in
particular much aggrieved because his marines were landed to make room for
the soldiers who were to reinforce the garrison, and he feared that if he
met a French squadron after he had lost them he would be dangerously
undermanned. His correspondence shows clearly that he left prepared for
failure, that he did not believe that the garrison could hold out against
the French force landed, and that he was already resolved to come back from
Minorca if he found that the task presented any great difficulty. He wrote
home to that effect to the ministry from Gibraltar. The governor of the
fortress refused to spare any of his soldiers to increase the relief for
Minorca, and Byng sailed on the 8th of May. On the 19th he was off Minorca,
and endeavoured to open communications with the fort. Before he could land
any of the soldiers, the French squadron appeared. A battle was fought on
the following day. Byng, who had gained the weather gauge, bore down on the
French fleet of M. de la Galissoniere at an angle, so that his leading
ships came into action unsupported by the rest of his line. The French cut
the leading ships up, and then slipped away. When the flag captain pointed
out to Byng that by standing out of his line he could bring the centre of
the enemy to closer action, he declined on the ground that Thomas Mathews
had been condemned for so doing. The French, who were equal in number to
the English, got away undamaged. After remaining near Minorca for four days
without making any further attempt to communicate with the fort or sighting
the French, Byng sailed away to Gibraltar leaving Fort St Philip to its
fate. The failure caused a savage outburst of wrath in the country. Byng
was brought home, tried by court-martial, condemned to death, and shot on
the 14th of March 1757 at Portsmouth. The severity of the penalty, aided by
a not unjust suspicion that the ministry sought to cover themselves by
throwing all the blame on the admiral, led in after time to a reaction in
favour of Byng. It became a commonplace to say that he was put to death for
an error of judgment. The court had indeed acquitted him of personal
cowardice or of disaffection, and only condemned him for not having done
his utmost. But it must be remembered that in consequence of many scandals
which had taken place in the previous war the Articles of War had been
deliberately revised so as to leave no punishment save death for the
officer of any rank who did not do