Remembering the Glorious First of June
Two hundred and twenty-five years ago today the climax of one of the largest and most hard-fought naval battles of the French Revolutionary wars took place.
(The battle actually lasted for four days, and it took place in the middle of the Atlantic, so there was some difficulty finding a name for it: British historians settled on the "Glorious First of June" when the Royal Navy captured several French ships, the French usually call it the third battle of Ushant.)
One of the ironies of this engagement is that both sides succeeded in the objects for which they fought.
The Royal Navy fought to damage the French fleet and they succeeded, capturing or sinking seven French ships of the line.
But the French navy's objective was to get a grain convoy through to France without which many people would have starved, and that convoy did arrive safely, so they also achieved their main goal.
An interesting illustration that even war is not always a zero-sum game.
(The battle actually lasted for four days, and it took place in the middle of the Atlantic, so there was some difficulty finding a name for it: British historians settled on the "Glorious First of June" when the Royal Navy captured several French ships, the French usually call it the third battle of Ushant.)
One of the ironies of this engagement is that both sides succeeded in the objects for which they fought.
The Royal Navy fought to damage the French fleet and they succeeded, capturing or sinking seven French ships of the line.
But the French navy's objective was to get a grain convoy through to France without which many people would have starved, and that convoy did arrive safely, so they also achieved their main goal.
An interesting illustration that even war is not always a zero-sum game.
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