I take quotes of this from Captain Mahan in his review of the Naval War of the American revolution. It not my purpose to engage in examining battles in this, but to focus upon something in the Battle of Ushant, between the French and English which is lost on most Americans.
There were English like Edmund Burke who were equally pro British and pro American. It would surprise most people if they read Benjamin Franklin's memoirs, that he refers to himself as English and his main thrust was to join English leadership to American expansion, in a sort of dual empire in which America would be a full partner.
At the Battle of Ushant, the French were to sail 30 days and basically avoid battle under orders. The British set sail to engage in battle, under Admiral Keppel whose junior was Vice Admiral Palliser.
The following quote sets the stage.
"Vice Admiral Palliser was a Tory, and had left the Board of Admiralty to take his command. Admiral Keppel was so strong a Whig that he would not serve against the Americans; and he evidently feared that he was to be betrayed to his ruin."
Is not that a most interesting statement in history in here the leader of the British in European Naval warfare, and he was there, because he would not fire on the Americans.
His second was an active Tory who apparently had no love for Americans, but this digressed into something more as Keppel distrusted Palliser, to the extent that Palliser in the battle with the French refused or stated he did not see orders to come into battle line against the French.
A great deal of this became public and a court martial was convened for the two in the next year. It was found basically no man did anything really wrong, but more as Mahan writes:
"The Vice-Admiral's behaviour seems that of a man in a sulk, who will do only that which he can find no excuses for neglecting. In such cases of sailing close, men generally slip over the line into grievous wrong."
The following historical reality might surprise numbers of Americans, as in the John Adams presentation it appears the British all hated Americans, when in reality at the time of Keppel's hearing, the public was very much in favor of him, and he was pro American in being a Whig.
"Public opinion running strongly for Keppel, his acquittal was celebrated with bonfires and illuminations in London; the mob got drunk, smashed the windows of Palliser's friends, wrecked Palliser's own house, and came near to killing Palliser himself. The Admiralty, in 1780, made him Governor of Greenwich Hospital."
I thought that part thoroughly amusing in the mob was pro Keppel, and pro American, and not Tory, to the extent they gave a sound drubbing to Palliser's friends, his house and almost killed Palliser.
It was the reality that the English hated the French more in Palliser not killing them, than hating Americans.
It concludes with the following ending to this tale of the British Whig:
"After this, Keppel, being dissatisfied with the Admiralty's treatment, intimated his wish to give up the command. The order to strike his flag was dated March 18th, 1779. He was not employed afloat again, but upon the change of administration in 1782 he became First Lord of the Admiralty, and so remained, with a brief intermission, until December, 1783."
It is odd that Keppel faired that well with his German sounding name in being pro American and not taken out and shot. He never did sail again, but actually was made head of the very body which had caused him problems.
This is one of the most overlooked footnotes in history in many Americans were Tory British and ended up in Canada, and numbers of British were Whig pro American in not desiring to take up arms against their own people, seeing the shortcomings of the crown against Americans, and not desiring to make the situation worse.
More history you never will hear in the Ken Burns cut and paste leftist propaganda which is PBS and HBO fare.
agtG
