The Battle of New Orleans 281 



have forborne to fire more than one gun when in such 

 a superb position for inflicting damage. Even had 

 the men been struck with temporary lunacy the offi- 

 cers alone would have fired some of the guns. More- 

 over, if the courses of the vessels were such as in- 

 dicated on Professor Soley's diagram the Java would 

 herself have been previously exposed to a terrible 

 raking fire, which was not the case. So the alleged 

 manosuvres have, per se, a decidedly apocryphal 

 look ; and besides they are flatly contradicted by the 

 American accounts, which state distinctly that the 

 Java remained to windward in every portion of the 

 fight. On this same tack Professor Soley repre- 

 sents the Java as forereaching on the Constitution; 

 I have reversed this. At this time the Java had been 

 much cut up in her rigging and aloft generally, while 

 the Constitution had set much additional sail, and 

 in consequence the latter forged ahead and wore in 

 the smoke unperceived. When the ships came foul 

 Professor Soley has drawn the Constitution in a 

 position in which she would receive a most destruc- 

 tive stern rake from her antagonist's whole broad- 

 side. The positions could not have been as there 

 represented. The Java's bowsprit came foul in 

 the Constitution's mizzen rigging and as the lat- 

 ter forged ahead she pulled the former gradually 

 round till when they separated the ships were in a 

 head and stern line. Commodore Bainbridge, as he 



