port and starboard, with another bower in reserve and a stern anchor ready to let go. Saratoga now had to "wind ship," turni n g to present h er much less damaged port broadside to the enemy. Ir was a risky maneuver-at any moment, one of rhe crucial cables could be severed by shot, and the m en had to expose themselves to shot as they reached our the gunporrs to pass the line along its new lead . Getting this done quickly and correcrly called for cool heads, iron nerves, and fast work. None were lacking. The m aneuver starred with letting go the stern anchor, and hauling in on the eastern kedge from the starboard quarter, pulling the stern toward the enemy. This alone was nor going to be Macdonough's Victory at the Battle of Lake Champlain, by H ugh Reinagle (1790-1834). enough, even if the bower were slipped. Gunboats, like the PT boars of a later era, could in theory Macdonough ordered the line on the port quarter to the wes tern mount a devastating mass arrack, with firepower coming from a kedge shifted around under the bow and back to the starboard swarm of small nimble targets. In reality, they were nearly useless. quarter. Veering away on the bow cable to the north and the eastern Ar long range, they could nor provide a stable platform from kedge, while hauling towards west, began to bring her around. The which to fire. Ar close range, the m ass of oars, hulls, and men stern anchor cable, shifted up to the port bow, would now ac t as a provided easy targets for grapeshot. Nor could m ass really be short spring line, pulling rhe bow to port as the wind sent her off achieved. A row galley would h ave a beam of about fifteen fee t, to the south . In nor much more rime than it h as taken to read this effectively doubled with oars out. Even rhe best crews would need the ship was "w inded."(See diagram, next page). to keep ten feet or so clear between banks of oars to avoid fou ling one another. Ir would have been impossible to have fewer than forty feet between guns. A sailing vessel's broadside ports averaged guns on ten-foot centers. The concentration was the other way around. The only chance galley gunboats had wo uld be if stealth could be achieved, allowing them to close to point-blank range, Cumberland fire one round of grape into the defenders, and scramble onboard. So, while such gunboats might have proven useful in calm, shelHead tered, shallow water against vessels m anned by inattentive defenders, unhappily for the British, those conditions were nor mer at Plattsburgh. Amongst the larger vessels, however, the barrle was hot. Lr. Pring in the Linnet was able to keep up fire on the Eagle. Whether her bower cable was cur by shot, or ordered cur, Eagle next sailed around Saratoga, anchored again southwards of her and resumed firing at Confiance. This action did nor endear Eagle's command, er, Robert H enley, to Macdonough, who now was caught in a ,, , I ,. crossfire between Linnet and Confiance. Despite the m any disad, va ntages the Confiance struggled with, the sheer weight of metal in her broadside was beginning to rel!. The nearly raking fire of the Linnet added to the attrition. Saratoga was nearing rhar tipping point where dam age and casualties were slackening rhe rate of fire, and allowing rhe enemy to fire almost unopposed . When the las t gun on rhe starboard side was dismounted, disaster loomed. Bur now was the time that Macdonough's meticulous preparation paid off. Saratoga had three anchors our, a bower and two kedges
Crab Island (right) 11 September 1814, Battle ofPlattsburgh, 11:30AM
SEA HISTORY 148,AUTUMN2014
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