He seems to have made the effort in the beginning to get along
pleasantly with Nassau, and to work with him for the good of the
service; but, after the demonstration of Nassau's lack of character
and capacity in the first action, and after the repeated failure of
the prince to maneuver the flotilla in the most ordinary manner, Jones
lost all patience with him. Patiomkine had endeavored to establish
harmony and good feeling between the two, not only by letters,
but by a personal visit which he paid the rear admiral on the
Wolodimer on the 29th of June. He did everything on that occasion
to persuade Nassau to make an apology for some remarks he had
addressed to Jones previously, and, having done so, effected
some kind of a reconciliation, but the differences between them were
so wide--Nassau was so worthless and Jones so capable, while both were
hot-tempered--that the breach between them was greater than before.
Between the two Patiomkine, while not at first unfriendly to Jones,
much preferred Nassau. Hence his action. Not only did Patiomkine
enjoin harmony, but Littlepage, the American, whom we have seen before
as the chamberlain of the King of Poland, who had accepted the command
of one of the ships under Jones, also wrote him to the same effect.
Jones received his letter in the spirit in which it was written, and
assured the writer that he had borne more from Nassau than he would
have done from any other than a madman, and he promised to continue to
try to do so. The effort was a failure. Littlepage himself, unable to
endure the animosities engendered between the squadron and the
flotilla, threw up his command and returned to Warsaw. His parting
counsel to Jones showed that he well understood the situation.
"Farewell, my dear admiral; take care of yourself, and look to whom
you trust. Remember that you have rather to play the part of a
politician than a warrior--more of a courtier than a soldier."
Jones indorsed upon this note the following remark:
"I was not skilled in playing such a part. I never neglected my duty."
To resume the narrative: After the defeat in the Liman, the grand
Turkish fleet sailed away from Otchakoff, which was then strictly
blockaded by Jones' squadron, assisted by thirty-five armed boats
which had been placed under his command. At the end of July the
Turkish fleet, having had an indecisive engagement with the Russians
at Sebastopol, returned to Otchakoff. Preparations were made by Jones
to receive an attack, but none was delivered. Three ships attempted to
run the blockade: one was sunk, and the others got in with difficulty.
Nothing of importance happened during the months of August and
September, in which Jones continued an effective blockade, although he
undertook some minor operations at the request of the marshal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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