New-York tribune., 1899-11-18
ARTILLERY INADEQUATE.
MAJOR GENERAL WESLEY MERRrrTs
IMPORTANT REPORT.
DEFECTS OF OUR COAST DEFENCE SYSTEM
NO PROPER INSPECTION POSSIBLE
ANrIouArED AND CLUMSY
ORGANIZATION.

40 e NOW well known the outbreak Of the late
war with Spain found this country IN very Dao
state In so far It's coast defence went i"uee"
IL has since been stated and In quarters tha'
should be well informed. that April lssS founo US
with no more than two rounds OF ammunition for
each and every gun upon our coast me s''e'eii
ing from Maine 10 the Gulf Of Mexico Other guns
were lying on the ground at their points OF ues
tination because the emplacements upon which they
were ultimately TO rest were as yet uncompe'eu
At other points were completed empiacehe"'s
awaiting the guns which were as yet not turned
out from the shops The important matter OF the
defence of our great coast line comes within the
War Department and is directly under the arui-
lery branch OF the Army. In view or THIS eV'oeiiI
need Of our artillery the recent annual report Oh
Major General Wesley Merritt commanding the
Department OF the East is entitled to more atten-
ton than it received amid the crush OF news at the
time It was first made public.
General Merritt in his letter 10 the AdJutant Cen
eral Of the Army, submitting report OF the opera
tons and affairs in his Department says among
ether things;
That the coast artillery coast defence) is not
today in an efficient condition is due 10 causes
over which artillery officers have no c9htIo. I'o ~.
can these impediments be reached by department
osmmander. Some require the action Of the Secre-
tary Of War and others can be remeoieo oiiS O'
The needs OF the artillery most ably presented
in the report herewith OF the Department AruiteIy
after to which l invite attention. :. -. - ,,
Either through defects of law or their OWL Own H re-
fcency, the supply departments upon Wnlch tH9
ARTILLERY is wholly dependent have frequently failed
10 Loyalty and energeically serve its interests Inc
fact that the Engineer Department, working unoer
the same laws has under Its present cI chel slnen M
the artillery no cause for complaint would seem
TO indicate that something is wrong Desiues the
law: ,,.,.- ,.o o,,er sxnresses
desire OF the artillery for chief OF that arm VINO
would see that It is supplied with what II needs %
doubts 70 this being the most sHepe Srea 70
ba Wor
10 make efficient as some Of those already IN exist
desire in addition to call especial attention to
the following points In the report OF the aruHery
FirstNThe failure of the Quartermaster's Depart
ment 10 make timely provision for housing the gar
second-The necessity for providing at artillery
posts permanent post non-comIn!ssloned sian @ O.. oi
ThirdThe accommodation that the strenstn re s,no OF
and men required to fully man the guns.
It is also observed that the artillery should be IN
department commanders artillery inspector has no
power TO inspect is a patent absurdlty ana one
which urge may he disposed OF Al an early date;;
The means Of making any arm OF the service al
Il should be should rest with the general COM
spectfuliy. WESLEY MERRITT,
Major General United States Army. Commanding
The main points Of Major storys exhaustive
report as the inspector OF artillery Of the depart
nent are as follows: He refers to the report OF
Major William Crozier, United States Volunteers
made during the late with Spain 10 determine
the efficiency Of the new armament in our ports
etc, which report states as q general conclusion
that 'ft cannot be said that the artillery is, or
has been recently, in any but an inefficient state
Major Story then goes TO say that Major Crozier
finds at one post a very efficient garrison. at
another the reverse In either case. the measure
OF efficiency is determined by the zeal and ability
or want of these traits. in the immediate COM
manding officer. There is one person in our
Army who is responsible for the efficiency OF the
artillery for the whole service. There Is no officer
who a master Of artillery knowledge can prescribe
a standard of efficiency and have the power TO
enforce it IN all our artillery garrisons." He con-
tinues:
Since the installation OF the modern armament
value from the artillery standpoint those Of Majors
DuVall and CrOzier, late inspectors general, United
ordnance officer both most competent. whose ser
vices were utilized in the emergency of our late
forts armament and personnel. These nspections
were both ordered by the Secretary OF W ar; me me
War Department. for the first time the real state
of Of modern E%1 B nn' gun
In each military geographical department IN IN
regiments of artillery the Army regulations pro
vide for artillery officer on the stan or the
department commander. who IS styled the artillery
without authority to send this officer 10 Inspect the
Command. but is prohibited by law from so doing.
This officer is available for almost any military
duty except that Of artillery inspection. In no
military department may its commanding general
s GT nf of S
tions to duplicate the inspections OF Majors Duval
and Crozer.
1t is no reflection on the accomplished officers
who compose the Inspector Generals Department
Go eeoSs ioS has a aG % a m aSd STace x expr
reproduce the inspections Of the officers just named
I cannot find outside OF the United States a ser
vice in the world where inspections Of coast ar
tsTy are made % EXCEPT .fs BY o artillery oseTs
similar and equally convincing for the three
system Of inspection in peace Which must as in
our recent experience, be thrown over in war.
1t may very pertinenty be asked II the artillery
in the Department OF the East. and more than halt
Of the artillery in the United States is In this
|. The department commander has asked me this
N same question. but could not give him MN con.
without authority TO send officer with sufficient
professional qualifications 10 ascertain the actua
Condition OF the artillery under his command How.
ever, since Major Croziers inspection two or tht
been removed in the mean time the enlisted
strength Of a battery has been reduced from twl
addition many new fortihcations have been turned
over by the EnSe 10 tSr TST W
less TO do the work seldom lends Itself to al
The corgespondence ~ Of this office shows that tn
Chief OF Engineers has not only been willing TO d.
ocer and the Chief Of ordnance always expires
a willingness to 90 all that is required yet tn
work lass and Lays TO such an extent that not
single artillery fire command In the United State
II has been Wisely said by an English authot
that an artillery personnel cannot be mproyised u
time OF war. It requires. 70 become eihcient ION
sustained and careful training in time Of peace
The lack Of a sufficient force, properly trained
care for the modern armament ana 10 man ou
new forts is serious menace 10 artillery efficiency
We DO not have to go back to ancient history 10 10
an example, At the beginning Of the late wa
with Spain naval experts In Europe generally be
lived basing their judgment on the pqbiShed dat M
Of the war vessels. that the Spanish Navy wa
suuerior 10 our own In the Spanish Navy as ]
our artillery there the modern armament bl
81
SPANS policy in this respect invited the disaste
which was neted out TO her. ,,,
with the number required for the actual servlc
OF the armament let US take single hareor Port
land Me. and state the personnel needed 10 ma
the guns now mounted or provided Tor IN M
estimate based upon the drill TeguIations lot a, IN
nrtalIo hDrau viii be q sinGle office