The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-15
NELSON AND OTHERS.
Men Who Won Fame in Naval VIC
tories.

Admiral Dewey's exploit causes his
name to be associated in naval history
with that of Nelson. The surprising
thing is not this. but the unanimity with
which those who believed themselves
higher critic" rank him below Nelson.
They always speak of Nelson as a man
apart from the rest. While there are do
zens of great generals, the impression
among English speaking people seems to
be that there is only one great admiral
Nelson. With the exception perhaps of
Farragut-whO is well known in the United
States, but not so well known in Europe
the average Anglo-Saxon could not name
another great fleet commander.
This is strange and not justified Mel
son is great, probably the greatest. until
Dewey's fame arose to eclipse his feats.
His many battles and the effect of his
victories prove his pre-emineuce but it
is true that there are Others" Those
who have carefully considered the ex-
PLOTS of Hood, Hooker Lewis, Colling
wood and Blake must admit that even IL
they were not as great as Nelson, yet
| they achived much that is well worthy of
comparison with what Nelson did.
Hallam says that the naval glory of
England can be traced in a continuous
track of Light from the period of the
commonwealth. Blake was the man who
began this lire of great naval victories
and Cromwells great admiral performed
feats that will bear being weighed in the
scales against Nelson's. Van Tromp,
against whom Blake was matched, was a
different man from Villeneuve. The man
who carried broom al his masthead to
show that he had swept the seas. had de-
feated the combined fleets of Spain and
Portugal at a time when these two ma
tons We're world powers, and until then
mistress of the seas. But Blake was
more than a match for the doughty Dutch
man. In May, 1862, he defeated him in
the Downs, with twenty ships against
forty5fve. After three other battles, in
each of which he was victorious, he, with
forty ships, marry of them unseaworthy
and shorthanded, encountered a fleet OF
eighty Dutch vessels and ten fire ships.
Defeated he withdrew, but In the following
February, with eighty ships against 100
of Dutch, he won a battle that lasted
four days.
Perhaps his greatest action was against
the Spanish in 1857, when he entered the
strongly fortified harbor of Santa Cruz
and defeated a superior force supported
by land batteries. 1t was fight like Dew
ey's in that it seemed incredible to Eng
lishmen, who could hardly believe their
leaders great success. He was the first
man to bring ships to fight fortresses, a
thing that until then seemed foolhardly
and useless risk Nelson, Farragut and
Dewey profted by the lesson he taught.
None of Nelson's fighting was better
than that of Hawke off Bellisle in 1853,
when he engaged the French fleet under
Contains, and, Notwithstanding that the
French, trusting TO their knowledge of the
rocks and shadows, retired to the shore,
he fell upon them with such impetuosity
that only the approach of nightfall saved
them from total destruction. More than
half of the French vessels were destroyed.
This, like Trafalgar, prevented project
ed invasion of England.
Hoods daring attack on Grasse at the
Rasseterre of st. Kits and his success
in expelling the French from Corsica are
also feats Of great skill and courage. With
thorough seamanship Hood combined
courage and GOODNESS that have led many
naval historians to rank him as second
only to Nelson"
st. Vincent is remembered chiefly for
Nelson. yet Jervis was the leader and his
courage led to the battle and his strategy
really won it. In its consequences this
battle was no less great than that of Trat-
aIgar for it was the foundation of all that
followed.
At this battle Collingwoods individual
eallantry was but slightly less than that
of Nelson and he, too was rewarded with
an admirars flag. At Trafalgar while
the ships went in under Nelson, who plan
ned the compaign, Collingwood did much
of the fighting and his valor and skin had
a powerful influence on both fleets. IL
might be said to be pure luck that Colling-
wood had no chance to show himself Mel
sons equal for there were no great sub
sequent naval engagements after he sue
ceeded to the command. Some of their
contemporaries believed oCollingwood the
greater sailor.
Now, as for Nelson. His great battles
were those of the Nile, Copenhagen and
Trafalgar. Great as the credit due him
is, il must be admitted that the British
fleet was then at its best and that of
France at its worst. 1t mattered very lit
tie under what leader the English might
he; so long as the two fleets could get
into action the issue was not doubtful
Before the battle of the Nile Nelson
went on two wild goose chases in search |
of the French. In numbers the ships
were evenly matched at Aboukir, though
the French had the aid of shore batteries,
and their feet was superior. Nelson d.
vided his fleet and attacked part of the
French from both sides while the enemy's
van and all their line were either unabls |
or unwilling to take part in the fight.
At Copenhagen Nelson met both shore
batteries and fleets. Impatient of delay, |
he attacked them. He tried to repeat the |
Nile experiment, but was not able to place
the Danes between two fires, and the result |
was that though his squadron destroyed
the first line OF the Danish defenses the !
hostile batteries were not sienced and |
Nelson himself suffered so greatly that he |
welcomed truce.
The battle of Trafalgar was not of Mel |
sons seeking. Villeneuve had twice out |
witted him and led him on one occasion on
a chase across the Atlantic Wearied and
desperate Villeneuve left Cadiz and sought |
The battle Of Trafalgar. The forces were |
not so uneven. Nelson had twenty-seven |
ships to Villeneuve's thirty-one And the |
fleet Of the allies was so unskflled thar
the mere operation Of turning was suff- |
elent to throw il into confusion The re- |
suit was not in doubt for an Instant.
Why is IT, then, that with the popu- |
lace Nelson is first and the rest nowhere? |
1t is In no small part due to the fact that |
men of action depend for their fame upon |
the written records of men Of letters. Nell |