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[Illustration: THE SURRENDER OF THE “GUERRIÈRE”]
NAVAL ACTIONS
OF
THE WAR OF 1812
BY
JAMES BARNES
AUTHOR OF “FOR KING OR COUNTRY”
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY
CARLTON T. CHAPMAN
[Illustration]
NEW YORK HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS
BY THE SAME AUTHOR.
FOR KING OR COUNTRY. A Story of the American Revolution.
Illustrated. Post 8vo, Cloth, $1 50.
A story that will be eagerly welcomed by boys of all ages.... It is
doubtful whether the reader will be content to lay the story aside
until he has finished it. It is a good book for an idle day in the
country, and we cordially recommend it both to boys on a holiday
and to boys that stay at home.--_Saturday Evening Gazette_, Boston.
A spirited story of the days that tried men’s souls, full of
incident and movement that keep up the reader’s interest to the
turning of the last page. It is full of dramatic situations
and graphic descriptions which irresistibly lead the reader
on, regretful at the close that there is not still more of
it.--_Christian Work_, N. Y.
A fascinating study. It is replete with those Homeric touches which
delight the heart of the healthy boy.... It would be difficult
to find a more fascinating book for the young.--_Philadelphia
Bulletin._
A capital story for boys, both young and old; full of adventure
and movement, thoroughly patriotic in tone, throwing luminous
sidelights upon the main events of the Revolution.--_Brooklyn
Standard-Union._
PUBLISHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK.
Copyright, 1896, by HARPER & BROTHERS.
TO
MY FATHER
WHOSE ENCOURAGEMENT AND ASSISTANCE ARE HEREBY
ACKNOWLEDGED WITH AFFECTIONATE GRATITUDE
I HAVE THE HONOR TO DEDICATE
THIS BOOK
PREFACE
The country that has no national heroes whose deeds should be found
emblazoned on her annals, that can boast no men whose lives and conduct
can be held up as examples of what loyalty, valor, and courage should
be, that country has no patriotism, no heart, no soul.
If it be wrong to tell of a glorious past, for fear of keeping alive
an animosity that should have perished with time, there have been many
offenders; and the author of the following pages thus writes himself
down as one of them. Truly, if pride in the past be a safeguard for the
future in forming a national spirit, America should rejoice.
There exists no Englishman today whose heart is not moved at the word
“Trafalgar,” or whose feelings are not stirred by the sentence “England
expects every man to do his duty.” The slight, one-armed figure of
Admiral Nelson has been before the Briton’s eyes as boy and man,
surrounded always with the glamour that will never cease to enshroud
a nation’s hero. Has it kept alive a feeling of animosity against
France to dwell on such a man as this, and to keep his deeds alive? So
it may be. But no Englishman would hide the cause in order to lose the
supposed effect of it.
In searching the history of our own country, when it stood together as
a united nation, waging just war, we find England, our mother country,
whose language we speak, arrayed against us. But, on account of this
bond of birth and language, should we cease to tell about the deeds of
those men who freed us from her grasp and oppressions, and made us what
we are? I trust not. May our navy glory in its record, no matter the
consequences! May our youth grow up with the lives of these men--our
Yankee commanders--before them, and may they profit by their examples!
This should not inculcate a hatred for a former foe. It should only
serve to build up that national _esprit de corps_ without which no
country ever stood up for its rights and willed to fight for them. May
the sons of our new citizens, whose fathers have served kings, perhaps,
and come from other countries, grow up with a pride in America’s own
national history! How can this be given them unless they read of it in
books or gain it from teaching?
But it is not the intention to instruct that has caused the author
to compile and collate the material used in the following pages. He
has been influenced by his own feelings, that are shared by the many
thousands of the descendants of “the men who fought.” It has been his
pleasure, and this alone is his excuse.
Mr. Carlton T. Chapman, whose spirited paintings are reproduced to
illustrate this volume, has caught the atmosphere of action, and has
given us back the old days in a way that makes us feel them.
CONTENTS
PAGE
INTRODUCTION 1
I
The United States frigate _Constitution_, on July 17th, 1812,
falls in with a British squadron, but escapes, owing to the
masterly seamanship of Captain Isaac Hull 23
II
The _Constitution_, under command of Captain Hull, captures
the British frigate _Guerrière_, under command of Captain
Richard Dacres, August 19th, 1812 35
III
The United States sloop of war _Wasp_, Captain Jacob Jones,
captures the English sloop of war _Frolic_, October 18th,
1812; both vessels taken on the same day by the English
seventy-four _Poictiers_ 47
IV
October 25th, 1812, the British frigate _Macedonian_, commanded
by John S. Carden, is captured by the _United States_
frigate, under command of Stephen Decatur; the prize is
brought to port 59
V
Captain Wm. Bainbridge, in the _Constitution_, captures the
British frigate _Java_ off the coast of Brazil, December
29th, 1812; the _Java_ is set fire to and blows up 73
VI
Gallant action of the privateer schooner _Comet_, of 14 guns,
against three English vessels and one Portuguese, January
14th, 1813 91
VII
The United States sloop of war _Hornet_, Captain James
Lawrence, takes the British brig _Peacock_; the latter
sinks after the action, February 24th, 1813 103
VIII
The United States frigate _Chesapeake_ is captured by the
English frigate _Shannon_ after a gallant defence, June
1st, 1813 113
IX
The United States brig _Enterprise_, commanded by William
Burrows, captures H. B. M. sloop of war _Boxer_, September
5th, 1813; Burrows killed during the action 129
X
On September 10th, 1813, the American fleet on Lake Erie,
under the command of Oliver Hazard Perry, captures the
entire English naval force under Commodore Barclay 139
XI
The American privateer brig _General Armstrong_, of 9 guns and
90 men, repulses a boat attack in the harbor of Fayal, the
British suffering a terrific loss, September 27th, 1813 159
XII
March 28th, 1814, the United States frigate _Essex_, under
Captain David Porter, is captured by two English vessels,
the _Phoebe_ and the _Cherub_, in the harbor of Valparaiso 171
XIII
The United States sloop of war _Peacock_, commanded by Captain
Warrington, takes the British sloop of war _L’Epervier_ on
April 29th, 1814 191
XIV
The United States sloop of war _Wasp_, under command of Captain
Blakeley, captures the British sloop of war _Reindeer_,
June 28th, 1814. The _Wasp_ engages the British sloop of
war _Avon_ on the 1st of September; the English vessel
sinks after the _Wasp_ is driven off by a superior fore 199
XV
September 11th, the American forces on Lake Champlain, under
Captain Macdonough, capture the English squadron, under
Captain Downey, causing the evacuation of New York State by
the British 209
XVI
The United States frigate _President_, under command of Captain
Decatur, is taken by a British squadron after a long chase,
during which the _President_ completely disabled one of her
antagonists, January 15th, 1815 219
XVII
February 20th, 1815, the _Constitution_, under Captain Stewart,
engages and captures two English vessels that prove to be
the _Cyane_ and the _Levant_; one of her prizes is retaken,
and the _Constitution_ again has a narrow escape 231
XVIII
The British brig of war _Penguin_ surrenders to the United
States brig _Hornet_, commanded by Captain James Biddle;
the _Penguin_ sinks immediately after the accident, March
23d, 1815 245
XIX
The chase of the _Hornet_, sloop of war, by the _Cornwallis_, a
British line-of-battle ship 255
ILLUSTRATIONS
THE SURRENDER OF THE “GUERRIÈRE” _Frontispiece_
_Facing p._
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN ISAAC HULL 22
THE “CONSTITUTION” TOWING AND KEDGING 26
THE “WASP” RAKING THE “FROLIC” 50
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN STEPHEN DECATUR 58
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN WILLIAM BAINBRIDGE 72
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN JAMES LAWRENCE 102
THE “PEACOCK” AND “HORNET” AT CLOSE QUARTERS 106
THE “CHESAPEAKE” LEAVING THE HARBOR 116
MEMORIAL MEDAL IN HONOR OF CAPTAIN WILLIAM BURROWS 128
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO LIEUTENANT EDWARD R. McCALL 128
THE “ENTERPRISE” HULLING THE “BOXER” 132
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN OLIVER HAZARD PERRY 138
THE “NIAGARA” BREAKS THE ENGLISH LINE 148
THE “ESSEX” BEING CUT TO PIECES 184
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN LEWIS WARRINGTON 190
THE “PEACOCK” CAPTURES THE “EPERVIER” 192
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN JOHNSTON BLAKELEY 198
THE “WASP’S” FIGHT WITH THE “AVON” 204
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN THOMAS MACDONOUGH 208
THE “PRESIDENT” ENDEAVORING TO ESCAPE 222
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN CHARLES STEWART 230
THE “CONSTITUTION” TAKING THE “CYANE” 236
MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN JAMES BIDDLE 244
THE “PENGUIN” STRIKES TO THE “HORNET” 252
INTRODUCTION
To study the condition of affairs that led up to the declaration of
the second war against Great Britain we have but to turn to the sea.
Although England, it must be confessed, had plenty of fighting on her
hands and troubles enough at home, she had not forgotten the chagrin
and disappointments caused by the loss of the American colonies through
a mistaken enforcement of high-handedness. And it was this same
tendency that brought to her vaunted and successful navy as great an
overthrow as their arms had received on land some thirty-seven years
previously.
The impressment of American seamen into the English service had been
continued despite remonstrances from our government, until the hatred
for the sight of the cross of St. George that stirred the hearts of
Yankee sailor men had passed all bounds. America under these conditions
developed a type of patriot seafarer, and this fact may account for his
manners under fire and his courage in all circumstances.
The United States was an outboard country, so to speak. We had no
great interstate traffic, no huge, developed West to draw upon, to
exchange and barter with. Our people thronged the sea-coast, and
vessels made of American pine and live-oak were manned by _American
men_. They had sought their calling by choice, and not by compulsion.
They had not been driven from crowded cities because they could not
live there. They had not been taken from peaceful homes and wives and
children by press-gangs, as was the English custom, to slave on board
the great vessels that Great Britain kept afloat by such means, and
such alone. But of his own free-will the Yankee sailor sought the sea,
and of his own free-will he served his country. It would be useless
to deny that the greater liberty, the higher pay, the large chance
for reward, tempted many foreigners and many ex-servants of the king
to cast their lot with us. But when we think that there were kept
unwillingly on English vessels of war almost as many American seamen as
were giving voluntary service to their country in our little navy, we
can see on which side the great proportion lies.
It is easy to see that the American mind was a pent furnace. It only
needed a few more evidences of England’s injustice and contempt to make
the press and public speech roar with hatred and cry out for revenge.
So when in June, 1812, war was declared against Great Britain, it was
hailed with approbation and delight. But shots had been exchanged
before this, and there were men who knew the value of seamanship,
recognized the fact that every shot must tell, that every man must
be ready, and that to the navy the country looked; for the idea of a
great invasion by England was scouted. It was a war for the rights
of sailors, the freedom of the high-seas, and the grand and never
thread-worn principles of liberty.
So wide-spread had been the patriotism of our citizens during the
revolutionary war that our only frigates, except those made up of aged
merchant-vessels, had been built by private subscription; but now the
government was awake, alert, and able.
To take just a glance at the condition of affairs that led up to this
is of great interest.
So far back as the year 1798 the impositions of Great Britain upon
our merchantmen are on record, and on November 16th of that year they
culminated in a deliberate outrage and insult to our flag.
The U. S. ship of war _Baltimore_, of 20 guns, was overhauled by a
British squadron, and five American seamen were impressed from the
crew. At this time we were engaged in the quasi-war with France, during
which the _Constellation_, under Captain Truxton, captured the French
frigate _L’Insurgent_, of 54 guns. On February 1st, 1800, a year after
the first action, the same vessel, under the same commander, captured
_La Vengeance_, of 54 guns. On October 12th of the same year the U.
S. frigate _Boston_ captured the French corvette _Le Berceau_. Minor
actions between the French privateers and our merchantmen occurred
constantly. We lost but one of our national vessels, however--the
schooner _Retaliation_, captured by two French frigates.
England was protecting the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean at
this time, in order to keep out competitive commerce--a fine bit of
business! Europe and America bought immunity.
On June 10th, 1801, war was declared, however, by the Bashaw of Tripoli
against the United States, because we failed to accede to his demands
for larger tribute, and a brief summary of the conduct of this war
will show plainly that here our officers had chances to distinguish
themselves, and the American seamen won distinction in foreign waters.
Captain Bainbridge, in command of the frigate _Philadelphia_, late
in August, 1803, captured off the Cape de Gatt a Moorish cruiser,
and retook her prize, an American brig. About two months later the
_Philadelphia_, in chase of one of the corsairs, ran on a reef of rocks
under the guns of a battery, and after four hours’ action Bainbridge
was compelled to strike his flag to the Tripolitans. For months,
now, it was the single aim of the American squadron under Preble to
destroy the _Philadelphia_, in order to prevent her being used against
the United States, and on February 15th, 1804, this was successfully
accomplished by Lieutenant Stephen Decatur and seventy volunteers,
who entered the harbor on the ketch _Intrepid_, set fire to the
_Philadelphia_, and escaped.
All through August Preble’s squadron hovered about the harbor of
Tripoli, and bombarded the town on four separate occasions. On June
3d, 1805, he arranged a peace with the Tripolitans, and two days
later Bainbridge and the American prisoners were liberated. But the
bashaw could not control the piratical cruisers who made his harbor a
rendezvous, and in September hostilities were again commenced, during
which occurred the sad accident, the premature blowing up of the fire
ship _Intrepid_, by which the navy lost Captain Richard Somers, one of
its bravest officers, two lieutenants, and ten seamen.
But to return to the relations existing between America and England.
A crisis was fast approaching. Off the shore of Maryland on June 22d,
1807, the crowning outrage attending England’s self-assumed “right of
search” took place, when the British sloop of war _Leopard_, 50 guns,
fired upon the _Chesapeake_, 36 guns, which vessel, under command
of Captain Barron, had just shipped a green crew, and could return,
owing to her unprepared condition, but one shot to the Englishman’s
broadside. Barron hauled down his flag, and had to allow himself to
be searched by the orders of Captain Humphries, commander of the
_Leopard_, and four American-born seamen were taken out of his crew and
sent on board the Englishman. It was claimed by Captain Humphries that
three of these men were deserters from the British frigate _Melampus_.
Although the _Chesapeake_ had hauled down her flag and surrendered,
the _Leopard_ paid no attention to this, and sailed away, leaving
Barron with three men killed and eighteen wounded, and his ship badly
damaged in hull, spars, and rigging. Barron was censured by a court
of inquiry and suspended from his command. Looking at this sentence
dispassionately, it was most unjust.
But the indignation that was felt throughout the country over this
affair wrought the temper of the people to a fever-heat. Congress
passed resolutions, and the President of the United States issued a
proclamation, forbidding all British armed vessels from entering the
ports of the United States, and prohibiting all inhabitants of the
United States from furnishing them with supplies of any description.
Great Britain’s disavowal of the act of Admiral Berkeley (under whose
command Captain Humphries had acted) was lukewarm, and the Admiral’s
trial was something of a farce, and gave little satisfaction to America.
Napoleon at about this time had begun his senseless closing of French
ports to American vessels, and once more the French cruisers apparently
considered all Yankee craft their proper prey. They would interrupt and
take from them stores, water, or whatever they considered necessary,
without remuneration or apology. As the English were taking our seamen
and showing absolute contempt for our flag wherever found, the
condition of our merchant marine was most precarious. No vessel felt
secure upon the high seas, and yet the English merchant ships continued
to ply their trade with us.
On May 1st, 1810, all French and English vessels of any description
were prohibited from entering the ports of the United States. On June
24th of this year the British sloop of war _Moselle_ fired at the
U. S. brig _Vixen_, off the Bahamas, but fortunately did no damage.
Another blow to American commerce just at this period was the closing
of the ports of Prussia to American products and ships. But an event
which took place on May 16th, 1811, had an unexpected termination that
turned all eyes to England. The British frigate _Guerrière_ was one
of a fleet of English vessels hanging about our coasts, and cruising
mainly along the New Jersey and Long Island shores. Commodore Rodgers
was proceeding from Annapolis to New York in the _President_, 44 guns,
when the news was brought to him by a coasting vessel that a young man,
a native of New Jersey, had been taken from an American brig in the
vicinity of Sandy Hook, and had been carried off by a frigate supposed
to be the _Guerrière_. On the 16th, about noon, Rodgers discovered a
sail standing towards him. She was made out to be a man-of-war, and
concluding that she was the _Guerrière_, the commodore resolved to
speak to her, and, to quote from a contemporary, “he hoped he might
prevail upon her commander to release the impressed young man” (what
arguments he intended to use are not stated). But no sooner had the
stranger perceived the _President_, whose colors were flying, than she
wore and stood to the southward. Rodgers took after her, and by evening
was close enough to make out that she was beyond all doubt an English
ship. But owing to the dusk and thick weather it was impossible to
count her broadside, or to make out distinctly what was the character
of the flag that at this late hour she had hoisted at her peak. So he
determined to lay his vessel alongside of her within speaking distance,
and find out something definite. The strange sail apparently wished
to avoid this if possible, and tacked and manoeuvred incessantly in
efforts to escape. At twenty minutes past eight the _President_, being
a little forward of the weather beam of the chase, and within a hundred
yards of her, Rodgers called through his trumpet with the usual hail,
“What ship is that?” No answer was given, but the question was repeated
from the other vessel in turn. Rodgers did not answer, and hailed
again. To his intense surprise a shot was fired into the _President_,
and this was the only response. A great deal of controversy resulted
from the subsequent happenings. The English deny having fired the first
gun, and assert that Rodgers was the offender, as a gun was discharged
(without orders) from the American vessel almost at the same moment.
Now a brisk action commenced with broadsides and musketry. But the
commodore, noticing that he was having to deal with a very inferior
force, ceased firing, after about ten minutes of exchanging shots. He
was premature in this, however, as the other vessel immediately renewed
her fire, and the foremast of the _President_ was badly injured by two
thirty-two-pound shot. By this time the wind had blown up fresh, and
there was a heavy sea; but notwithstanding this fact and the growing
darkness, a well-directed broadside from the _President_ silenced the
other’s fire completely. Rodgers approached again, and to his hail
this time there was given some reply. Owing to his being to windward,
he did not catch the words, although he understood from them that his
antagonist was a British ship. All night long Rodgers lay hove to under
the lee of the stranger, displaying lights, and ready at any moment to
respond to any call for assistance, as it had been perceived that the
smaller vessel was badly crippled.
At daylight the _President_ bore down to within speaking distance and
an easy sail, and Rodgers sent out his first cutter, under command of
Lieutenant Creighton, to learn the name of the ship and her commander,
and with instructions to ascertain what damage she had received, and
to “regret the necessity which had led to such an unhappy result.”
Lieutenant Creighton returned with the information that the British
captain declined accepting any assistance, and that the vessel was
His Britannic Majesty’s sloop of war _Little Belt_, 18 guns. She had
nine men killed and twenty-two wounded. No one was killed on board the
_President_, and only a cabin-boy had been wounded in the arm by a
splinter.
The account given to his government by Captain Bingham, of the _Little
Belt_, gives the lie direct to the sworn statement of the affair,
confirmed by all the officers and crew of the _President_, an account,
by-the-way, that after a long and minute investigation was sustained
by the American courts. It was now past doubting that open war
would shortly follow between this country and England. Preparations
immediately began in every large city to outfit privateers, and the
navy-yards rang with hammers, and the recruiting officers were besieged
by hordes of sailor men anxious to serve a gun and seek revenge.
Owing to circumstances, the year of 1812, that gave the name to the war
of the next three years, found the country in a peculiar condition.
Under the “gunboat system” of Mr. Jefferson, who believed in harbor
protection, and trusted to escape war, an act had been passed in
1805 which almost threatened annihilation of a practical navy. The
construction of twenty-five gunboats authorized by this bill had been
followed, from time to time, by the building of more of them under the
mistaken idea that this policy was a national safeguard. They would
have been of great use as a branch of coast fortification at that
time, it may be true, but they were absolutely of no account in the
prosecution of a war at sea. Up to the year 1811 in the neighborhood
of two hundred of these miserable vessels had been constructed, and
they lay about the harbors in various conditions of uselessness.
From an official statement it appears that there were but three
first-class frigates in our navy, and that but five vessels of any
description were in condition to go to sea. They were the _President_,
44 guns; the _United States_, 44 guns; the _Constitution_, 44 guns; the
_Essex_, 32 guns; and the _Congress_, 36 guns. All of our sea-going
craft taken together were but ten in number, and seven of these were of
the second class and of inferior armament. There was not a single ship
that did not need extensive repairs, and two of the smaller frigates,
the _New York_ and the _Boston_, were condemned upon examination. The
navy was in a deplorable state, and no money forthcoming.
But the session of Congress known as the “war session” altered this
state of affairs, and in the act of March 13th, 1812, we find the
repudiation of the gunboat policy, and the ridiculous error advanced,
to our shame be it said, by some members of Congress, that “in creating
a navy we are only building ships for Great Britain,” was cast aside.
Not only did the act provide for putting the frigates into commission
and preparing them for actual service, but two hundred thousand
dollars per annum was appropriated for three years for ship timber.
The gunboats were laid up “for the good of the public service,” and
disappeared. Up to this period all the acts of Congress in favor of
the navy had been but to make hasty preparations of a few vessels of
war to meet the pressure of some emergency, but no permanent footing
had been established. The conduct and the result of the war with
Tripoli had not been such as to make the American Navy popular, despite
the individual brave deeds that had taken place and the respect for
the flag that had been enforced abroad. But the formation of a “naval
committee” was a step in the right direction. There was a crisis to
be met, the country was awake to the necessity, and the feelings of
patriotism had aroused the authorities to a pitch of action. Many
men, the ablest in the country, were forced into public life from
their retirement, and a combination was presented in the House of
Representatives and in the Senate that promised well for the conduct of
affairs. The Republican party saw that there was no more sense in the
system of restriction, and that the only way to redress the wrongs of
our sailors was by war.
Langdon Cheves was appointed chairman of this Committee of Naval
Affairs of the Twelfth Congress, and took hold of the work assigned to
him with energy and judgment. There was some slight opposition given
by people who doubted our power and resources to wage war successfully
against Great Britain, but this opposition was overwhelmed completely
at the outset. The report of the naval committee shows that the naval
establishments of other countries had been carefully looked into,
and experienced and intelligent officers had been called upon for
assistance; that the needs and resources of the country had been
accurately determined, and the result was that the committee expressed
the opinion “_that it was the true policy of the United States to build
up a navy establishment as the cheapest, the safest, and the best
protection to their sea-coast and to their commerce, and that such an
establishment was inseparably connected with the future prosperity,
safety, and glory of the country_.”
The bill which was introduced and drafted by the committee recommended
that the force to be created should consist of frigates and sloops
of war to be built at once, and that those already in commission be
overhauled and refitted. To quote from the first bill for the increase
of the navy, communicated to the House of Representatives September
17th, 1811 (which antedated the final act of March 13th, 1812), Mr.
Cheves says for the committee: “We beg leave to recommend that all
the vessels of war of the United States not now in service, which are
worthy of repair, be immediately repaired, fitted out, and put into
actual service; that ten additional frigates, averaging 38 guns, be
built; that a competent sum of money be appropriated for the purchase
of a stock of timber, and that a dock for repairing the vessels of war
of the United States be established in some central and convenient
place.” There was no dock in the country at this date, and vessels had
to be “hove down” to repair their hulls--an expensive and lengthy
process.
A large number of experiments had also been made during this year in
reference to the practical use of the torpedo. They were conducted
in the city and harbor of New York, under the supervision of
Oliver Walcott, John Kent, Cadwallader B. Colden, John Garnet, and
Jonathan Williams. Suggestions were also made for the defence of
vessels threatened by torpedo attack in much the same method that is
employed to this date--by nets and booms. Mr. Colden says in a letter
addressed to Paul Hamilton, Secretary of the Navy, in reference to
the experiments with Mr. Fulton’s torpedoes, “I cannot but think that
if the dread of torpedoes were to produce no other effect than to
induce every hostile vessel of war which enters our ports to protect
herself in a way in which the _Argus_ (the vessel experimented with)
was protected, torpedoes will be no inconsiderable auxiliaries in the
defence of our harbors.” Strange to say, a boom torpedo rigged to the
end of a boom attached to the prow of a cutter propelled by oars was
tried, and is to this day adopted in our service, in connection with
fast steam-launches. All this tends to show the advancing interest in
naval warfare. Paul Hamilton suggested, in a letter dated December 3d,
1811, that “a naval force of twelve sails of the line (74’s) and twenty
well-constructed frigates, including those already in commission, would
be ample to protect the coasting trade”; but there was no provision
in the bill as finally accepted, and no authority given for the
construction of any line of battle ships, although Mr. Cheves referred
in his speech to the letter from Secretary Hamilton. Plans were also
made this year to form a naval hospital, a much-needed institution.
When war was declared by Congress against Great Britain, on June
18th, 1812, and proclaimed by the President of the United States the
following day, the number of vessels, exclusive of those projected and
building, was as follows:
FRIGATES
Rated Mounting Commanders
_Constitution_ 44 56 Capt. Hull
_United States_ 44 56 Capt. Decatur
_President_ 44 56 Com. Rodgers
_Chesapeake_ 36 44 Capt. Evans
_New York_ 36 44
_Constellation_ 36 44 Capt. Stewart
_Congress_ 36 44 Capt. Smith
_Boston_ 32
_Essex_ 32 Capt. Porter
_Adams_ 32
CORVETTES
_John Adams_ 26 Capt. Ludlow
SLOOPS OF WAR
_Wasp_ 18 18 Capt. Jones
_Hornet_ 18 18 Capt. Lawrence
BRIGS
_Siren_ 16 Capt. Carroll
_Argus_ 16 Capt. Crane
_Oneida_ 16 Capt. Woolsey
SCHOONERS
_Vixen_ 14 Lieut. Gadsden
_Nautilus_ 14 Lieut. Sinclair
_Enterprise_ 14 Capt. Blakely
_Viper_ 10 Capt. Bainbridge
BOMB-KETCHES
_Vengeance_ _Ætna_
_Spitfire_ _Vesuvius_
As we have stated before, the _Boston_, that was burned afterwards at
Washington, never put to sea, and the _New York_ was a worthless hulk.
The _Constitution_, the _United States_, and the _Constellation_ were
built in the year 1797, the _Constitution_ at Boston, the _United
States_ at Philadelphia, and the _Constellation_ at Baltimore. They had
been built in the most complete manner, and it might be of interest
to give some figures in connection with the construction of these
vessels, thus forming an idea of how they compare with the tremendous
and expensive fighting-machines of today. The first cost of the
_Constitution_ was $302,718. Her annual expenses when in commission
were $100,000. Her pay-roll per month was in the neighborhood of $5000.
There had been spent in repairs upon the _Constitution_ from October
1st, 1802, to October 1st, 1811, the sum of $302,582--almost as much as
her original cost, it is thus seen; but upon the outbreak of the war
only $5658 had to be spent upon her to fit her for sea. The first cost
of a small vessel like the _Wasp_, carrying 18 guns, was $60,000; the
annual expense in commission, $38,000.
Although the _Constitution_ was in such good shape, the _Chesapeake_
and the _Constellation_ were not seaworthy, and required $120,000
apiece to be expended on them before they would be considered ready for
service.
An American 44-gun frigate carried about 400 men. The pay appears
ridiculously small, captains receiving but $100; masters-commandant,
$75 a month; lieutenants’ pay was raised from $40 to $60. Midshipmen
drew $19, an ordinary seaman $10, and a private of marines but $6 a
month.
A 44-gun frigate was about 142 feet long, 38 feet 8 inches in breadth,
and drew from 17 to 23 feet of water, according to her loading. An
18-gun sloop of war was between 110 and 122 feet in length, and drew 15
feet of water.
At the time of the declaration of war the officers holding captains’
commissions were: Alexander Murray, John Rodgers, James Barron
(suspended), William Bainbridge, Hugh G. Campbell, Stephen Decatur,
Thomas Tingey, Charles Stewart, Isaac Hull, Isaac Chauncey, John
Shaw, John Smith--there was one vacancy. On the pay-rolls as
masters-commandant we find David Porter, Samuel Evans, Jacob Jones, and
James Lawrence.
It is hard to imagine nowadays the amount of bitterness, the extreme
degree of hatred, that had grown up between America and Great Britain.
Before the outbreak of hostilities, smarting under the defeats of
’76 and the struggle of the following years, with few exceptions
English officers burned to show their contempt for the service of the
new country whose flag was being sent about the world. During the
presence of the American fleets under Preble and Bainbridge in the
Mediterranean, insults were frequently forced upon them by the English.
An anecdote which brings in one of our nation’s heroes will show
plainly to what extent this feeling existed. From an American vessel
of war anchored at Malta a number of the junior officers had obtained
shore leave; among them was a tall, handsome lad, the brother of the
commander of the _Philadelphia_. Orders had been given for the young
gentlemen to mind their own affairs, to keep close together, and to pay
no attention to the treatment they might receive from the officers of
the English regiments or navy. Owing to the custom then holding, the
man who had not fought a duel or killed a man in “honorable” meeting
was an exception, even in our service. There was no punishment for
duelling in either the army or navy, even if one should kill a member
of his own mess, so there may be some excuse for the disobedience, or,
better, disregard, of the order given to the midshipmen before they
landed. There was an English officer at Malta, a celebrated duellist,
who stated to a number of his friends, when he was informed that the
American young gentlemen had landed, that he would “bag one of the
Yankees before ten the next morning.” He ran across them in the lobby
of a playhouse, and, rudely jostling the tallest and apparently the
oldest, he was surprised at having his pardon begged, as if the fault
had been the other’s. So he repeated his offence, and emphasized it by
thrusting his elbow in “the Yankee’s” face.
This was too much. The tall midshipman whipped out his card, the
Englishman did likewise. A few words and it was all arranged. “At nine
the next morning, on the beach below the fortress.” As he turned, the
middy saw one of his senior lieutenants standing near him. He knew that
it would be difficult to get ashore in the morning, and he made up his
mind that, as the chances were he would never return to his ship at
all, he would not go back to her that night. But what was his dismay
when the officer approached and ordered him and all of his party to
repair on board their vessel. Of course the rest of the youngsters
knew what had occurred, and they longed to see how their comrade would
get out of the predicament. _He had to be on shore!_ But as he sat in
the stern-sheets the lieutenant, not so many years his senior, bent
forward. “I shall go ashore with you at nine o’clock to-morrow, if you
will allow me that honor,” he said, quietly. Now this young officer was
a hero with the lads in the steerage, and the middy’s courage rose.
At nine o’clock the next morning he stood in a sheltered little stretch
of beach with a pistol in his hand, and at the word “Fire!” he shot
the English bully through the heart. The midshipman’s name was Joseph
Bainbridge, a brother of the Bainbridge of _Constitution_ fame, and his
second upon this occasion was Stephen Decatur.
This encounter was but one of many such that took place on foreign
stations between American and English officers. The latter at last
became more respectful of the Yankees’ feelings, be it recorded.
The following series of articles is not intended as a history of the
navy, but as a mere account of the most prominent actions in which
the vessels of the regular service participated. Two affairs in which
American privateers took part are introduced, but of a truth the doings
of Yankee privateersmen would make a history in themselves.
It will be noticed that the names of several vessels occur frequently,
and we can see how the _Constitution_ won for herself the proudest
title ever given to a ship--“Old Ironsides”--and how the victories at
sea united the American nation as one great family in rejoicing or in
grief. To this day there will be found songs and watchwords in the
forecastles of our steel cruisers that were started at this glorious
period. “Remember the _Essex_!” “Don’t give up the ship!” “May we die
on deck!” are sayings that have been handed down, and let us hope that
they will live forever.
I
THE THREE-DAYS CHASE OF THE “CONSTITUTION”
[July 17th, 18th, 19th, 1812]
[Illustration: MEDAL PRESENTED BY CONGRESS TO CAPTAIN ISAAC HULL]
If during the naval war of 1812 any one man won laurels because he
understood his ship, and thus triumphed over odds, that man was Captain
Hull, and the ship was the old _Constitution_.
Returning from a mission to Europe during the uncertain, feverish days
that preceded the declaration of war between England and America,
Hull had drawn into the Chesapeake to outfit for a cruise. He had
experienced a number of exciting moments in European waters, for
everything was in a turmoil and every sail suspicious--armed vessels
approached one another like dogs who show their fangs.
Although we were at peace, on more than one occasion Hull had called
his men to quarters, fearing mischief. Once he did so in an English
port, for he well remembered the affair of the _Leopard_ and the
_Chesapeake_.
At Annapolis he shipped a new crew, and on July 12th he sailed around
the capes and made out to sea. Five days later, when out of sight of
land, sailing with a light breeze from the northeast, four sail were
discovered to the north, heading to the westward. An hour later a fifth
sail was seen to the northward and eastward. Before sunset it could
be declared positively that the strangers were vessels of war, and
without doubt English. The wind was fair for the nearest one to close,
but before she came within three miles the breeze that had brought
her up died out, and after a calm that lasted but a few minutes the
light wind came from the southward, giving the _Constitution_ the
weather-gage.
And now began a test of seamanship and sailing powers, the like of
which has no equal in history for prolonged excitement. Captain Hull
was almost alone in his opinion that the _Constitution_ was a fast
sailer. But it must be remembered, however, that a vessel’s speed
depends upon her handling, and with Isaac Hull on deck she had the best
of it.
All through the night, which was not dark, signals and lights flashed
from the vessels to leeward. The _Constitution_, it is claimed by the
English, was taken for one of their own ships. She herself had shown
the private signal of the day, thinking perhaps that the vessel near to
hand might be an American.
Before daybreak three rockets arose from the ship astern of the
_Constitution_, and at the same time she fired two guns. She was H. M.
S. _Guerrière_, and, odd to relate, before long she was to strike her
flag to the very frigate that was now so anxious to escape from her.
Now, to the consternation of all, as daylight broadened, three sail
were discovered on the starboard quarter and three more astern. Soon
another one was spied to the westward. By nine o’clock, when the mists
had lifted, the _Constitution_ had to leeward and astern of her seven
sail in sight--two frigates, a ship of the line, two smaller frigates,
a brig, and a schooner. There was no doubt as to who they were, for
in the light breeze the British colors tossed at their peaks. It was
a squadron of Captain Sir Philip Vere Broke, and he would have given
his right hand to have been able to lessen the distance between him
and the chase. But, luckily for “Old Ironsides,” all of the Englishmen
were beyond gunshot. Hull hoisted out his boats ahead, and they began
the weary work of towing; at the same time, stern-chasers were run out
over the after-bulwarks and through the cabin windows. It fell dead
calm, and before long all of the English vessels had begun to tow also.
But the _Constitution_ had the best position for this kind of work,
as she could have smashed the boats of an approaching vessel, while
her own were protected by her hull. One of the nearest frigates, the
_Shannon_, soon opened fire, but her shot fell short, and she gave it
up as useless. At this moment a brilliant idea occurred to Lieutenant
Morris of the _Constitution_. It had often been the custom in our
service to warp ships to their anchorage by means of kedge-anchors when
in a narrow channel; by skillful handling they had sometimes maintained
a speed of three knots an hour. Hull himself gives the credit for this
idea to Lieutenant Charles Morris.
All the spare hawsers and rope that would stand the strain were spliced
together, and a line almost a mile in length was towed ahead of the
ship and a kedge-anchor dropped. At once the _Constitution_ began to
walk away from her pursuers--as she tripped one kedge she commenced to
haul upon another. Now for the first time Hull displayed his colors
and fired a gun; but it was not long before the British discovered the
Yankee trick and were trying it themselves.
A slight breeze happily sprang up, which the _Constitution_ caught
first and forged ahead of the leading vessel, that had fifteen or
sixteen boats towing away at her. Soon it fell calm again, and the
towing and kedging were resumed. But the _Belvidera_, headed by a
flotilla of rowboats, gained once more, and Hull sent overboard some
twenty-four hundred gallons of water to lighten his vessel. A few shots
were exchanged without result. But without ceasing the wearisome work
went on, and never a grumble was heard, although the men had been on
duty and hard at work twelve hours and more.
This was to be only the beginning of it. Now and then breezes would
spring from the southward, and the tired sailors would seize the
occasion to throw themselves on the deck and rest, often falling asleep
leaning across the guns--the crews had never left their quarters.
From eleven o’clock in the evening until past midnight the breeze held
strong enough to keep the _Constitution_ in advance. Then it fell
dead calm once more. Captain Hull decided to give his men the
much-needed respite; and, except for those aloft and the man at the
wheel, they slept at their posts; but at 2 A.M. the boats were out
again.
[Illustration: THE “CONSTITUTION” TOWING AND KEDGING]
During this respite the _Guerrière_ had gained, and was off the lee
beam. It seemed as if it were impossible to avoid an action, and
Hull had found that two of his heavy stern-chasers were almost worse
than useless, as the blast of their discharge threatened to blow out
the stern-quarters, owing to the overhanging of the wood-work and
the shortness of the guns. The soundings had run from twenty-six to
twenty-four fathoms, and now Hull was afraid of getting into deeper
water, where kedging would be of no use.
At daybreak three of the enemy’s frigates had crept up to within long
gunshot on the lee quarter, and the _Guerrière_ maintained her position
on the beam. The _Africa_, the ship of the line, and the two smaller
vessels had fallen far behind. Slowly but surely the _Belvidera_
drew ahead of the _Guerrière_, and at last she was almost off the
_Constitution’s_ bow when she tacked. Hull, to preserve his position
and the advantage of being to windward, was obliged to follow suit. It
must have been a wondrous sight at this moment to the unskilled eye;
escape would have seemed impossible, for the American was apparently
in the midst of the foe. Rapidly approaching her on another tack was
the frigate _Æolus_ within long range, but she and the _Constitution_
passed one another without firing. The breeze freshening, Hull
hoisted in his boats, and the weary rowers rested their strained arms.
All the English vessels rounded upon the same tack as the
_Constitution_, and now the five frigates had out all their kites,
and were masses of shining canvas from their trucks to the water’s
edge. Counting the _Constitution_, eleven sail were in sight, and
soon a twelfth appeared to the windward. It was evident that she was
an American merchantman, as she threw out her colors upon sighting
the squadron. The Englishmen did not despatch a vessel to pursue her,
but to encourage her to come down to them they all flew the stars and
stripes. Hull straightway, as a warning, drew down his own flag and set
the English ensign. This had the desired effect, and the merchantman
hauled on the wind and made his best efforts to escape.
Hull had kept his sails wet with hose and bucket, in order to hold the
wind, and by ten o’clock his crew had started cheering and laughing,
for they were slowly drawing ahead; the _Belvidera_ was directly
in their wake, distant almost three miles. The other vessels were
scattered to leeward, two frigates were on the lee quarter five miles
away, and the _Africa_, holding the opposite tack, was hull down on the
horizon. The latitude was made out at midday to be 38° 47´ north, and
the longitude, by dead reckoning, 73° 57´ west.
The wind freshened in the early afternoon, and, the sails being trimmed
and watched closely, Hull’s claim that his old ship was a stepper,
if put to it, was verified, for she gained two miles and more upon the
pursuers. And now strategy was to come into play. Dark, angry-looking
clouds and deeper shadows on the water to windward showed that a sudden
squall was approaching. It was plain that rain was falling and would
reach the American frigate first. The topmen were hurried aloft, the
sheets and tacks and clew-lines manned, and the _Constitution_ held on
with all sails set, but with everything ready at the command to be let
go. As the rush of wind and rain approached all the light canvas was
furled, a reef taken in the mizzen-topsail, and the ship was brought
under short sail, as if she expected to be laid on her beam ends. The
English vessels astern observed this, and probably expected that a hard
blow was going to follow, for they let go and hauled down as they were,
without waiting for the wind to reach them. Some of them hove to and
began to reef, and they scattered in different directions, as if for
safety. But no sooner had the rain shrouded the _Constitution_ than
Hull sheeted home, hoisted his fore and main topgallant-sails, and,
with the wind boiling the water all about him, he roared away over the
sea at a gait of eleven knots.
For an hour the breeze held strong--blowing almost half a gale, in
fact--and then it disappeared to leeward. A Yankee cheer broke out in
which the officers joined, for the English fleet was far down the wind,
and the _Africa_ was barely visible. A few minutes’ more sailing, and
the leading frigates were hull below the horizon.
Still they held in chase throughout all the night, signalling
each other now and then. At daybreak all fear was over; but the
_Constitution_ kept all sail, even after Broke’s squadron gave up and
hauled to the northward and eastward.
The small brig that had been counted in the fleet of the pursuers was
the _Nautilus_, which had been captured by the English three or four
days previously. She was the first vessel lost on either side during
the war. She was renowned as having been the vessel commanded by the
gallant Somers, who lost his life in the harbor of Tripoli.