A Signal Victory by David C. Skaggs

Author:David C. Skaggs [Skaggs, David Curtis; Altoff, Gerard T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781612512266
Publisher: Naval Institute Press

Elliott’s Conduct on the Niagara

Where, one might ask, were Jesse Elliott in the Niagara and the trailing vessels? Why were they not seriously engaged during the more than two and a half hours in combat? These questions have bedeviled commentators on this engagement since the battle was fought, and they served as the central theme of a thirty-year controversy between Elliott, on the one hand, and Perry and his champions, on the other.

At 1145, when Perry signaled for his commanders to follow him and to engage their designated adversaries, Elliott kept the Niagara in line astern the Caledonia rather than sail in a line abreast of the Lawrence toward the Queen Charlotte. Although we are not entirely sure just which signal flags Perry used, he apparently did not hoist the signal designating his vessels to “form the order of sailing abreast.” Thus Elliott kept his vessel in a line of battle aft of the Caledonia, which was designated to engage the General Hunter. But Lieutenant Turner of the Caledonia, armed with two 24-pound long guns and only one 32-pound carronade, refused to engage at carronade range. His best tactic was to stand off and fire at long-gun range and not allow his lightly built converted merchantman to receive the impact of British carronade fire. This is what he did.30

By remaining astern the Caledonia rather than sailing abreast of Perry’s vessel toward the Queen Charlotte, Elliott delayed the time when the Niagara could come within carronade range of her designated foe. The two squadrons converged at an angle of 15 degrees. While Perry brought the Lawrence directly toward the British line, Elliott and the trailing vessels converged much more slowly. As British naval tactician John Clerk of Eldin noted in 1797, such slanting attacks on an enemy’s van generally proved unsatisfactory, since they delayed the ability of the trailing vessels to engage their designated foes. The “great bugbear of all admirals attacking from the windward,” as Perry was doing, was bringing the “fleet into action simultaneously.” This line-abreast approach was utilized by Admiral Richard Lord Howe and proved a significant factor in his victory over the French in the Glorious First of June in 1794.31

Elliott chose to follow the traditional British fighting instruction not to break the line of battle. In other words, Elliott was unimaginative when it came to employing his ship. Because Turner’s best and smartest tactic was to slow the Caledonia, stand off, and make the most of his heavy long guns, it was not in Elliott’s best interest to remain directly astern the thin-walled merchantman ahead of him. When the Caledonia slowed, Elliott faced a dilemma. If he failed to take immediate action, his ship would collide with the Caledonia. Elliott made a quick decision; he passed the order to back the Niagara’s main topsail to brail up his jib. By remaining in line astern of the Caledonia, Elliott was simply obeying his commodore’s order to “maintain your station in line.” Elliott could not be blamed for

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