De Grasse made two fierce attacks on Hood next day.
“On the morning of the 26th, at half-past eight,” continues our officer eye-witness, “the French fleet were seen coming round Nevis Point, intending to force a passage, but so singularly felicitous was the position taken up by the British Admiral, that when the enemy’s leading ship approached, the wind headed her, so that she could not fetch above the third ship in our line. The springs of our van ships were so admirably attended to that the broadsides of four of them were brought to bear at the same time upon the unfortunate Frenchmen, and were opened with tremendous effect.
“The crash occasioned by their destructive broadsides was so tremendous on board the ship (the _Pluton_), that whole pieces of plank were seen flying from her off side ere she could escape. The French ships generally approached the British van with more caution, with the exception of some, among them being the _Ville de Paris_. De Grasse, in order to prolong the individual encounter as much as possible, counterbraced his after-yards to retard his ship’s way through the water along the British line; and so the French flagship was detained a considerable time abreast of the _Resolution_, _Prudent_, _Canada_, and _Alfred_ in succession, as the _Ville de Paris_ slowly forged ahead and fired upon them.
“During this short but tremendous conflict between the respective combatants, nothing whatever could be seen of them for upwards of twenty minutes, save De Grasse’s white flag gracefully floating above the immense volume of smoke, or the pendants of the other ships.
“In the afternoon the French made a second attack on our line. It commenced at fifty minutes past two, and was principally directed against the centre and rear, the morning attack having convinced them that the British van was not to be assailed with impunity. Never, perhaps, was a superior enemy so completely foiled as de Grasse was on this occasion.”
Hood used all the means in his power to make good the advantage that he had gained, as we are further told:
“Sir Samuel Hood not only secured his fleet from any assault by sea, but also took measures to prevent the enemy from molesting it from the land, where it was infinitely more vulnerable: for could they have thrown up any batteries on the hill situated above Green Point, his position would have been no longer tenable. To prevent such an attempt on the part of the enemy, he landed the troops that accompanied the fleet in Frigate Bay, where they took post on the eminence that commanded the narrow neck, which continues the southern point of St. Christopher’s with the main island.”