Year: 1862

5th, has the following article:


"The enormous and rapid increase of
the enemy's naval power in this war is
one Of its most painful subjects of inter-
est, This arm has grown TO such size as
to threaten us in many respects more Sc
riously than the enemy's land forces.
The Yankees have now afloat at least two
hundred vessels of war more than they
could boast when the war commenced.
Large and active preparations have been
made for naval movements this winter,
and it is generally estimated that there
are now about fifty IRON clad men-of- war
building for the Yankee government, be-
sides these afOat


"There is good reason to suppose that
the Yankee fleet, which is to fall upon our
coast this winter will De stronger in point
Of armament and class of ships than any
which has yet embarked on an offensive
movement. The objects to be accom-
plished by this naval demonstration are
of the most considerable Importance.
They are to capture our sesp0rts; to make
their blockade eaectual; and to open ave-
nues of invasion to these districts of the
South where the emancipation proclama-
tion can, with the beginning OF the new
year, be put into practical effect


1t is useless to deny the advantages
which would ensue to the enemy from
the capture of our remaining ports, or to
slight such a misfortune TO us by the
consolation that we can still whip the
enemy by interior warfare. The welfare
of the country is essentially associated
with the protection of what ports we now
have; and if there is any reason TO fear
that, through improvidence, or imperfect
foresight on the part Of this government,
Charleston, Savannah and Mobile are to
fall into the hands of the enemy this
winter, then we may prepare ourselves
for train of disasters that will reach The
heart of the South, and fearlully try the
fortitude of our people. ..-.r


"With these ports in the hands of the
enemy, the blockade could be enforced
with a sirictness and rigor of which we
have yet had no experience in our suffer-
ings from this source. We would have
to abandon all ideas of building a navy
on this side Of the Atlantic. We would
have TO repeat the humiliation of giving
up to the enemy or of destroying what
few naval structures we have. We would
lose, to a great extent, our vast system
of railroad communication in the cotton
States: and we might realize, when it
was too late, that the interior warfare of
which such hopes are INDUCED, would
render the sustenance and preservation
| of large army almost impossible.


These ealamities threatened in the
capture of our ports are grave enough.
One graver, however, and more terrible
than all these, is to come if the enemy
can get a hold in the cotton states, for
putting into operation there his emancipa-
tion scheme. Great efforts will naturally
be made to keep this pet measure of the
abolitionists from falling to the ground
and TO see that the wrath which Mr.
Lincoln has bottled for the first of Jan.
uary does not go into harmless izzle o.
soda powder. So far in the war the enc.
my's scheme of servile insurrection has
proved ridiculous failure. The attemp
is now 70 put it into operation where W,
are least defended, to try the poison a
the heart of the South. '. .r
" HPrediciion of future disaster is not
/ pleasing tale TO that portion of our peo
pie who are never questioning what th
government does, and take for patriotism
blind and clustering trust in the fu
ture. II is for fear of the consequence
4 Of this wretched self-deceit that we hav
pointed out the important results invol
we'd in the naval movements of the enem,
on our coast and rivers. We do not sal
that Charleston, Savannah and Mobil,
are or are not in a state of complete de


fence. There is, Of course, abundan
military authority in the South for say


ing that they are as impregnable as Glib
raltar: but military men and thei
mouth pieces have too often succeeded
in lulling our people TO sleep with


false sense of security to admit the prin
ciple that they are to be implicitly re
lied on, and that it is unpatriotic. to Ie
sist their lullabies. We have the same
strain at New Orleans. The people ther,
awoke one morning TO find the enemy
flag in their harbor, and that they haC
been made the victims Of the sloth anC
ineiliciency Of those who had flattereC
them with security.


Nothing outside of official circles i
permitted to be known of the state Of tn
defences of our ports. But recent omen
are not favorable Within few week
past, Galveston has, almost without
struggle, fallen into the hands Of tn
enemy. The newspapers were forbidden
to say anything of the defences of thi
city. There was no call for help excep
such as reached the dull ear Of the Gov
ernment; people were not aroused thei
patriotism was required to be ignorant
to trust to leaders, and to be submissiv
to whatever Providence had in store 70
them-and so another prize has falle


into the lap of the enemy.


TIE practice Of shrouding all mililar.


matters in mystery, aud requiring 'h


people to believe that all is safe withou


their troubling themselves with inquired