“The utmost joy,” says Berry,[26] “seemed to animate every breast on
board the Squadron, at sight of the Enemy; and the pleasure which the
Admiral himself felt, was perhaps more heightened than that of any
other man, as he had now a certainty by which he could regulate his
future operations. The Admiral had, and it appeared most justly, the
highest opinion of, and placed the firmest reliance on, the valour
and conduct of every Captain in his Squadron. It had been his practice
during the whole of the cruize, whenever the weather and circumstances
would permit, to have his Captains on board the _Vanguard_, where he
would fully develop to them his own ideas of the different and best
modes of attack, and such plans as he proposed to execute upon falling
in with the Enemy, whatever their position or situation might be, by
day or by night. There was no possible position in which they could
be found, that he did not take into his calculation, and for the most
advantageous attack of which he had not digested and arranged the
best possible disposition of the force which he commanded. With the
masterly ideas of their Admiral, therefore, on the subject of Naval
tactics, every one of the Captains of his Squadron was most thoroughly
acquainted; and upon surveying the situation of the Enemy, they could
ascertain with precision what were the ideas and intentions of their
Commander, without the aid of any further instructions; by which
means signals became almost unnecessary, much time was saved, and the
attention of every Captain could almost undistractedly be paid to
the conduct of his own particular Ship, a circumstance from which,
upon this occasion, the advantages to the general service were almost
incalculable.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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