Chapter IV: The Work of the Navy Boards and the Marine Committee

Lack of system in the Naval Department of the Revolution 104

Examples 105

Work and duties of the navy boards 107

Men and materials needed in building a ship 110

Provisions needed in fitting out a ship 112

Division of labor among the naval commissioners 112

The heavy work of the Boston Board 113

Two-fold duties of the Marine Committee 115

Administrative duties of the Marine Committee 116

Naval uniform 117

Communications of the Marine Committee 118

Reports of the Marine Committee 120

Naval legislation under the Marine Committee 121

Naval increases 121

Naval appointments and promotions 123

Relative rank 125

Captures and the sharing of prizes 126

Privateers 127

Naval pay 128

Naval pensions 129

Courts-martial and courts of enquiry 131

Important naval trials 133

The case of Commodore Esek Hopkins 134

Provision for the fleet of Count D’Estaing 139

The Marine Committee as a consular bureau 139

CHAPTER V.—The Conditions of the Continental Naval Service.

The recent revolution in navies and naval conditions 141

Constancy of the principles of naval strategy 143

Maritime conditions in America in 1775, and in 1900 144

Difficulties in procuring seamen during the Revolution 144

The privateers of the Revolution 147

State navies 152

The naval defence of America 153

Naval stations of the Americans 154

Naval stations of the British 155

Comparison of the British and American navies 156

Weakness of the American navies 159

Diffusion of authority in naval administration 160

CHAPTER VI.—Movements of the Continental Fleet under the Marine
Committee.

Work of the fleet of a non-military character 161

Classification of military operations 162

Primary naval operations 163

Enumeration of secondary operations 164

Defence of American commerce 164

Coöperation with the army 166

The striking of the enemy’s lines of communication 167

Commerce-destroying 169

The threatening and attacking of the enemy’s coasts 173

A naval plan of Robert Morris 174

The Marine Committee and its plans 176

Success and failure of the navy 177

The navy of the Revolution and of the Spanish-American war 179