152 Naval War of 1812 



done him till he was within pistol shot. Captain 

 Garden did not try to close till after fatal indecision, 

 and then made the attempt so heedlessly that he was 

 cut to pieces before he got to close quarters. Com 

 modore Decatur, also, manoeuvred more skilfully 

 than Captain Dacres, although the difference was 

 less marked between these two. The combat was a 

 plain cannonade; the States derived no advantage 

 from the superior number of her men, for they were 

 not needed. The marines in particular had nothing 

 whatever to do, while they had been of the greatest 

 service against the Guerriere. The advantage was 

 simply in metal, as 10 is to 7. Lord Howard Doug- 

 las' criticisms on these actions seem to me only 

 applicable in part. He says (p. 524) : "The Ameri 

 cans would neither approach nor permit us to join 

 in close battle until they had gained some extraordi 

 nary advantage from the superior faculties of their 

 long guns in distant cannonade, and from the in 

 trepid, uncircumspect, and often very exposed ap 

 proach of assailants who had long been accustomed 

 to contemn all manoeuvring. Our vessels were 

 crippled in distant cannonade from encountering 

 rashly the serious disadvantage of making direct 

 attacks; the uncircumspect gallantry of our com 

 manders led our ships unguardedly into the snares 

 which wary caution had spread." 



These criticisms are very just as regards the 

 Macedonian, and I fully agree with them (possibly 

 reserving the right to doubt Captain Garden's gal 

 lantry, though readily admitting his uncircumspec- 



