For  this  purpose  it  is  only  necessary  to  loot  to  the  means  of  aasembling
quickly  a  small  naval  force  on  the  lakes,  and,  in  the  meantime,  to  place  at  the
several  citipa  and  towns,  and  at  the  termini  of  the  various  railroads  and  canala
along  the  lake  shores,  a  few  pieces  of  ordnance,  according  to  the  plan  eu^ceted
for  the  towna  generally  along  the  Atlantic  seaboard.
The  forta  which  are  already  on  the  lakes  need  not  be  garrisoned  in  war  only
mtfl  we  acquire  the  naval  snpremacy  there.
We  hove  canals  and  mlroads  by  which  we  eonid  BCTid  the  frames  of  vessels
and  all  requisite  naval  means  to  the  lakes  at  short  notice  and  in  time  to  re-enforce
what  we  might  snddenly  assemble  there.
It  aeema,  therefore,  mat,  acting  npon  the  policy  of  so  shaping  our  system  of
national  defence  as  to  secure  the  naval  supremacy  in  our  own  waters,  we  should
proceed  to  hnild  the  engines,  provide  the  armaments,  and  get  out  at  the  navy
yards  of  Memphis  and  New  York  the  frames  of  a  few  small  men-of-war  steamers
tot  the  lakes.  The  engines  and  the  armaments  might  be  placed  npon  the  lake
shores  at  once.  The  frames,  on  the  first  appearance  of  the  war  cloud,  could  be
sent  there  by  the  Erie  and  the  Michigan  canals,  pnt  together,  and  be  ready  for
htmiGhing  at  a  moment's  waraine.  ,~~  ,


364  MILITAEY  AND  NAVAL  DEFENCES.
