Training and discipline at Shannon and Chesapeake

Roosevelt's account treats Shannon and Chesapeake as a severe test of training and discipline at close quarters. Both crews suffered heavily, but Shannon's experienced men retained their cohesion and confidence in their officers. Chesapeake's newer crew and officers struggled to recover when casualties and damaged rigging disrupted the ship. Roosevelt rejects accidental damage as the explanation for defeat because trained crews should repair their own setbacks and exploit those of the enemy. He also argues that Chesapeake had already lost the gunnery contest before boarding decided the action. That judgment leaves room for the courage of the defeated crew, particularly its Marines, whose resistance brought heavy losses. The emphasis on practical training helps explain Roosevelt's later desire to send the fleet around the world as an exercise as well as a diplomatic voyage.