As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter...........
It is interesting that the English Howe family produced three amazing British military leaders. The first who was dear to the hearts of his countrymen in America, died in defense of America before the Revolution of 1776.
The second, General Howe, prosecuted a war of negotiation and not absolute attack upon Americans after Bunker Hill.
The third, in Admiral Lord Howe, was the specific reason that America was not a nation in the year 1778 and had to await their recognition by King George for years later.
Admiral Howe should be respected and honored for the fine military officer he was, for he was perhaps the most gifted Admiral on the high seas.
In 1776, the Admiralty had sent Admiral Howe to the American shores with a task of leveraging the Americans back onto the colonial reservation, in having no heavy line ships past the 64's, and instead warships meant to deal with a colonial people of rivers and bays.
All of this changed in the surrender of General Burgoyne at Saratoga, for at that event, the French recognized America, and immediately informed the British of that which was a declaration of war.
The Admiralty and Government of King George were unprepared for any of this. The French set sail under Admiral Charles Henri, Comte d'Estang, with a squadron which was led by a host of 74's or ships carrying 74 cannons, with one 90 gun and one 84.
The British responded in scavanging sailors from channel ships and sent a flotilla to America with orders that channel sailors were to be prepared to do service on other British warships.
In America the scramble began in retreating British troops by ship from the American interior. The French arrived 10 days too late, for if they had come to anchor before the evacution of New Jersey, New York would have been left undefended.
Admiral Howe had been warned of the French navy sailing to America. His ships had not had service at docks for two years, but in a few days he put his ships to sea in one of the most brilliant defensive maneuvers ever undertaken.
Howe anchored his ships in line off Sandy Hook attached to screws. A screw is an anchor which attaches to a ship, and the ship thus being stable can then be turned in battle by the crew in order to direct fire.
This line of English ships was in tandem, and if the French undertook the attempt to enter New York, they would be blasted with full broadsides. If the French closed, the English ships could turn and rake the French fleet again.
The French steered clear of this battle, even though they outgunned the English. In contact with pilots supplied by General Washington, it was deemed the draft of the French ships would ground them.
The French would not take the chance and sailed away to Rhode Island to engage in battle there, as General Washington had arrayed 10,000 Americans there for the defeat of the British there.
Admiral Howe remained on station for three days, but concluded the French had quit the theater for some reason, and soon enough sailed after the French fleet at Naragannsett.
the French had landed 4000, marines to assist the Americans in the capture of Rhode Island. Who though should appear by Admiral Howe to anchor off Point Judith on the following day. The French noting the arrival of a stronger force, withdrew their marines, and made sail for the English, over the protests and begging of the Americans on the ground.
The French sailed off to engage the British, but Admiral Howe was not going to be brought into battle with an inferior force, except on his terms. The Admiral quit point Judith and sailed the open sea in order to get the 'weather' or the wind for the attack now on the French.
The French chased the British down the coast, and then turned about and the French chased them all the more. In this, Admiral Howe noting the French closing, moved his van, in the heavy Cornwall 74 in the middle, exchanging position with the Centurion 50 at the end.
The Admiral would exchange flagships in his Eagle 64 for the Apollo 32, and placing his ship between the two flotillas.
The French were very caucious in their round arc attack and it never came. A gale blew in on August 13th and broke up the fleets. Admiral Howe surviving with his ships, set sail again and noted 10 sails, and the French ships had taken a beating by the storm.
The French 90 gun Languedoc and the Marseillais 74 were immediately attacked by the lighter gun English Renown and Preston.
The British made a mistake and withdrew at nightfall, and by the next day more of the French fleet appeared and the opportunity lost.
Repairs made Admiral Howe watched the French fleet which sailed for Newport, where the Americans had advanced to 1500 yards of the British land forces. The French assessing the situation, decided their ships were in need of refit and promptly leaving the Americans, and what should have been another easy conquest to liberate America ended.
The French had prepared and hoped the British would attack them at Newport, but Howe would only engage if the situtation favored him.
The French sailed to Boston and Admiral Howe by September 11th was back in New York and finding Rear Admiral Hyde Parker there with six ships of Byrons squadron, took leave with permission back to England having saved "British America" in 1778 from certain defeat.
Howe's wrath for the Admiralty was unleashed though in leaving him in such a precarious position in America. It would be not until a change of Ministry that in 1782, or five years later in which Admiral Howe would be again employed in the British Navy.
It is not that often that one finds two brilliant commanders in General George Washington and Admiral Lord Howe, leaders who literally without fighting, but in buying time and cooly assessing impossible situations actually won contests.
The French were timorous as was the case in knowing the British fighting ability to make no mistake nor take any chances, but in like measure Admiral Howe made no mistakes in a series of battle plans and maneuvers which nullified the French squadron sent to America which was superior to the English.
If the French had just made sail with haste, they would have taken New York ungaurded. If the French, had pressed in attempting to cross at New York, they would have liberated that important front.
If the French had pressed at Rhode Island, they would have captured the British land forces. If the French had simply attacked the English fleet before a gale set in, the French would have neutralized the British hegemony in the Americas by which the empire was quickly fed.
If the French had just landed troops in the English flank at Newport as the Americans pressed them, the victory would have been secured.
The audacity of Admiral Howe kept the Americans as colonials past 1778 in a most brilliant nautical chess game which has few comparisons in world history.
Life is made by temerity, not the timorous.
Lame Cherry
agtG
