Letter; Undated

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Letter; Undated

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Pettus, John Jones, 1813-1867 Unknown, C.

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Military Events--Blockade Military Events--Capitulations, Military Starvation United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783

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Confederate States of America. Navy United States. Navy

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Charleston (S.C.)Mississippi River South Carolina

Page 1

The military authorities of South Carolina have adopted the plan, suggested by the writer, for obstructing the channels between the Islands of the Sea-Coast—Your Excellency would find it to be one of the best modes for baffling the formidable ex-pedition about to descend the Mississippi.

On many of the shelving spits & sandbars, towards which the current sets, let there be plac-ed extending far out, entire trees—we use the ponderous Live Oak—the butts weighted down with the presentation of the tops, the limbs sharpened; the whole a little under the surface of the water—Masked Batteries should be within fair range to prevent Boats from carrying

Page 2

out hawsers to haul off the unwieldy Floating Batteries, which would be Sure to hang—

When peaceful navigation re-turns, & until there be time to remove obstructions, a very simple contrivance, adjusting itself to the rise & fall of the River, will indicate where they lie. Attach a Hedge anchor, with its chain, to one end of a smoothed boom, long enough to shew, somewhat, above the water , at its highest stage. On it, let a Buoy slide by means of what sailors call a thimble, spliced in a rope fastened to the apex of the cone. In this way, in no case, can the Buoy vary much from its proper position.

It is to be hoped that re-inforcements sent towards Co-

Page 3

-lumbus will not enter that place beyond a sufficiency to man, well the fortifications; the bulk of them would be better employed outside, in harassing the rear of the enemy. This should be the rule in all Simi-lar cases - In the war of '76 the errors was committed of cooping up our forces in Charles-ton, to be compelled to capitulate from famine. In consequence, we lost City, Army, & State.

To His Excellency
Governor Pettus
of Mississippi

Page 4

Anonymous

Letter; Undated

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