ON NAVAL BOMBARDMENTS.[35]
“The attack of fortresses, and powerful land batteries with a naval force only, must ever be a hazardous, and perhaps desperate undertaking. But if skilfully combined with a military force sufficiently strong to make good its landing, to invest the place, or the batteries on the land side, to take the defences in reverse, and so open the way to the attack by sea, the object of the attack will in general be successful. But this mode of proceeding can only be applied when the place to be attacked occupies a position, insular or otherwise, of such extent as to admit of being attacked by land as well as by sea. When the place, fortress, or arsenal to be attacked is covered and protected by isolated points of defence, mutually protecting each other, and when no previous military operation can be made, those points or outposts should be attacked in detail, and successively reduced; after which the fleet may arrive at, and attack the main position. This must evidently be a protracted and difficult process, even with such means: with ships alone, it cannot be effected without severe loss, and damages: and it should always be remembered that many of the attacking ships would be severely injured, probably disabled, in the attempt, whilst the enemy’s fleet would remain untouched, and in reserve. It would, therefore, follow that the attacking fleet must be exposed to a very disadvantageous action with the enemy, in the event of the latter subsequently leaving his place of shelter.
“When the fortress, or arsenal to be attacked is situated on a coast which may be approached from the open sea in any direction, steam-ships may avoid the danger of a direct attack, end-on, or oblique, by approaching the place on either, or perhaps on both sides; and, having gained the proper proximity, clear of raking, or diagonal fire, range quickly up in parallel order, to attack the place in line, or lines; as in steam warfare, ship against ship, or fleet against fleet, direct advances upon the broadside batteries of ships, may, upon the same principle be avoided, and the enemy attacked in parallel order, by ranging up to him, and forced to fight if the attacking ships are superior in speed.
“But when the fortress, arsenal, or place to be attacked is only approachable by a narrow and intricate channel, through which ships can only pass singly, or nearly so, there can be no manœuvering for position. There is no way of avoiding being met by direct, then oblique, and ultimately raking fire from the batteries that defend the channel, and steam can only perform its office of propulsion into or through those intricacies under these disadvantageous, and hazardous circumstances. Steam-ships might, indeed, run past advanced, or covering batteries at full speed, without being much damaged; but it would be extremely perilous to leave such forts unsilenced in their rear, and, unless the daring enterprise should succeed, like Nelson’s, at Copenhagen, to produce a cessation of hostilities, the fleet, or at least any disabled ships, could never get out again.
“However successful a naval attack of a fortress, or arsenal may be, the work of destruction can never be effectually accomplished by ships. The sea defences may be silenced, guns dismounted, parapets ruined, magazines blown up by mortar shells, and habitations devastated by the cruel process of bombardment; but no substantial demolition of the defences, or material destruction of public works and property, can be effected, unless the partial and rather temporary than permanent damages inflicted by the attacks of ships be followed up and completed, by having actual possession of the captured place for a sufficient time to ruin it entirely. No naval operation, however skilfully planned, and gallantly executed, can, in this way, reap the fruits of its own victory.
“In the desultory operations of small active steamers employed to shell, with their pivot guns, open towns, roadsteads, harbours, and slender buildings, magazines, stores, &c., &c., or to shell bodies of troops on shore, the attacking vessels should never anchor, but having given their end-on fire, go off at speed to reload, and prepare to take up the fire in turn with others, whenever they regain a favourable position for a good effect. To hit a steamer running with speed across a line of fire is no easy matter (Arts. 331, 341); and when in the end-on position, she presents but a small target to hit at a long range.”