Leaving entirely out of consideration the question of relative _power, position_ alone would give the superior efficiency to the fort.

But there are other considerations no less important than that of position.

Fort Schuyler can be garrisoned and defended in part by the same militia force which will be employed to prevent the march of the enemy's army on the city.
On the other hand, the crews of the floating defences must be seamen; they will consequently be of less value in the subsequent land operations.

Moreover, forts, situated as this is, can be so planned as to bring to bear upon any part of the channel a greater number of guns than can be presented by any hostile squadron against the corresponding portion of the fort.

This result can be obtained with little difficulty in narrow channels, as is done in most of the other works for the defence of New York, the works for Boston, Newport, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, &c., and an approximation to it is not incompatible with the defence of the broader estuaries, like the Chesapeake.
But we will suppose that there are no such points of land, in the inlets to our harbors, and that we rely for defence upon a naval force exclusively.