After the declaration of war with England, on the 18th of June, 1812,
Vice-Admiral Sawyer, of the British Navy, prepared a squadron at
Halifax, and dispatched it, on July 5th, to cruise against the United
States. This squadron was commanded by Captain Broke, of the Shannon,
38, an officer of great merit and experience, who had under him the
Belvidera, 36, Captain Byron, another excellent officer, the Africa,
64, and the Æolus, 32.
On the 9th of July, off Nantucket, they were joined by the Guerrière,
38, Captain Dacres. This squadron, on the 16th, fell in with and
captured the United States brig Nautilus, 14, which, like all the brigs
of that day, was overloaded with men and guns; she threw her guns
overboard, and made use of every expedient to escape, but with no avail.
At 3 P. M. on the following day, when the British squadron was off
Barnegat, and about twelve miles from the shore, a strange sail was
seen in the southeast, or windward quarter, standing to the northeast.
This vessel was the United States frigate Constitution, 44, Captain
Isaac Hull. When the war broke out he was in the Chesapeake, engaged in
getting a new crew. Having on board about four hundred and fifty souls,
he sailed on the 12th of July. His crew was entirely new, drafts
of men coming on board up to the last moment. Hull wrote, just before
sailing, that “the crew are as yet unacquainted with a ship-of-war,
as many have but lately joined and have never been on an armed ship
before. We are doing all that we can to make them acquainted with
their duty, and in a few days we shall have nothing to fear from any
single-decked ship.” On the 17th, at 2 P. M., Hull discovered four sail
to the northward, heading to the westward. An hour after, the wind
being very light, the Constitution made more sail, and tacked ship,
being in eighteen and a-half fathoms. At four P. M. the Constitution
discovered a fifth sail, which was the Guerrière. At about six o’clock
the wind shifted and blew lightly from the south, bringing the American
ship to windward, and she immediately wore, with her head to the
eastward, set studding-sails and stay-sails, and at half-past seven
beat to quarters, intending to speak the nearest vessel, the Guerrière.
The two frigates neared each other gradually, and the Constitution, at
ten P. M., began making signals. These were not answered, and the two
frigates gradually drew near each other; the Guerrière discovered, on
her lee beam, the other British vessels, and signalled to them.
[Illustration: CAPTURE OF THE GUERRIÈRE BY THE CONSTITUTION.]
They did not answer the signals, thinking she must know who
they were--a circumstance which afterwards gave rise to sharp
recriminations. Dacres, concluding them to be Commodore Rodgers’
American squadron, tacked, and stood away from the Constitution for
some time before discovering his mistake.
The next morning, soon after daylight, Hull had just enough
steerage-way to keep the Constitution’s head to the east, on the
starboard tack. On his lee quarter, bearing northeast by north, were
the Belvidera and Guerrière, and astern the Shannon, Æolus, and
Africa. At half-past five in the morning it fell dead calm, and Hull
called away his boats, to tow the ship to the southward. At the same
time he got two long guns aft, and cut away the taffrail, to give them
more room to work; while he ran out of the cabin windows two of the
long main-deck 24’s.
By this time the British had followed his example, and had their
boats out to tow. Soon, however, a light breeze sprang up, and the
Constitution set all studding-sails and stay-sails. At this time the
Shannon opened upon her with her bow-guns, but ceased when she found
she did not reach the American ship. By half-past six in the morning
the light breeze had died away again, and the Shannon began to gain on
the Constitution, in consequence of most of the boats of the British
squadron being set to tow her. Just then the Constitution sounded in
twenty-six fathoms, and Lieut. Charles Morris suggested to Captain Hull
to try kedging. This was adopted, and all the spare rope bent on to the
kedges, paid out into the cutters, and then one kedge run out half a
mile ahead and let go. The crew then clapped on and walked the ship up
to the kedge--over-running and tripping it as she came to the end of
the line. Meanwhile, the other kedge and lines were carried out; and
the ship thus glided away from her pursuers.
At half-past seven A. M. a little breeze sprang up, and the
Constitution then set her ensign and fired a shot at the Shannon--the
first shot of this remarkable chase. It soon fell calm again, and the
Shannon began to near. This was a critical time, for, if the Shannon
got close enough to disable in the slightest degree the spars of the
American frigate, she must inevitably be captured. But about nine
o’clock an air from the southward struck the Constitution, bringing
her to windward. The breeze was seen, freshening the glassy surface
of the sea, her sails were trimmed, and as soon as possible she was
brought close upon the port tack. The boats which were engaged in
kedging dropped alongside; those which belonged to the davits were run
up, and the others lifted clear of the water by purchases from the
chains and spare spars, so that they could be used again at a moment’s
notice. The Guerrière, on her lee beam, now opened fire, but, as it
fell short, Hull paid no attention to it. Again, to Hull’s vexation,
it fell calm--it was, indeed, just such a summer’s day as is often
seen off the Jersey coast, when it seems as if the wind had died out
forever--and he started two thousand gallons of water, and once more
lowered his boats to tow; having to use great exertion to keep the
Shannon, which had most of the boats of the squadron, from gaining
on her. Again a breath of air ruffled the water, and this time the
Belvidera gained on the other British ships, and their boats were all
put on to tow her. (Cooper says that this ship was the Shannon still,
but Roosevelt, a very careful writer, says it was the Belvidera.)
Captain Byron, of this ship, observing how the Constitution crept away
from them by warping, did the same thing; and he even improved upon
the operation by working two kedge anchors at the same time-paying the
warp out of one hawse hole as it was run in through the other. Having
men from the other English ships on board, and a lighter ship to work,
he gradually gained upon the Constitution. Hull fully expected to be
overtaken, but he made all his arrangements to endeavor to disable the
first frigate before her consorts could come up. The English frigates,
on the other hand, were deterred from coming very close, for fear of
having their boats sunk by the American frigate’s stern-chasers.
The Constitution’s crew worked splendidly. Officers and men regularly
relieved each other in the exhausting labor, the officers lying down
on deck for a short rest, and the men sleeping at their guns. The
Constitution rather gained, but the situation continued critical. The
British ships continued towing and kedging, barely out of gun-shot,
all the afternoon, the few light puffs of air being carefully watched,
and made the most of by both sides. At seven in the evening, it
being dead calm again, the towing and kedging was renewed, the men
being much worn by their continued exertions. But partial breezes
during the night gave them some rest, and at daylight the Belvidera
was off the Constitution’s lee beam, with a light breeze from the
southeast. The Æolus was also well up, but the wind now freshened,
and the Constitution and the English frigates were soon running off
on the starboard tack, with every stitch of sail set. The Africa was
so far to leeward as to be out of the race. At nine in the morning an
American merchant ship hove in sight, and came down toward the English
squadron. The Belvidera hoisted the American colors, as a decoy, but
the Constitution immediately hoisted the British flag, and the merchant
vessel hauled off. At noon Hull found he had dropped all the British
ships. The Belvidera was the nearest, being in his wake, and at least
two miles and a-half off. The Shannon was to leeward, and much further
off; and the others were five miles off, on the lee quarter. The breeze
freshened, and the Constitution’s sails being watched and trimmed with
consummate skill, she continued to draw away from her pursuers, so
that at daylight the next morning the nearest was four miles astern.
Soon after there were indications of a heavy thunder squall, and the
indefatigable Hull again had an opportunity to show that he excelled
in seamanship even the able English captains who were pitted against
him. The crew of the Constitution went to their stations for working
ship, and everything was kept fast until the last moment. Just before
the squall struck the ship sail was handsomely reduced; but as soon
as Hull got the weight of the wind he sheeted home, set his fore and
main top-gallant-sails, and was off on an easy bowline, at the rate
of eleven knots an hour. The British vessels, seeing him reduce sail,
began to let go, clew up and haul down, without waiting for the wind,
and were steering on different tacks when the first gust struck them.
When the squall passed over the Belvidera had fallen much astern, and
to leeward, while the other ships were nearly hull down. The wind now
fell light and baffling, but Hull had the sails continually wet down,
and continued to draw away from his pertinacious pursuers, so that
on the morning of the 20th, being almost out of sight astern, they
abandoned the chase. On July 26th the Constitution reached Boston.
“In this chase Hull was matched against five British captains, two
of whom, Broke and Byron, were fully equal to any in their navy; and
while they showed great perseverance, good seamanship, and ready
imitation, there can be no doubt that the palm in every way belongs to
the cool old Yankee. Every daring expedient known to the most perfect
seamanship was tried, and tried with success; and no victorious fight
could reflect more credit on the conqueror than this three days’ chase
did on Hull. Later, on two occasions, the Constitution proved herself
far superior in gunnery to the average British frigate; this time her
officers and men showed that they could handle the sails as well as
they could the guns. Hull out-manœuvred Broke and Byron as cleverly
as, a month later, he out-fought Dacres. His successful escape and
victorious fight were both performed in a way that place him above any
single-ship captain of the war.”
Hull left Boston, in the Constitution, on August 2d, and stood off to
the eastward. Falling in with nothing, she took a turn to the Bay of
Fundy, the coast of Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, and finally, took
up a station off Cape Race, where she took two brigs. As they were of
small value, Hull burned them. On the 15th of August she re-captured an
American brig from the British ship-sloop Avenger. The latter escaped,
but Hull manned his prize, and sent her in. Soon after this he spoke
a Salem privateer, which gave him information of a British frigate
cruising to the southward. He made sail in that direction, and at 2 P.
M. of August 19th, in latitude 41° 30′ north, and 55° west, he made out
a large sail to the east-southeast, and to leeward, which proved to be
his old acquaintance, the frigate Guerrière, Captain Dacres.
It was a cloudy day, and the wind was blowing fresh from the northwest.
The Guerrière was by the wind, on the starboard tack, under easy
canvas. She hauled up her courses, took in her top-gallant-sails, and
at half-past four backed her main-top-sail, to wait for her enemy. Hull
then began to shorten sail, taking in top-gallant-sails, stay-sails,
and flying jib, sending down his royal-yards, and placing a reef in his
top-sails. The English ship then hoisted three ensigns, upon which Hull
set his colors, one at each masthead, and one at the mizzen-peak.
The Constitution was running down with the wind nearly aft. The
Guerrière was on the starboard tack, and at five o’clock opened with
her weather guns, but the shot fell short. She then wore round, and
fired her port broadside, of which two shot struck the Constitution,
the rest passing over and through her rigging. As the British frigate
again wore, to open with her starboard battery, the Constitution
yawed a little, and fired two or three of her bow guns. The Guerrière
repeated her manœuvre three or four times, wearing and firing alternate
broadsides, but with little or no effect, while the Constitution
each time yawed, to prevent being raked, and occasionally she fired
one of her bow guns. This continued for nearly an hour, as the ships
were very far apart when the action commenced, and hardly any loss
or damage was as yet inflicted by either party. At six the Guerrière
bore up, and ran off, under her top-sails and jib, with the wind
astern, or a little on the port quarter; when the Constitution set
her main-top-gallant-sail and foresail, and in a few minutes closed
within less than pistol shot, on her adversary’s port beam. A furious
cannonade now ensued, each ship firing as her guns bore. At twenty
minutes past six the ships were fairly abreast, and the Constitution
shot away the Guerrière’s mizzen-mast, which fell over her starboard
quarter, knocking a large hole in her counter, and bringing the ship
round against her helm. Hitherto the English vessel had suffered very
greatly, and the Constitution scarcely at all. The latter, finding that
she was ranging ahead, put her helm aport, and luffed short round her
enemy’s bows, delivering a heavy raking fire with her starboard guns,
and shooting away the Guerrière’s main-yard. Then she wore, and again
passed her enemy’s bows, raking the Guerrière with her port battery.
The Guerrière’s mizzen-mast, dragging in the water, had by this time
pulled her bow round till the wind came on her starboard quarter; and
so near were the two ships that the Englishman’s bowsprit passed
diagonally over the Constitution’s quarterdeck, and as the latter ship
fell off, it got foul of her mizzen rigging, so that the ships lay with
the Guerrière’s starboard bow against the Constitution’s port, or lee
quarter-gallery.
The bow guns of the English frigate now made great havoc in Captain
Hull’s cabin, which was set on fire by the close discharges, but the
flames were soon extinguished. Both sides now called away boarders,
and the British crew ran forward on their forecastle, but Captain
Dacres gave up the idea of boarding when he saw the crowds of men on
the American’s decks. The Constitution’s boarders and marines had
gathered aft, but such a heavy sea was running that they could not
gain the Guerrière’s forecastle. A close musketry fire was now kept
up, and almost the entire loss of the Constitution occurred at this
time. Lieutenant Bush, of that ship’s marines, sprang on the taffrail,
to board, and was shot dead. Mr. Morris, the First Lieutenant, and the
Master, Mr. Alwyn, both of whom had leaped upon the taffrail, to head
the boarders, were wounded at this time, by musketry. The Guerrière
suffered still more; most of the men on her forecastle being killed
or wounded. Captain Dacres himself was wounded, by a musket ball from
the Constitution’s mizzen-top, while he was standing on the hammocks,
cheering on his crew. Two of his Lieutenants and his Master were
also shot down. Lying thus, the ships gradually worked round till
the wind was once more on the port quarter, when they separated, and
the Guerrière’s fore and main-masts both went over the side at once,
falling on the starboard side, leaving her a sheer hulk, rolling her
main-deck guns into the water. It was now half-past six, and the
Constitution boarded her tacks, ran off a little way to the eastward,
and lay to. A few minutes were now occupied in splicing and reeving
new running rigging, which had been much cut.
Captain Hull then stood down under his adversary’s lee, and the
latter immediately struck. It was then just seven P. M., and exactly
two hours from the time the first shot was fired. On the part of the
Constitution, however, the actual fighting, exclusive of the six or
eight guns fired during the first hour, while closing, occupied less
than thirty minutes.
This account of the action is taken from Roosevelt, and we shall
proceed to make some extracts from his judicious remarks upon the
battle.
The Constitution had on board four hundred and fifty-six men, while
of the Guerrière’s crew, two hundred and sixty-seven prisoners were
received on board the Constitution. Deducting ten Americans who would
not fight, and adding fifteen killed outright, we get two hundred and
seventy-two. Twenty-eight of her crew were absent in prizes.
The loss of the Constitution was seven killed and seven wounded, and
almost all this loss occurred from musketry, while the ships were foul.
The Guerrière lost twenty-three killed and fifty-six wounded.
Roosevelt thus sums up: Constitution, 1576 tons; comparative force one
hundred; comparative loss inflicted one hundred. Guerrière, 1338 tons;
comparative force seventy; comparative loss inflicted eighteen.
The Third Lieutenant of the Constitution was sent on board the prize,
and the American frigate lay by her during the night. At daylight she
was found to be in danger of sinking, and Captain Hull at once began
removing the prisoners; and at three o’clock in the afternoon set the
Guerrière on fire, when she very shortly blew up.
He then made sail for Boston, where he arrived on the 30th of August.
“Captain Hull and his officers,” writes Captain Dacres, in his official
letter, “have treated us like brave and generous enemies; the greatest
care has been taken that we should not lose the smallest trifle.”
The British journals and naval historians laid very great stress on the
rotten and decayed condition of the Guerrière; mentioning particularly
that the main-mast fell solely because of the weight of the falling
fore-mast. But until the action took place she was considered a very
fine ship. Dacres declared, some time before, that she could take a
ship in half the time the Shannon could. The fall of her main-mast
occurred when the fight was practically over; it had no influence
whatever on the conflict. “It was also asserted that the Guerrière’s
powder was bad; but on no authority. Her first broadside fell short;
* * * * but none of these causes account for the fact that her shot
did not hit. Her opponent was of such superior force--nearly in the
proportion of three to two--that success would have been very difficult
in any event, and no one can doubt the gallantry and pluck with which
the British ship was fought; but the execution was very greatly
disproportioned to the force.
The gunnery of the Guerrière was very poor, and that of the
Constitution excellent. During the few minutes the ships were yard-arm
and yard-arm, the latter was not hulled once, while no less than thirty
of her shot took effect on the Guerrière’s engaged side, underneath
the waterline. The Guerrière, moreover, was out-manœuvred. Lord Howard
Douglass says, “in wearing several times and exchanging broadsides
in such rapid and continual changes of position, her fire was much
more harmless than it would have been if she had kept more steady.”
The Constitution was faultlessly handled. Captain Hull displayed the
coolness and skill of a veteran, in the way in which he managed, first
to avoid being raked, and then to improve the advantage which the
precision and rapidity of his fire had gained.
Cooper says, “After making every allowance claimed by the enemy, the
character of this victory is not essentially altered. Its peculiarities
were a fine display of seamanship in the approach, extraordinary
efficiency in the attack, and great readiness in repairing damages; all
of which denote cool and capable officers, with an expert and trained
crew; in a word, a disciplined man-of-war.” The disparity of force, 10
to 7, is not enough to account for the disparity of execution, 10 to
2. Of course, something must be allowed for the decayed state of the
Englishman’s masts, although it probably had not any real influence
upon the battle, for he was beaten when the main-mast fell. It must be
remembered, on the other hand, that the American crew were absolutely
new, and unaccustomed to a fighting ship, while the Guerrière was
manned by old hands. So that, while admitting and admiring the
gallantry, and, on the whole, the seamanship, of Captain Dacres and his
crew, and acknowledging that he fought at a disadvantage, especially
in being short-handed, yet it must be acknowledged that the combat
showed a marked superiority, particularly in gunnery, on the part of
the Americans. Had the ships not come foul, Captain Hull would probably
not have lost more than three or four men; as it was, he suffered but
slightly. That the Guerrière was not so weak as she was represented to
be, can be gathered from the fact that she mounted two more main-deck
guns than the rest of her class; thus carrying on her main-deck 30
long 18-pounders in battery, to oppose to the 30 long 24’s, or rather
(allowing for the short weight of shot), long 22’s of the Constitution.
“Characteristically enough, James, though he carefully reckons in the
long bow-chasers in the bridle-ports of the Argus and Enterprise,
yet refuses to count the two long eighteens mounted through the
bridle-ports on the Guerrière’s main-deck. Now, as it turned out, these
two bow-guns were used very effectively when the ships got foul, and
caused more damage and loss than all of the other main-deck guns put
together.”
Captain Dacres, very much to his credit, allowed the ten Americans
he had on board to go below, so as not to fight against their flag,
and, upon his court-martial, stated that “he was very much weakened by
permitting the Americans on board to quit their quarters.” “Coupling
this with the assertion made by James, and most other British writers,
that the Constitution was largely manned by Englishmen, we reach the
somewhat remarkable conclusion, that the British ship was defeated
because the Americans on board would _not_ fight against their country,
and that the American was victorious because the British on board
_would_.”
[Illustration]
[Illustration: PERRY’S VICTORY ON LAKE ERIE.]