Page:Heresies of Sea Power (1906).djvu/137

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PROBLEMS
113

Ferrol, the other to watch Brest. Had Villeneuve gone towards Brest he would have met one of Cornwallis's division with superior force: however, unaware of the division, he went to Cadiz—so nothing came of Cornwallis's splitting up.

For a good instance of division at all like Togo's we have to go back to the second Anglo-Dutch war Here in the strategy preceding the Four Days' Battle (1666) the English detached about a quarter of their force under Prince Rupert to meet a French fleet to the westward and the remainder under Monk to meet the Dutch fleet coming east. Practically Rupert was in Kamimura's position and Monk in Togo's. The force encountered by Monk was not very greatly superior, but he was compelled to retreat before it and but for the return of Rupert would have been handsomely beaten. As things were he suffered severely. Here there are three instances: in the first and most modern, splitting led to no disaster but victories: in Cornwallis's case nothing happened: in Monk's, defeat was the result.

Other instances might be sought, but they would not sensibly alter the above ratio and they are not very plentiful. As a rule splitting has not been in favour.

Now comes an important consideration. In splitting his force was Togo split in the sense that Monk and Cornwallis were? Split he certainly was, but speed and wireless telegraphy made his divisions far nearer.