the Atlantic and west
gulf squadrons He was man of action
and daring in those days, as is shown by
letter he wrote to Captain G. " Fox
assistant secretary of the navy. 1t was in
September 1861, when the Sumter was
ravaging the seas. Midshipman Mahan
was then on the U. 5. :. James AdgcT
He proposed to mount on an ordinary sail
ing vessel heavy pivot gun, covered with
a lighthouse and decoy the Sumter to her
grave in the deep.
"Suppose it failS" wrote Mahan. "What
is losty A useless ship, midshipman and
100 men," He proposed himself to be that
midshipman. But no reply was sent to
the letter, and few years ago, when re-
minded of the incident, Mahan had for
gotten all about it.
Captain Crowninshield is another naval
heavyweight. He is an expert on ordnance
and Is familiar both with the theory and
practice of naval strategy. He was gradu
ated from Annapolis in time to take an
active part during the last two years of the
civil war. He was assigned to the north
Atlantic blockading squadron and was
present at both attacks on Fort Fisher
His grandfather, Jacob Crowninshield
was secretary of the navy under jefferson,
and his granduncle filled the same place
in later administration. When this war
came, Captain Crowninshield was chief OF
| sea duty, but Secretary Long deemed his
| services in Washington too valuable, and
partly by virtue of his office, Captain
Crowinshield was placed ON the strategy
| board.
Captain Bartlett was member of the
| same class as Captain Crowninshield. He
| too, was In at the taking of New Orleans
the attacks on Vicksburg and both assaults
on Fort Fisher In the second attack on
| Fisher he was on shore with the storming
party. Retired as captain In July, 1897
he has been called into active duty, like
| Captain Mahan, to serve on this board.
Rear Admiral Sicard Is the veteran
| member Of the board He is 62 years old
and will be retired year from next Sep
tember. During the civil war he was en-
gagged in the taking of New Orleans, the
passage of the Vicksburg batteries and the
encounter with the ram Arkansas. Then
he was transferred to the north Atlantic
blockading squadron and was in both at
tacks upon Fort Fisher.
These are the men who are deciding
when and where the fleets shall strike
next. Strange to say, they are but little
affected by the civilian criticism hurled ut
them, and they pay but little attention to
the advice SO lavishly offered through the
untrammeled press