Jervis argued that officers who risked their health and lives in wartime deserved promotion ahead of men who remained at home. His response still depended on how a request reached him: a sister's appeal could move him, while pressure from a peer provoked rejection. Thomas Cochrane's victory report was intercepted, and news of the success arrived only after Cochrane himself had been captured. The mandatory court martial following the loss of his ship prevented promotion until he was cleared. Cochrane read the delay as a deliberate snub, complained through powerful friends, and helped create the hostility he had imagined.
Notable Point · 1:30:49-1:35:04
Promotion by service and the Cochrane misunderstanding
Jervis favors officers exposed to wartime danger, while intercepted news and a mandatory court martial turn Cochrane's delayed promotion into a lasting feud.