Macdonough, an officer of whom any navy in the world might well be proud, then concentrated on the stricken Confiance with his own Saratoga, greatly aided by the Eagle, which swung round so as to rake the Confiance with her fresh broadside.  The Linnet now drifted off a little and so could not help the Confiance, both because the American galleys at once engaged her and because her position was bad in any case.  Presently both flagships slackened fire; whereupon Macdonough took the opportunity of winding ship.  His ground tackle was in perfect order on the far, or landward, side; so the Saratoga swung round quite easily.  The Confiance now had both the Eagle’s and the Saratoga’s fresh carronade broadsides deluging her battered, cannon-armed broadside with showers of deadly grape.  Her one last chance of keeping up a little longer was to wind ship herself.  Her tackle had all been cut; but her master got out his last spare cables and tried to bring her round, while some of his toiling men fell dead at every haul.  She began to wind round very slowly; and, when exactly at right angles to Macdonough, was raked completely, fore and aft.  At the same time an ominous list to port, where her side was torn in over a hundred places, showed that she would sink quickly if her guns could not be run across to starboard.  But more than half her mixed scratch crew had been already killed or wounded.  The most desperate efforts of her few surviving officers could not prevent the confusion that followed the fearful raking she now received from both her superior opponents; and before her fresh broadside could be brought to bear she was forced to strike her flag.  Then every American carronade and gun was turned upon Pring’s undaunted little Linnet, which kept up the hopeless fight for fifteen minutes longer; so that Prevost might yet have a chance to carry out his own operations without fear of molestation from a hostile bay.

But Prevost was in no danger of molestation.  He was in perfect safety.  He watched the destruction of his fleet from his secure headquarters, well inland, marched and countermarched his men about, to make a show of action; and then, as the Linnet fired her last, despairing gun, he told all ranks to go to dinner.

That night he broke camp hurriedly, left all his badly wounded men behind him, and went back a great deal faster than he came.  His shamed, disgusted veterans deserted in unprecedented numbers.  And Macomb’s astounded army found themselves the victors of an unfought field.