102 Naval War of 1812 



have been taken just as surely had the Hornet and 

 Wasp had a dozen men less apiece than they did. 

 The principal case where numbers would help would 

 be in a hand-to-hand fight. Thus the Chesapeake 

 having fifty more men than the Shannon ought to 

 have been successful; but she was not, because the 

 superiority of her crew in numbers was more than 

 counterbalanced by the superiority of the Shannon's 

 crew in other respects. The result of the battle of 

 Lake Champlain, which was fought at anchor, with 

 the fleets too far apart for musketry to reach, was 

 not in the slightest degree affected by the number of 

 men on either side, as both combatants had amply 

 enough to manage the guns and perform every other 

 service. 



In all these conflicts the courage of both parties 

 is taken for granted ; it was not so much a factor in 

 gaining the victory, as one which if lacking was 

 fatal to all chances of success. In the engagements 

 between regular cruisers, not a single one was 

 gained by superiority in courage. The crews of 

 both the Argus and Epervier certainly flinched ; but 

 had they fought never so bravely they were too un 

 skilful to win. The Chesapeake' s crew could hardly 

 be said to lack courage ; it was more that they were 

 inferior to their opponents in discipline as well as in 

 skill. 



There was but one conflict during the war where 

 the victory could be said to be owing to superiority 

 in pluck. This was when the Neufchatel privateer 

 beat off the boats of the Endymion. The privateers- 



