The Mimic War.

New York Times 100 years ago today, August 6, 1913:
    The mimic warfare at the eastern end of Long Island Sound has resulted, thus far, in victory for the defenders of the fortifications at that entrance to the harbor of New York. The metropolis has been saved. The artillerymen and engineers stationed at Forts Wright, Michie, and Terry have outwitted the commander of the Black Fleet, comprising nineteen battleships, twenty-six torpedo boats, and various submarines and tenders. The forces of the "enemy," in command of Rear Admiral Badger of the North Atlantic Fleet, have been driven off, if not vanquished, by the army of defense, commanded by Major Gen. Thomas H. Barry. The war game has been well played and thoroughly interesting to the hardworking participants from first to last. It is played according to a set of rules which would hardly serve in case of a real war, but to onlookers from various advantageous points it has been a fine spectacle.
    The purpose of such military and naval manoeuvres, which seem to attract so little attention in this country, though in England, France, and Germany they are taken very seriously, is excellent. The present make-believe conflict will not end until Friday night, and in the meantime the strategy of the attacking fleet commander may prevail and the doom of this metropolis may be, theoretically, sealed. But we are permitted by the result of the early engagements to hope for the best.
    The officers of the army and navy comprehend the value of these games of war. They are carried out with an intelligent regard for the conditions which would prevail if the attack and defense were real. They afford the best possible training for the men on the ships and those on the land. They include practical experiments in the transportation of forces and supplies, in the handling of guns and ammunition, in the handling of battleships and smaller vessels. The question of the land defenses of this city is now uppermost in the minds of our military experts. Perhaps this Summer's mimic war may lead to some changes in the fortifications near Fort Pond Bay. The means of protecting the city from a hostile fleet at this end of the harbor have often been questioned. Some engineers contend that a new fortification is necessary on the Long Island shore between Rockaway Point and the extreme end of Long Beach. They fear that the big guns at Sandy Hook would not alone suffice to retard an enemy's progress, and that the big batteries in the Narrows are too near the town to protect it from bombardment with long-range guns.