sed. In addition to this, a very striking
lesson is deducible from the immediate effects of the English guns in
passing through. Of the five ships taken, three were those under whose
sterns the English divisions pierced.[212] Instead of giving and
taking, as the parallel lines ran by, on equal terms, each ship having
the support of those ahead and astern, the French ships near which the
penetrating columns passed received each the successive fire of all
the enemy's division. Thus Hood's thirteen ships filed by the two rear
ones of the French van, the "Cesar" and "Hector," fairly crushing them
under this concentration of fire; while in like manner, and with like
results, Rodney's six passed by the "Glorieux." This "concentration by
defiling" past the extremity of a column corresponds quite accurately
to the concentration upon the flank of a line, and has a special
interest, because if successfully carried out it would be as powerful
an attack now as it ever has been. If quick to seize their advantage,
the English might have fired upon the ships on both sides of the gaps
through which they passed, as the "Formidable" actually did; but they
were using the starboard broadsides, and many doubtless did not
realize their opportunity until too late. The natural results of
Rodney's act, therefore, were: (1) The gain of the wind, with the
power of offensive action; (2) Concentration of fire upon a part of
the enemy's order; and (3) The introduction into the latter of
confusion and division, which might, and did, become very great,
offering the opportunity of further tactical advantage. It is not a
valid reply to say that, had the French been more apt, they could have
united sooner. A manoeuvre that presents a good chance of advantage
does not lose its merit because it can be met by a prompt movement of
the enemy, any more than a particular lunge of the sword becomes
worthless because it has its appropriate parry. The chances were that
by heading off the rear ships, while the van stood on, the French
fleet would be badly divided; and the move was none the less sagacious
because the two fragments could have united sooner than they did, had
they been well handled. With the alternative action suggested, of
tacking after passing the enemy's rear, the pursuit became a stern
chase, in which both parties having been equally engaged would
presumably be equally crippled. Signals of disability, in fact, were
numerous in both fleets.

Indep