Research Proposal
My digital humanities project shall be to investigate “The Battle of the Saints”. Battle of the Saints also known as Battle of Dominica, took place over four days (9th April 1782- 12th April 1782) during the American War of Independence. In my project, I hope to target authors and game developers interested in naval warefare. These people would be the most likely people to use a historical digital humanities project based on naval warfare and the effects on small islands. My digital humanities research project is targeted at those who would like to learn about the ways in which naval wars took place in the 18th century. They will learn mechanics of naval warfare (strategies and tactics as well as formation of the battle line) and variations of battleships used. Moreover, the origin of the war and its subsequent effects on the Caribbean islands will be elaborated upon. The focus on literature authors writing about the 18th is as a result of them going great lengths to portray an accurate picture. They want their readers to be immersed in the reading and not questioning their integrity as a writer. Authors utilizing my project will be able to go more in-depth in their writings. They will be able to thoroughly describe the battleships which they have in mind thus helping the reader to visualize a ship even though they have not seen one in real-life. In addition, game developers are focused on because open-world Role Play Games (RPGs) and Massive Multiplayer Online(MMOs) are still popular genres in the gaming industry. Game developers may base their games around battleships and would thus need to be knowledgeable on the mechanics of naval combat. The players would more likely perceive the game as real life if the game using accurate to life strategies and utilized realistic movements.
As someone who has studied history, I have superficial knowledge on the Battle of the Saints. By doing this project, I will gain a more in-depth perception of the events of the war and the finer details which may have been excluded from my previous studies. Due to the war occurring in the Caribbean and not significantly involving America, much of the project will be new information to a majority of the Western World.
To change the topic, I currently know this much about the events of the battle and hope to learn more by the completion of the project. At the end of the American Revolution in 1782, French Admiral, The Comte Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse gathered his fleet of battleships and proceeded to meeting up with the Spanish fleet for an invasion on the British-held island of Jamaica. De Grasse had trounced the British fleet under Admiral Graves in the Battle of the Capes seven months previously and had gained recognition in America. Inspired by the victory, De Grasse set off from the coast of Virginia on November 4th 1781 and set sail for the Caribbean. By January 1782, de Grasse’s fleet had begun seizing British possessions and within three months had left the British with only; Jamaica, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbados. On April 8 1782, de Grasse departed from Martinique with his entire fleet, thirty-three ships of the line. The intention was to rendezvous with twelve Spanish ships of the line and fifteen thousand troops for an attack on the British colony Jamaica. During de Grasse’s preparation time at Fort Royal, British Admiral Sir George Brydges Rodney arrived in the Caribbean from England and immediately took over British military operations in the Caribbean. With him, he brought thirty-six ships of the lines to combat the French’s plan. Scouts on Pigeon Island, St. Lucian kept Admiral Rodney informed on French operations and he ventured after them following their departure. On April 12th, the two fleets commenced close quarter broadside fire on parallel opposite courses near Les Iles des Saintes. Comte de Grasse ordered a reverse course command but some ships disobeyed that command and a sudden change in wind caused gaps to form in the French’s battle line. Admiral Rodney used the opportunity to utilize a new tactic. He turned his ship ninety degrees and sailed through the broken French line of battle, splitting the French line into four segments. As a result, the guns of the British ships were brought to bear on the French with little risk of return fire. De Grasse could not reform his battle line and after days of battle, Ville de Paris, de Grasse’s 130-gun flagship hauled down her flag. The French were soundly beaten and the invasion fleet was decimated. The French ships were either sunk or captured and more than six thousand men perished. The British treated de Grass as an honoured guest and he was released as a paroled prisoner of war. Comte de Grasse was not tried in France but the ones who disobeyed orders were brought before the court. De Grasse was blamed for the defeat and became a public scapegoat. Admiral Rodney was honoured and a marble status of him was erected in Kingston’s Spanish Town Square.
Research Questions:
I want to discover the various types of battle ships used as ships of the line such as the variation to the galleons and frigates. In addition, I want to study how the ships of the line battle strategy operates as well as various tactics such as “Crossing the Tee”.
- Understanding how strategy was formulated and utilized in the past is important to us because it shows us ways to create new strategies. It would be better to build upon a successfully strategy from the past than to start from the ground-up with a higher probability of failure. The readers will gain much of the information they need to perhaps make a new board game from this question. Game developers will benefit more from the answer to this question than 18th century focused authors would.
How did the ships of the line operate and how was information transferred between the flagship and the furthest ship away from it? Also how did they co-ordinate their battle tactics and what was the logic behind the various ones?
- Technology has not always been with us. There were times where there were no cell phones. The ships had to use some elaborate method of communication in our co-ordinate their attacks and strategic re-positioning. By answering this question, the audience will learn communication mechanics of the war. The audience will also understand the evolution of communication. 18th century focused literature authors will benefit from the answer to this question as it will educate them about the methodology of communication during war in the 18th century. As a result, more detailed and realistic books may be written.
Which ships were placed in specific locations and why were they placed there in the ships of the line formation? What types of ships were used in the ships of the line formation and what were their various roles in battle?
- This is an important question to game developers and authors. They want to meet a level of accuracy in order to keep their integrity intact. This will allow them to accurately describe and recreate events for the viewer or reader. The question will also provide knowledge as to how form relates to function in the world of battleships. This can also help in understanding what the construction workers and details of that era were thinking. The answer to this question will mutually benefit authors and developers alike.
Why did the war occur? Who were the key players and what were their fates? What was the effect of the war and how did it impact the situation of the Caribbean then?
- History seems to repeat itself when it should not. We must learn from our mistakes. This question will help us to see what causes wars and how we can avoid them. We will also learn how war influences culture as well as socioeconomic status in Caribbean countries.
This digital humanities project will be in the form of an informative web publication. The website will be a knowledge based website. The Documentation Centre will be visited to lease information as to whether or not there are records of Dominicans being involved in the battle. In addition, the Statistics Department will be contacted to discern whether or not there are details on Dominica’s economy during the period of the battle. I intend to include a detailed table listing major battleships involved in the battle, the captains and the casualties. Images of the various types of ships will also be acquired from the documentation centre and the internet. If no records of the battle are found in the country’s archive, interviews will be conducted with various historians and history lectures to gain information that they may possess. If statistical information about Dominica’s economy during the war period is acquired, a graph will be plot to represent the information.
- The Hamilton and Scourge: National Historic Site (http://www.hamilton-scourge.hamilton.ca/) – Web based historical archive
- Digital Library of the Caribbean (http://dloc.com/) – Web based database
- Documentation centre – Physical archive
- Statistics Department – Physical statistical archive
- Various historians and history professionals – Oral information transfer