ritish total, 126 killed and 235 wounded, or two
thirds, fell to the two groups of three ships each, which by Byron's
mismanagement were successively exposed to be cut up in detail by
the concentrated fire of the enemy. The British loss in spars and
sails--in motive-power--also exceeded greatly that of the French.

After the action d'Estaing returned quietly to Grenada. Byron went
to St. Kitts to refit; but repairs were most difficult, owing to the
dearth of stores in which the Admiralty had left the West Indies. With
all the skill of the seamen of that day in making good damages, the
ships remained long unserviceable, causing great apprehension for the
other islands. This state of things d'Estaing left unimproved, as he
had his advantage in the battle. He did, indeed, parade his superior
force before Byron's fleet as it lay at anchor; but, beyond the
humiliation naturally felt by a Navy which prided itself on ruling the
sea, no further injury was done.

In August Byron sailed for England. Barrington had already gone home,
wounded. The station therefore was left in command of Rear-Admiral
Hyde Parker,[67] and so remained until March, 1780, when the
celebrated Rodney arrived as Commander-in-Chief on the Leeward Islands
Station. The North American Station was given to Vice-Admiral Marriot
Arbuthnot, who had under him a half-dozen ships of the line, with
headquarters at New York. His command was ordinarily independent of
Rodney's, but the latter had no hesitation in going to New York on
emergency and taking charge there; in doing which he had the approval
of the Admiralty.

The approach of winter in 1778 had determined the cessation of
operations, both naval and military, in the northern part of the
American continent, and had led to the transfer of five thousand
troops to the West Indies, already noted. At the same time, an
unjustifiable extension of British effort, having regard to the
disposable means, was undertaken in the southern States of Georgia and
South Carolina. On the 27th of November a small detachment of troops
under Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell, sailed from Sandy
Hook, convoyed by a division of frigates commanded by Captain Hyde
Parker.[68] The expedition entered the Savannah River four weeks
later, and soon afterwards occupied the city of the same name.
Simultaneously with this, by Clinton's orders, General Prevost moved
from Florida, then a British colony, with all the men he could spare
from