Lord Charles Cathcart was intended to command the expedition but died during the voyage. Alexander Spotswood, intended as his senior deputy, also died before the attack. Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon and Lieutenant-General Thomas Wentworth inherited separate commands without either possessing uncontested authority over the whole operation. Wentworth became the land commander through survival and seniority, and is described as lacking previous combat-command experience. William Gooch, Virginia's lieutenant governor, was an important surviving American commander. Vague instructions from London and inadequate arrangements for succession left the force dependent on personalities and improvised councils.
Chapter · 43:39-54:53
A command structure destroyed before battle
Deaths removed the expedition's intended senior commanders, leaving Vernon and Wentworth without clear authority, succession, or precise instructions.