The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1898-07-09
PRE.Es'if.SNT YANKEE CUNNERY.
The Tactics at Manila No New Thing
in the History of the Navy.

The Tactics at Manila No New Thing
in the History of the Navy.
The Old Skipper unburdened his
patriotic soul the other day on the
subject of Yankee genius and valor IN
naval warfare. He had an audience
of youngsters who felt dimly that
they were the scions of great nauti-
cal race, and when he got through
with his palaver they were quite sure
of it.
':In the war Of 1872" the Old Skip
per said, eve proved even to the sat
isfaction of the British Admiralty that
in duel OF warships noise, smoke,
smash, and splinters We're inferior to
skillful maneuvering and quick, strong,
and accurate fring-otherwise, gun
merry. Nelson's tactics, to close IN
with your antagonist and pound HIM,
went mp in the smoke of the Guer-
riere, the Macedonian, and the Java
captures, and is now nothing but a
tradition. The superiority Of Ameri-
can ships, guns, and seamen in those
days staggered the European naval
world. Those victories Of ours made
the battles of the Nile and Trafalgar
appear what they really were-bruta!ly
stupid. -
''When our frigate Constitution met
the brave Guerriere and the Java in
single combat, it was a struggle of
keen intelligence against brute force
and arrogant ignorance. The Guer-
riere was then the crack frigate of the
British navy, and the first one Ill
thirty years to strike her flag in q
naval duel between single ships. The
great disparity of the loss IN killed
and wounded--fve times as many on
the Guerriere as on the Constitution
astounded the naval world. Our sea
fights set all Europe thinking, just as
our fights in this war may do. 1t was
many years, however, before the Eng
lisil acknowledged that the real cause
of their defeats in the war of 1872
was the superiority of the gunnery on
the American ships. It was their ex-
cusc at the time of the war, and many
years after, that the British tars had
been simply overpowered by the Amer
ical ships and the weight Of their
guns. The true explanation was that
we were marksmen.
cat The siege Of Yorktown, in our
Revolutionary war, the deadly accuracy
of Washington's artillery fire aston
ished the European artillerists. Your
progress in artillery is wonderful, ;
said the gallant Lafayette to Major
Shaw. General Knox personally SUI
periptended the serving of the guns.
He was bred in the woods of Maine,
aud was a born artiyerist. Yousfre
better .thansthe FreIfch, upon my word
yoG do, said Lafayette, as Major Shaw
mod destly protested. s...: S:
'tIn all cases except one, American
gunnery in the war Of. 1912 was supe-
rior to the British. That exception
was in the, case of the British frigate
Shannon, which whipped and cap,
tured the American frigate Chesapeake.
It was an illustration of stealing an
opponents trumps and playing them:
back at him. The Shannon's guns
were fitted with American sights and
her crew were exercised after the
American fashion. The commander
OF the Shannon paid particular atten-
ton to gunnery in fact, he was the
only officer in the British navy who
did at that time. The brave Lawrence
who, as Decatur said afterward, had
no more dodge in him than the main
mast dashed recklessly against the
deadly fire of the Shannon. After
receiving the Shannon's first broad
side the Chesapeake was out of it.
'%As late as 1880 the American gun
sight was considered the best device
known to naval artillerisfs. It was in
troduced into naval gunnery by the
Yankees in It'll. I have no doubt that
in any future war that we may have
on the sea, Yankee ingenuity and in
tellieence will achieve the success that
has always attended them. New
York Sum-.