Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1805-09-30
TIE LITE NkYAL ENGAGEMENT.

miral Calder, and the French aud Spanish
combined fleet, Bells Messenger, OF the
4th August remarks:
We must here be somewhat technical, in
order to explain TO our readers the general
method of sea engage ments. Eruisms are
sometimes necessary, aad we hope to es-
cape ridiCule in stating self evidentthing,
that all ships must be, as to each other,
windward or leeward, and in their tacks,
either STAFFORD or larbord. Affect to Wind
ward has invariably borne down In slant
ing line on another to leeward, each ship
In line abreast of the other, till they
brought up within proper distance tor a
~close and general engagement from van 20
rear. "A. Aeet to leeward, therefore, deslr-
Gus to avoid general engagement has full
: leisure to disable a windward fleet during
its approach to battle and when the latter
has assumed 81 uation for close encounter,
the former might bear away at intervals,
whilst enveloped with smoke; or, by maxi
Ing more sail, might shoot ahead, and pour
sits whole Are into the opposite van, as 1t
passed and wore in succession to form
new line TO leeward on the opposite tack.
The mystery of the French tactics was
formerly no more than this; they never
made an attack, but always courted a lee
ward situauon; they nave thus invariably
disabled the British aeets.in coming down
5, TO action, aud, upon seeing it disabled,
have made sail and demolished the van 10
passing, keeping clear of close engagement,
and never lying ship abreast; on the other
hand, the British, from an irresistible de-
sire of attack, have as constantly courtef
the windward position have had their
ships constantly disabled aud separated, and
have never been ableto close with the ene-.
rny,~or make a capture.
Such was stss. system by which the irencti
succeeded from the Gayai engagement with
admiral Byng, In the Mediterranean, 1856,
TO the rencounter with admiral Greaves, oft
the Chesapeake, 1881. In admiral Eyron's
engagement OFF Grenada, our fleet bore
down TO windwmd whilst the enemy, bsar-
ing away, prevented an attack upon their
rear, or a close engagement in the van, our.
headmost ships were either disabled in max.
ing the attack, as they received the whole
FIRE OF the cnemy's line, as each ship of the
latter passed and wore Ia succession, in or
der to form TO leeward upon the opposite
tack. The French adhered SO closely to
this system, that, to avoid all chance of
close or general engagement, they forbore
even to intercept our disabled ships which
had necessarily fallen to leeward.
Such was the superiority of the enemy's
tactics, that till the year 1882, above thirty
years passed without any conspicuous ma.
val victory; ship indeed engaging with ship,
the British always succeeded but the adj
vantage was never extended to general en-
gagement. Rodney set the first example
of an attack 10 lecward and cutting off the
line; since then, in ali general baules, we
have uniformly triumphed.
Rodney opened new Era, and with the
exception of the battle of the Nile, where
the: Preach fcetzwas at anchor, tie same
nanauyre of attacking to leeward, aud cut
ting the line, have uniformly succeeded
In lord Howe's victory, the signal was gil
I ven Gths first we believe that was ever Civ.
en-, for Rodney's was rather accident than
designl for the British feet to leeward to
sack successfully and cut the line the two
fleets were instantly intermixed, The battle
was that of ship to ship, and the event was
evidence of the skill of'the attack indeed
so sensible were the Frenchof the cause of
our victory, that the convention passed a.
decree of death against that captain who
should ever suffer the line to be cut.
Lord St. Vincent, indeed, disregarded'
the regular system from having greater adj
oan@aree In yarvino hia ,r,lan of atfark.: h1t
lord Duncan, in the victory off Camper
down, cutthe Dutch line Immediately in
the centre.
Such being the approved system Of tao.
tics, and the invariable success of adopting