Year: 1862




A Naval Armament,


Every day it becomes palmer that, tc
break the backbone of the invasion, We
must resist the enemy effectually along our
sea coast and water-courses. 1t is not diff
6cult to trace nearly the whole of our re-
cent disasters aud present troubles to the
failure to provide adequate means for such
resistance What might have served as
prevention, must now be looked to for q
remedy. A feet Of gunbosts may do more
to save the Mississippi Valley than an army
of fifty thousand men. A single iron.clad
steamship, possessing the properties of the
Virginia, could break up the blockade Of
this port. Unfortunately, the creation Of
an effective naval armament, which should
have been one of the first measures of the
Confederate war policy, has been forced up,
on the country, by costly aud disastrous ex
perience, as one of the last Mr.. Conrad
and Mr.. Mallory have been disputing
whstber Congress did or did not, some
months ago, appropriate to naval purposes
the sum of three millions of dollars It is
a melancholy spectacle. In the evident
opinion of both the Secretary of the Navy
and the Congressman, it was muni6ceot ap.
propriation. Yet it was miserable pit
tauce compared to the magnitude Of our
needs With respect to navy, so ipperfectly
appreciated then, scarcely understood yet,
we fear, even in the Navy Department
yet so obvious at present to all who ore &C.
quainted with the situation of our seacoast
and water courses, and especially with the
Mississippi river.


Twenty millions would have been a
moderate sum to have begun with for a
naval armament. This might have secured
at least half fdozeu Virgiuians, and crow
ded the Mississippi river with guuboats and
floating batteries.


The exploits of the Virginia have de-
monstrated that war ships upon the old
model are henceforth to be superseded as
useless lumber. Mr.. Stephenson, the pro
jector of the ram Manassas, did not 60 toe
far when he predicted that in ten years
every maritime power on earth will rely
entirely on iron-clad rams for vessels Of
war. Our gunboats should assimilate as
nearly as possible to that character. They
should be built and equipped with view
to coming to close quarters, aud crushing
and boarding the enemy's boats.


With respect to iron clad rams and gun
boats, We started even with the enemy
Backward as cnr naval preparations may
have been, We have got the start of the
enemy somewhat in point of iron.clad rams,
and by following up with energy our pres.
ent advantage in that particular, we would
be able to annul his naval superiority, and
shiver his wooden blockade into fragments.


There is no reason why we should no,
get the start of the enemy in the construc
ton of improved gun.boats. Indeed, it is
not impossible that We are now in fair
way towards accomplishing this object. A
week or two may tell tale from the Mis-,
sissippi river that Will at once dismay the
enemy and fill our people with agreeable
surprise. But, laying aside AatteriDg ex.
pectation, it is not too much to say that
the Mississippi Valley is safe if adequate
ly defended in the Mississippi river. We
must command that, or have no assurance
of safety. We must have an effective fec,
of gun.boats upon it, or have 10 assurance
of commading it. 1t is the path of danger
or the path Of safety, accordingly as we use
| it or neglectit it. 1t will serve US or serve
the enemy.


We have no reason to fear an invasion
by an army of the enemy, unassisted by
gun-boats and river transportation. He
would not dare, even if the way were open
to move an army southwark from Tennes
see, and leave the Mississippi river above in
our possession. To make good his inva
sion, he must take possession of the rivel
as he advances.


While preparing to defeat the enemy
upon our water-courses, we should not for
get how much may be done with vessel;
which ought.now to be in course of construc
tion, towards breaking up the blockade O
this city. We cannot too sternly reject thu
soporifc idea that there is patriotic virtu,
iu passive submission to the blockade.
would be little worse to say that patriotism
dictates passive submission to Fedora
despotism. Let Us consider the enemy a
nowhere irresistible To think him so i
to make him so. There has beeu too mucI
Of this sort of lanuguishing philosophy
Unless cast aside, it will sap our mora
Istrength. Let US cease talking about tb