Byng's execution and the unequal risks of command

Rodney avoided sitting on Byng's court martial and used his contacts to try to soften the sentence because he did not believe Byng deserved execution. Meanwhile, the army avoided the proposed cowardice trials arising from the Rochefort failure. Naval officers consequently felt that they faced a harsher professional standard, making an attack on the enemy appear their safest course. A senior admiral could protect a subordinate by sending a withdrawal order that left room for local judgment. Withdrawal would then have an explicit justification, while continuing the action could be defended on the grounds that the officer on the spot saw opportunities invisible to the distant commander.