Jacob Jones--The _Wasp_ and the _Frolic_--James Biddle--The _Hornet_ and
the _Penguin_--A Narrow Escape.
I must now tell you something about another gallant young officer who
entered the American navy at the close of the century, when he was
hardly thirty years old. He was Jacob Jones, who lived until 1850. He
was a lieutenant on the _Philadelphia_ for two years, and was with that
frigate when she ran on the rocks in the harbor of Tripoli. He was given
command of the 18-gun sloop of war _Wasp_, which sailed from the
Delaware in October, 1812, and headed eastward, with the intention of
intercepting some of the enemy's merchantmen plying between Great
Britain and the West Indies.
About a week after sailing he sighted five merchantmen, several of which
were well armed, while all were convoyed by a brig of war. Jones stood
toward them, when the brig signalled to her companions to make all sail
before the wind, while she dropped back to attend to the stranger. The
American came up quite close, and hailing, demanded the name of the
other. For a reply, the brig lowered the Spanish colors, ran up the
British flag, and let fly with a broadside and volley of musketry.
The _Wasp_ was expecting something of that nature and returned the
compliment, the vessels working nearer each other and firing as rapidly
as possible. The action had hardly begun when the _Wasp_ lost her main
topmast, and a few minutes later the mizzen topgallant mast and the gaff
were shot away. These mishaps so crippled her that she became almost
unmanageable. The _Frolic_, as the enemy was named, was also damaged,
but not so badly as the _Wasp_, but, unfortunately for the _Frolic_, the
heavy sea and the twisting about of the hull threw her into position to
be raked by the _Wasp_, and Captain Jones was quick to seize the
advantage, the vessels being so close that the ramrods were pushed
against each other's sides while the gunners were loading. The sea was
so heavy that the guns of the _Wasp_ frequently dipped under water.
The intention of the Americans was to board, and Lieutenant James Biddle
held himself and men ready to take instant advantage of the moment the
roll of the sea brought them near enough to do so.
Captain Jones did not believe himself warranted in boarding, since he
held the advantage of position, and he issued orders for the men to
wait, but their ardor could not be checked. Among his sailors was one
who had been impressed into the British service, where he was brutally
treated. Springing upon his gun, he grasped the bowsprit of the brig,
swung himself upon the spar and ran as nimbly as a monkey to the deck of
the enemy. Imitating his enthusiasm, Lieutenant Biddle and his boarders
took advantage of a favorable lurch at that moment and sprang upon the
deck of the _Frolic_. There, every man stopped and repressed the cheer
that rose to his lips, for the scene was one of the most dreadful that
imagination can picture.
The quartermaster stood grimly clutching the wheel, a lieutenant,
bleeding from several wounds, was leaning against the companionway,
unable to stand without its support, while all along the deck were
strewn the dead and dying. Silently the victors stepped over the
prostrate forms to the quarter deck, where the officer weakly dropped
his sword to signify his surrender. Lieutenant Biddle walked to where
the colors were still fluttering and pulled them down. A few minutes
later the mainmast and foremast fell.
Maclay gives the strength of the two vessels as follows: _Wasp_, 18
guns, _Frolic_, 22; crew of the _Wasp_, 138, of the _Frolic_, 110. On
the _Wasp_ 5 were killed and 5 wounded; on the _Frolic_ 15 were killed
and 47 wounded, the latter being completely riddled. The cause of this
frightful difference in results was brought about by the Americans
discharging their broadsides when their ship was on the downward roll,
the shot landing in the hull of the enemy, while the latter fired on the
rise, her broadsides mainly passing into and through the rigging.
As soon as Captain Jones learned of the fearful plight of the Frolic he
sent his surgeon on board, and everything possible was done to assist
the sorely smitten enemy.
The _Wasp_ was so badly injured that Captain Jones gave his attention to
repairing her, and was thus engaged when a sail appeared. It proved to
be the British 74-gun ship of the line _Poictiers_, which, surmising
what had taken place, bore down, took possession of both ships and
carried them to Bermuda.
This battle, one of the most fiercely contested of the war, naturally
caused much rejoicing throughout the United States. Congress voted
$25,000 to the officers and crew of the _Wasp_ as prize money, and gave
a gold medal to Master-Commandant Jones and a silver one to each of his
officers, while the Legislature of Pennsylvania presented a sword to
Lieutenant James Biddle.
This gallant young officer is entitled to more notice than has been
given him. He was born in Philadelphia in 1783, and died in 1848. After
his exchange, he was appointed to the command of the _Hornet_, and
sailed from New York in the month of January, 1815, in company with the
_Peacock_ and _Tom Bowline_, but the three became separated, each making
for Tristan d'Acunha, which had been named as the rendezvous of the
squadron under the command of Stephen Decatur.
This was on the last day of February, and Captain Biddle was about to
drop anchor when a sail appeared, and the _Hornet_ went out to
reconnoitre. The stranger approached as if anxious to fight him, and,
when within musket range, ran up the English flag and fired a shot, to
which the _Hornet_ replied with a broadside. The vessels continued
firing as they drew near each other. The superior aim of the American
speedily crippled the rigging of the other, and, coming together, the
_Penguin_, as the British vessel proved to be, in preparing to board,
succeeded in passing her bowsprit between the main and mizzen rigging of
the _Hornet_ on the starboard quarter. This gave the enemy the
opportunity he seemed to be seeking, but his boarders did not appear.
The American sailors begged permission of Captain Biddle to board, but
he would not consent, since he wished to hold the advantage already
gained. Just then the heaving sea broke the vessels apart, the _Penguin_
receiving considerable damage from the forcible rupture. The _Hornet_
wore round to bring her broadside to bear, and was on the point of
opening fire, when the surviving officer of the _Penguin_ called out
that they surrendered. His condition was so hopeless that no choice was
left to him.
Captain Biddle ordered his men to stop firing, and, stepping to the
taffrail, asked his enemy if they had struck. The answer was two musket
shots, one aimed at the man at the wheel and the other at Biddle. The
latter was hit on the chin and badly, though not dangerously, wounded,
while the man at the wheel was not struck. The men who fired the
treacherous shots were seen by two American marines, who shot them dead.
No doubt the action of the Englishmen was unauthorized, and probably was
due to a misunderstanding; but the Americans were so incensed that it
was difficult to restrain them from continuing the firing. The enemy
hailed a second time and called out they had surrendered.
The strength of the _Hornet_ was 20 guns and 132 men; of the _Penguin_,
19 guns and 128 men. The _Hornet_ had 1 man killed and 11 wounded; the
_Penguin_, 10 killed and 28 wounded. She was so badly shattered that,
after taking out her stores, her captors scuttled her.
In order to complete our history of the gallant Captain James Biddle it
is necessary to carry the record in advance of some of the incidents
that follow.
As has been stated, the _Peacock_ and the _Hornet_ had gone to Tristan
d'Acunha in obedience to the orders of Commodore Decatur, to wait for
him and the _President_, but the latter never arrived, for the good
reason that she had been captured by the enemy. Growing tired of
waiting, Biddle and Captain Warrington, of the _Peacock_, started on an
extended cruise, April 13, for the East Indies.
Doubling the Cape of Good Hope, they met with no incident of note until
the latter part of April, when they sighted a large sail, which they
believed to be a heavily laden East India merchantman. A chase
immediately began. It continued a long time, and the _Peacock_ was
within a few miles, when she made the discovery that the stranger,
instead of being a merchantman, was a ship of the line. Captain
Warrington signalled the startling fact to Biddle, and the two turned to
escape. Since the formidable vessel could not pursue both when they
took different directions, she selected the _Hornet_ for her prize.
All that Biddle could now hope to do was to out-sail his pursuer. He put
forth every effort known to the most skilful seamanship. When night
closed in, however, the pursuer had perceptibly gained. Since the
weather was perfectly clear and the two were in plain sight of each
other, the enemy could keep up the chase all night. Captain Biddle threw
overboard some of his heavy spars, cut away the sheet anchor and flung
several tons of kentledge into the sea.
This helped matters somewhat, but the stranger continued slowly to gain,
and secured such a position that Captain Biddle was obliged to go about.
Still he could not shake off the bulldog at his heels, and at daylight
he was near enough to begin barking with the bow guns. Although the shot
did not strike the _Hornet_, Captain Biddle dropped his remaining
anchors into the sea, including six guns, launch, cables, and everything
not absolutely necessary.
The lightening was so considerable that for the first time the _Hornet_
began drawing away from her persistent pursuer. At the end of a few
hours, however, he began creeping up again, and Captain Biddle tumbled
overboard all his guns except one, most of his shot, his extra spars,
cutlasses, muskets, forge and bell, and indeed everything of which he
could free himself. Not only that, but the men lay down on the quarter
deck to help trim the ship.
All in vain. The shot and shell whistled about the _Hornet_, the enemy
came closer, and every American prepared to submit as gracefully as
possible to the inevitable. Captain Biddle addressed his men feelingly,
telling them to show the same restraint in misfortune that they had in
victory, and then the gallant officer coolly awaited the moment when he
should be obliged to haul down his flag to save the lives of his brave
crew.
But lo! the wind changed to a quarter favorable to the _Hornet_, and it
lasted throughout the night and the next day. The _Hornet_ drew steadily
away from the British ship of the line _Cornwallis_, as she proved to
be, and made her way at a leisurely speed to the United States.