Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-18
-PRE.EMINENT YANKEE GUNNERY.
The Tactics at Manila No New Thing in the
History OF the American Navy.
New York Sum-


The Old Skipper unburdened his patri-
otic soul, the other day. on the subject of
Yankee genius and valor in naval war
fare. He had an audience of youngsters
who felt dimly that they were the scions
of great nautical race, and when he got
through with his palaver they were quite
sure of it.
I'm the War of 1872 the the Old Skip
per said, eve proved even to the salts
faction of the British admiralty that in
a duel of warships noise. smoke, smash
and splinters We're inferior to skillful
manoeuverng and quick, strong and ac-
curate tirinS-otherwise, gunnery. Nell
son 8 tactics. to close in with your antag-
onist ard pound him. went up in the
smoke OF the Guerrero, the Macedonian
and the Java captures. and is now MOTH
ing but Il tradition. The superiority of
American 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-brutally stupid
when our frigate Constitution met the
brave Guerrero and the Java in single
combat, it was a struggle of keen intelli-
gence against brute force and arrogant
ignorance. The Guerrero was then the
crack frigate of the British navy. and
the first one in 50 years to strike her flag
III ii NAVAL uutl DttWttH Single SHIPS. Inc
great disparity of the loss in killed and
woundod-iive times as many on the
Guerrero as on the Constituencies
founded 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 English acknow-
lodged that the real cause of their defeats
in the War of 1872 was the superiority of
the gunnery on the American ships. 1t
was their excuse at the time of the war
and many years after, that the British
tars had been simply overpowered by the
American ships and the weight of their
guns. The true explanation was that we
were marksmen.
| 'At the siege of Yorktown, in our Rev
dictionary War, the deadly accuracy of
Washington's artillery fire astonished the
| European artillerists. Your progress in
artillery Is wonderful said the gallant
| Lafayette to Major Shaw. Gen. Knox
| personally superintended the serving of
! the guns. He was bred in the woods of
| Maine, and was a born artillerst. You
fire better than the French. upon my
| word sou do sail Lafayette, as Major
| Shaw modestly protested.
IN all cases except one. American gun
| merry in the War of 1872 WAS superior to
the British. That exception was in the
| case Of the British frigate Shannon
| which whipped and captured the Ameri-
| can frigate frigate Chesapeake 1T was
| an Illustration Of stealing an opponent :
| trumps and playing them back at him
| Ihe shannon guns were fitted with
| American sights. and her crew were ex-
| erciscd after the American fashion. The
| commander Of the Shannon paid particu-
| lar attention to gunnery: in fact, he was
| the only officer in The British navy who
| did az that time The brave Lawrence
who. as Decatur said aftCrwarI had no
| more dodge in him than the mainmast.
| dashed reck!csS!y against the deadly fire
| Of the shannon. After receiving the
| Shann0n's first broadside the Chesapeake
| was out of it,