Evening star., 1902-08-02
Probable Plan Of Attack.

Probable Plan Of Attack.
hostile fleet could hardly hope to make
a successful direct attack on the defenses
at the eastern entrance of Long Island
sound; still less on those which guard the
entrance to New York harbor by way of
Sandy Hook. To seize Newport and make
1t the base for land operations evidently
would be the most practicable plan of a
campaign of invasion. The section of coast
on which the supposedly hostile fleet in these
maneuvers is descending is guarded by
great modern forts, either recently built
and armed recently supplied with new
and powerful batteries.
In Buzzards Bay. Fort Rodman defends
the harbor of New Bedford; the entrance
TO Narragansett bay Is defended by Fort
Adams at Newport and Fort Wetheriu
which looks to it across the narrow en-
trance to the harbor, and by Fort Greble
on Dutch Island. situated where the west
ern entrance to the bay is narrowest Then
come the forts which form the outer line
OF the defenses of New York to the east
ward. This group of powerful defensive
works lies about thirty miles to the west
ward OF Newport and consists of Fort
Mansfield al Watch Hill, Fort H. G.. Wright
on Flshers Island, Fort Niche on Gull Is
land, Fort Terry on Plum Island and Fort
Trumbull in New London harbor
W neither the hostile fleet, If it eludes the
opposing squadron, will attempt to take
the defenses of Newport by a frontal at
tack or will try to effect a landing some
where on the adjacent coast and take the
1orts IN reverse, is one of the questions
to be answered by the attackers If If
eludes the fleet on the lookout for it. the
commander of the hostile squadron can do
whichever his Judgment dictates. His prob
lem Is TO give the slip to the defending fleet
ana so to manage that the newspaper fleet
snail not discover his approach and give
notice of his whereabouts until he has
struck his blow; two rather difficult propo-
sitiOnS.
Yet, when We remember the success of
terFera In masking his movements, the
question does not seem incapable of so1u-
ton Vineyard sound offers every induce
ment for call from hostile fleet, for it is
entirely undefended, and from Vineyard
Haven (the old Holmes Hole) the great
TIDE of commerce which continually passes
through Nantucket and Vineyard sounds
ana out over the shoals could be held at
the invaders mercy. 1t will be remem-
crate cruiser ran into Vineyard Haven,
destroyed all the shipping in the neighbor-
hood, and got off to sea again scott free.
Vital Problems to Solve.
There are all sorts of possibilities in that
strip Of coast from Martha's Vineyard to
Montauk, and when this years maneuvers
are over and the results summed I'D we
shall know great deal about them. The
questions which the maneuvers are to work
out are questions of vital and national i'm
portaDce affecting every part of the coun-
try. This attack Is not an attack on New
York alone, but on all her sister cities
great and small, indeed on every hamlet.
For the great market Of the west Is in the
east, through the east to other countries
and the key OF the east seems to be about
Newport.
The second part Of the maneuver. while
not calling for the display Of strategic skill
hQ
and noisy, and will simulate the conditions
OF actual combat. After the hostile fleet
has succeeded or failed in it's attempt to
eyade the fleet on the watch for it and ef-
fects landing on the coast the two facts
Will combine to form one great naval force
and attempt to capture some Of the forts
WITHIN the held of operations. The forts
Will be defended by the army and the mill
tia of the adjacent states and will be as
sisted by few small vessels supposed to
nave escaped the annihilation of the rest Of
the American fleet. All the forts mentioned
have been supplied with great quantities of
blank ammunition. Mine fields have been
laid out to cover the channels and every
other defensive precauuon has been taken
Ihe commanders OF the forts will not
know which of them is to be attacked until
the hostile fleet appears before them the
object being to take the place by surprise
And in this part OF the maneuvers the
newspaper forces VIII play part also, as
the attempt must be made by the fleet to
prevent news from being carried ashore by
them which will give the commander Of
any fort an inkling of the direction in which
the hostile squadron is moving. Ships will
try to run by the forts In the dark, and
such torpedo boats as are supposed to be
left for the purposes of defense will try to
steal out and torpedo the approaching YES
sells. When warship Is discovered the
forts Will open on her and she will reply
Umpires stationed on the forts will signal
by rockets when ship Is In a concentrated
lre which she could not Withstand IL the
shots from the forts were real ones, and
she VIII De declared out Of action. The
same thing will be done when a SUPPOSE
tious mine is exploded upon a ship, and, in
short. all the conditions Of actual warfare
VIII be simulated as nearly as possible.
The portion of the army not used as Rarri-
son for the forts will be held in readiness
at some strategic point to strike wherever
the enemy may appear. This will involve
the working out of many practical problems
in rapid transportation.
The Spanish war was the first war in the
history OF the world in which the news
nlaVed