Sea-power, mercantile and naval,
enabled him to 'command the riches of the world' and
become the paymaster of many thousand Prussians under
Frederick the Great and Ferdinand of Brunswick. He also
sent a small British army to the Continent. But he devoted
his chief attention to working out a phase of the 'Maritime
War' which included India on one flank and the Canadian
frontiers on the other. Sometimes with, and sometimes
without, a contingent from the Army, the British Navy
checkmated, isolated, or defeated the French in Europe,
Asia, Africa, and America.
The preliminary isolation of Louisbourg was a particularly
effective stroke of naval strategy. Even before 1758
began the first French fleet that left for Louisbourg
had been shadowed from Toulon and had been shut up in
Cartagena. A second French fleet was then sent to help
the first one out. But it was attacked on the way and
totally defeated. In April the first fleet made another
attempt to sail; but it was chased into Rochefort by
Hawke and put out of action for the rest of the campaign.
Pages:
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121