however, was, about that date, receiving considerable attention. A writer, Clerk, about 1780,[1] pointed out that in meeting the attack of the English the French had adopted a system of defence consisting of a kind of running fight, in which, initially taking the "lee gage,"[2] they would await the English attack in line ahead, and having delivered their broadsides on the leading English ships (advancing usually in line abreast), they would bear away to leeward and take up position, once more waiting for the renewal of the attack, when the same process was repeated.[3] By these tactics the French obtained a concentration of fire on a small portion of the English fleet, and so were able to inflict severe punishment with little injury to themselves.[4] Here we see the beginnings of sound tactical method adapted to the needs of defence. Up to the date in question there appears to have been no studied attempt to found a scheme of attack on the basis of concentration; the old order was to give battle in parallel columns or lines, ship to ship, the excess of ships, if either force were numerically superior, being doubled on the rear ships of the enemy. It was not till the "Battle of the Saints," in 1782, that a change took place; Rodney (by accident or intention) broke away from tradition, and cutting through the lines of the enemy, was able to concentrate on his centre and rear, achieving thereby a decisive victory.
§ 40. British Naval Tactics in 1805. The Nelson "Touch." The accident or experiment of 1782 had evidently become the established tactics of the British in the course of the twenty years which followed, for not only do we find the method in question carefully laid down in the plan of attack given in the Memorandum issued by
- ↑ John Clerk of Eldin: Essay on Naval Tactics (1779, published 1790) (Wikisource contributor note)
- ↑ See Sailing ship tactics#Importance of the weather gage (Wikisource contributor note)
- ↑ Compare Malian, "Sea Power," page 162.
- ↑ Incidentally, also, the scheme in question had the advantage of subjecting the English to a raking fire from the French broadsides before they were themselves able to bring their own broadside fire to bear.
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