Admiral Robert Black, 1599-1657
Christopher Lloyd marks the tercentenary of Robert Black, Cromwell’s “General at Sea,” whose name ranks with those of Drake and Nelson in English naval annals.
“General of the Fleet of the Commonwealth of England at Sea,” Blake died of his wounds when leading his victorious fleet into Plymouth Sound on the morning of August 7th, 1657.
The name of Robert Blake has never achieved the popularity enjoyed by the names of the only two admirals with whom it is fitting to compare him, a fact which is due partly to his own character, partly to the age in which he lived. Drake and Nelson took an unabashed pride in their achievements.
Each lived in a theatrical age which demanded leaders of zestful personality. Although Blake’s victories were scarcely less than theirs, his self-effacing loyalty to the Commonwealth, which he regarded as the Lord’s work, is not one to capture the imagination of later ages.
Blake’s modesty makes it difficult to distinguish the man behind the officer. His letters—which have been admirably edited by J. R. Powell—are written, like those of Captain Cook, with such studied understatement and punctiliousness that it is easy to miss the real significance of his achievements.
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