A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Z

The Naval War of 1812

T >> Theodore Roosevelt >> The Naval War of 1812




During this year the blockade of the American coast was kept up
with ever increasing rigor. The British frigates hovered like hawks
off every seaport that was known to harbor any fighting craft; they
almost invariably went in couples, to support one another and to
lighten, as far as was possible, the severity of their work. On the
northern coasts in particular, the intense cold of the furious winter
gales rendered it no easy task to keep the assigned stations; the
ropes were turned into stiff and brittle bars, the hulls were coated
with ice, and many, both of men and officers, were frost-bitten and
crippled. But no stress of weather could long keep the stubborn and
hardy British from their posts. With ceaseless vigilance they traversed
continually the allotted cruising grounds, capturing the privateers,
harrying the coasters, and keeping the more powerful ships confined
to port; "no American frigate could proceed singly to sea without
imminent risk of being crushed by the superior force of the numerous
British squadrons." [Footnote: Captain Broke's letter of challenge
to Captain Lawrence.] But the sloops of war, commanded by officers
as skillful as they were daring, and manned by as hardy seamen as
ever sailed salt water, could often slip out; generally on some dark
night, when a heavy gale was blowing, they would make the attempt,
under storm canvas, and with almost invariable success. The harder
the weather, the better was their chance; once clear of the coast
the greatest danger ceased, though throughout the cruise the most
untiring vigilance was needed. The new sloops that I have mentioned
as being built proved themselves the best possible vessels for this
kind of work; they were fast enough to escape from most cruisers of
superior force, and were overmatches for any British flush-decked
ship, that is, for any thing below the rank of the frigate-built
corvettes of the _Cyane's_ class. The danger of recapture was too
great to permit of the prizes being sent in, so they were generally
destroyed as soon as captured; and as the cruising grounds were chosen
right in the track of commerce, the damage done and consternation
caused were very great.

Besides the numerous frigates cruising along the coast in couples
or small squadrons, there were two or three places that were blockaded
by a heavier force. One of these was New London, before which cruised
a squadron under the direction of Sir Thomas Hardy, in the 74 gun-ship
_Ramillies_. Most of the other cruising squadrons off the coast contained
razees or two-deckers. The boats of the _Hogue_, 74, took part in
the destruction of some coasters and fishing-boats at Pettipauge in
April; and those of the _Superb_, 74, shared in a similar expedition
against Wareham in June. [Footnote: James, vi. 474.] The command on
the coast of North America was now given to Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander
Cochrane. The main British force continued to lie in the Chesapeake,
where about 50 sail were collected. During the first part of this
year these were under the command of Sir Robert Barrie, but in May
he was relieved by Rear-Admiral Cockburn.[Footnote: James, vi, 437.]

The _President_, 44, Commodore Rodgers, at the beginning of 1814
was still out, cruising among the Barbadoes and West Indies, only
making a few prizes of not much value. She then turned toward the
American coast, striking soundings near St. Augustine, and thence
proceeding north along the coast to Sandy Hook, which was reached
on Feb. 18th. The light was passed in the night, and shortly afterward
several sail were made out, when the _President_ was at once cleared
for action. [Footnote: Letter of Commodore Rodgers, Feb. 20, 1814.]
One of these strange sail was the _Loire_, 38 (British), Capt. Thomas
Brown, which ran down to close the _President_, unaware of her force;
but on discovering her to be a 44, hauled to the wind and made off.
[Footnote: James, vi, 412.] The _President_ did not pursue, another
frigate and a gunbrig being in sight. [Footnote: "Naval Monument,"
p. 235.] This rencontre gave rise to nonsensical boastings on both
sides; one American writer calls the _Loire_ the _Plantagenet_, 74;
James, on the other hand, states that the _President_ was afraid to
engage the 38-gun frigate, and that the only reason the latter declined
the combat was because she was short of men. The best answer to this
is a quotation from his own work (vol. vi, p. 402), that "the admiralty
had issued an order that no 18-pounder frigate was voluntarily to
engage one of the 24-pounder frigates of America." Coupling this
order with the results of the combats that had already taken place
between frigates of these classes, it can always be safely set down
as sheer bravado when any talk is made of an American 44 refusing
to give battle to a British 38; and it is even more absurd to say
that a British line-of-battle ship would hesitate for a minute about
engaging _any_ frigate.

On Jan. 1st, the _Constitution_, which had been lying in Boston harbor
undergoing complete repairs, put out to sea under the command of
Capt. Charles Stewart. The British 38-gun frigate _Nymphe_ had been
lying before the port, but she disappeared long before the
_Constitution_ was in condition, in obedience to the order already
mentioned. Capt. Stewart ran down toward the Barbadoes, and on the
14th of February captured and destroyed the British 14-gun schooner
_Pictou_, with a crew of 75 men. After making a few other prizes
and reaching the coast of Guiana she turned homeward, and on the
23d of the same month fell in, at the entrance to the Mona passage,
with the British 36-gun frigate _Pique_ (late French _Pallas_), Captain
Maitland. The _Constitution_ at once made sail for the _Pique_, steering
free; [Footnote: Letter of Capt. Stewart, April 8, 1814.] the latter
at first hauled to the wind and waited for her antagonist, but when
the latter was still 3 miles distant she made out her force and
immediately made all sail to escape; the _Constitution_, however,
gained steadily till 8 P.M., when the night and thick squally weather
caused her to lose sight of the chase. Captain Maitland had on board
the prohibitory order issued by the admiralty, [Footnote: James,
vi, 477.] and acted correctly. His ship was altogether too light
for his antagonist. James, however, is not satisfied with this, and
wishes to prove that _both_ ships were desirous of avoiding the combat.
He says that Capt. Stewart came near enough to count "13 ports and
a bridle on the _Pique's_ main-deck," and "saw at once that she was
of a class inferior to the _Guerrière_ or _Java_," but "thought the
_Pique's_ 18's were 24's, and therefore did not make an effort to
bring her to action." He portrays very picturesquely the grief of
the _Pique's_ crew when they find they are not going to engage; how
they come aft and request to be taken into action; how Captain Maitland
reads them his instructions, but "fails to persuade them that there
had been any necessity of issuing them"; and, finally, how the sailors,
overcome by woe and indignation, refuse to take their supper-time
grog,--which was certainly remarkable. As the _Constitution_ had
twice captured British frigates "with impunity," according to James
himself, is it likely that she would now shrink from an encounter
with a ship which she "saw at once was of an inferior class" to those
already conquered? Even such abject cowards as James' Americans would
not be guilty of so stupid an action. Of course neither Capt. Stewart
nor any one else supposed for an instant that a 36-gun frigate was
armed with 24-pounders.

It is worth while mentioning as an instance of how utterly untrustworthy
James is in dealing with American affairs, that he says (p. 476)
the _Constitution_ had now "what the Americans would call a bad crew,"
whereas, in her previous battles, all her men had been "picked."
Curiously enough, this is the exact reverse of the truth. In no case
was an American ship manned with a "picked" crew, but the nearest
approach to such was the crew the _Constitution_ carried in this
and the next cruise, when "she probably possessed as fine a crew
as ever manned a frigate. They were principally New England men,
and it has been said of them that they were almost qualified to fight
the ship without her officers." [Footnote: Cooper, ii, 463.] The
statement that such men, commanded by one of the bravest and most
skilful captains of our navy, would shrink from attacking a greatly
inferior foe, is hardly worth while denying; and, fortunately, such
denial is needless, Captain Stewart's account being fully corroborated
in the "Memoir of Admiral Durham," written by his nephew, Captain
Murray, London, 1846.

The _Constitution_ arrived off the port of Marblehead on April 3d,
and at 7 A.M. fell in with the two British 38-gun frigates _Junon_,
Captain Upton, and _Tenedos_, Captain Parker. "The American frigate
was standing to the westward with the wind about north by west and
bore from the two British frigates about northwest by west. The
_Junon_ and _Tenedos_ quickly hauled up in chase, and the _Constitution_
crowded sail in the direction of Marblehead. At 9.30, finding the
_Tenedos_ rather gaining upon her, the _Constitution_ started her
water and threw overboard a quantity of provisions and other articles.
At 11.30 she hoisted her colors, and the two British frigates, who
were now dropping slowly in the chase, did the same. At 1.30 P.M.
the _Constitution_ anchored in the harbor of Marblehead. Captain
Parker was anxious to follow her into the port, which had no defences;
but the _Tenedos_ was recalled by a signal from the _Junon_."
[Footnote: James, vi, 479.] Shortly afterward the _Constitution_
again put out, and reached Boston unmolested.

On Jan. 29, 1814, the small U.S. coasting schooner _Alligator_, of
4 guns and 40 men, Sailing-master R. Basset, was lying at anchor
in the mouth of Stone River, S. C., when a frigate and a brig were
perceived close inshore near the breakers. Judging from their motions
that they would attempt to cut him out when it was dark, Mr. Basset
made his preparations accordingly. [Footnote: Letter of Sailing-master
Basset, Jan. 31, 1814.] At half-past seven six boats were observed
approaching cautiously under cover of the marsh, with muffled oars;
on being hailed they cheered and opened with boat carronades and
musketry, coming on at full speed; whereupon the _Alligator_ cut
her cable and made sail, the wind being light from the southwest;
while the crew opened such a heavy fire on the assailants, who were
then not thirty yards off, that they stopped the advance and fell
astern. At this moment the _Alligator_ grounded, but the enemy had
suffered so severely that they made no attempt to renew the attack,
rowing off down stream. On board the _Alligator_ two men were killed
and two wounded, including the pilot, who was struck down by a
grape-shot while standing at the helm; and her sails and rigging
were much cut. The extent of the enemy's loss was never known; next
day one of his cutters was picked up at North Edisto, much injured
and containing the bodies of an officer and a seaman. [Footnote:
Letter from Commander J. H. Dent, Feb. 21, 1814.] For his skill and
gallantry Mr. Basset was promoted to a lieutenancy, and for a time
his exploit put a complete stop to the cutting-out expeditions along
that part of the coast. The _Alligator_ herself sank in a squall on
July 1st, but was afterward raised and refitted.

It is much to be regretted that it is almost impossible to get at
the British account of any of these expeditions which ended
successfully for the Americans; all such cases are generally ignored
by the British historians; so that I am obliged to rely solely upon
the accounts of the victors, who, with the best intentions in the
world, could hardly be perfectly accurate.

At the close of 1813 Captain Porter was still cruising in the Pacific.

Early in January the _Essex_, now with 255 men aboard, made the South
American coast, and on the 12th of that month anchored in the harbor
of Valparaiso. She had in company a prize, re-christened the _Essex
Junior_, with a crew of 60 men, and 20 guns, 10 long sixes and 10
eighteen-pound carronades. Of course she could not be used in a combat
with regular cruisers.

On Feb. 8th, the British frigate _Phoebe_, 36, Captain James Hilyar,
accompanied by the _Cherub_, 18, Captain Thomas Tudor Tucker, the
former carrying 300 and the latter 140 men, [Footnote: They afterward
took on board enough men from British merchant-vessels to raise their
complements respectively to 320 and 180.] made their appearance,
and apparently proposed to take the _Essex_ by a _coup de main_.
They hauled into the harbor on a wind, the _Cherub_ falling to leeward;
while the _Phoebe_ made the port quarter of the _Essex_, and then,
putting her helm down, luffed up on her starboard bow, but 10 or
15 feet distant. Porter's crew were all at quarters, the powder-boys
with slow matches ready to discharge the guns, the boarders standing
by, cutlass in hand, to board in the smoke; every thing was cleared
for action on both frigates. Captain Hilyar now probably saw that
there was no chance of carrying the _Essex_ by surprise, and, standing
on the after-gun, he inquired after Captain Porter's health; the
latter returned the inquiry, but warned Hilyar not to fall foul.
The British captain then braced back his yards, remarking that if
he did fall aboard it would be purely accidental. "Well," said
Porter, "you have no business where you are; if you touch a rope-yarn
of this ship I shall board instantly." [Footnote: "Life of Farragut,"
p. 33.] The _Phoebe_, in her then position, was completely at the
mercy of the American ships, and Hilyar, greatly agitated, assured
Porter that he meant nothing hostile; and the _Phoebe_ backed down,
her yards passing over those of the _Essex_ without touching a rope,
and anchored half a mile astern. Shortly afterward the two captains
met on shore, when Hilyar thanked Porter for his behavior, and, on
his inquiry, assured him that after thus owing his safety to the
latter's forbearance, Porter need be under no apprehension as to
his breaking the neutrality.

[Illustration: The _Essex_: a watercolor by Joseph Howard of Salem,
circa 1801. (Courtesy Peabody Museum of Salem)]

The British ships now began a blockade of the port. On Feb. 27th,
the _Phoebe_ being hove to close off the port, and the _Cherub_ a
league to leeward, the former fired a weather-gun; the _Essex_
interpreting this as a challenge, took the crew of the _Essex Junior_
aboard and went out to attack the British frigate. But the latter did
not await the combat; she bore up, set her studding-sails, and ran
down to the _Cherub_. The American officers were intensely irritated
over this, and American writers have sneered much at "a British 36
refusing combat with an American 32." But the armaments of the two
frigates were so wholly dissimilar that it is hard to make comparison.
When the fight really took place, the Essex was so crippled and the
water so smooth that the British ships fought at their own distance;
and as they had long guns to oppose to Porter's carronades, this
really made the _Cherub_ more nearly suited to contend with the _Essex_
than the latter was to fight the _Phoebe_. But when the _Essex_ in
fairly heavy weather, with the crew of the _Essex Junior_ aboard,
was to windward, the circumstances were very different; she carried
as many men and guns as the _Phoebe_, and in close combat, or in
a hand-to-hand struggle, could probably have taken her. Still, Hilyar's
conduct in avoiding Porter except when the _Cherub_ was in company
was certainly over-cautious, and very difficult to explain in a man
of his tried courage.

On March 27th Porter decided to run out of the harbor on the first
opportunity, so as to draw away his two antagonists in chase, and
let the _Essex Junior_ escape. This plan had to be tried sooner than
was expected. The two vessels were always ready, the _Essex_ only
having her proper complement of 255 men aboard. On the next day,
the 28th, it came on to blow from the south, when the _Essex_ parted
her port cable and dragged the starboard anchor to leeward, so she
got under way, and made sail; by several trials it had been found
that she was faster than the _Phoebe_, and that the _Cherub_ was
very slow indeed, so Porter had little anxiety about his own ship,
only fearing for his consort. The British vessels were close in with
the weather-most point of the bay, but Porter thought he could weather
them, and hauled up for that purpose. Just as he was rounding the
outermost point, which, if accomplished, would have secured his safety,
a heavy squall struck the _Essex_, and when she was nearly gunwale
under, the main-top-mast went by the board. She now wore and stood
in for the harbor, but the wind had shifted, and on account of her
crippled condition she could not gain it; so she bore up and anchored
in a small bay, three miles from Valparaiso, and half a mile from
a detached Chilian battery of one gun, the _Essex_ being within
pistol-shot of the shore. [Footnote: Letter of Captain David Porter,
July 3, 1814.] The _Phoebe_ and _Cherub_ now bore down upon her,
covered with ensigns, union-jacks, and motto flags; and it became
evident that Hilyar did not intend to keep his word, as soon as he
saw that Porter was disabled. So the _Essex_ prepared for action,
though there could be no chance whatever of success. Her flags were
flying from every mast, and every thing was made ready as far as
was possible. The attack was made before springs could be got on
her cables. She was anchored so near the shore as to preclude the
possibility of Captain Hilyar's passing ahead of her; [Footnote:
Letter of Captain James Hilyar, March 30, 1814.] so his two ships
came cautiously down, the _Cherub_ taking her position on the
starboard bow of the _Essex_, and the _Phoebe_ under the latter's
stern. The attack began at 4 P.M. [Footnote: Mean time. Porter says
3.45; Hilyar, a few minutes past 4. The former says the first attack
lasted half an hour; the latter, but 10 minutes. I accordingly make
it 20.] Some of the bow-guns of the American frigate bore upon the
_Cherub_, and, as soon as she found this out, the sloop ran down
and stationed herself near the _Phoebe_. The latter had opened with
her broadside of long 18's, from a position in which not one of
Porter's guns could reach her. Three times springs were got on the
cables of the _Essex_, in order to bring her round till her broadside
bore; but in each instance they were shot away, as soon as they were
hauled taut. Three long 12's were got out of the stern-ports, and
with these an animated fire was kept up on the two British ships,
the aim being especially to cripple their rigging. A good many of
Porter's crew were killed during the first five minutes, before he
could bring any guns to bear; but afterward he did not suffer much,
and at 4.20, after a quarter of an hour's fight between the three
long 12's of the _Essex_, and the whole 36 broadside guns of the
_Phoebe_ and _Cherub_, the latter were actually driven off. They
wore, and again began with their long guns; but, these producing
no visible effect, both of the British ships hauled out of the fight
at 4.30. "Having lost the use of main-sail, jib, and main-stay,
appearances looked a little inauspicious," writes Captain Hilyar.
But the damages were soon repaired, and his two ships stood back
for the crippled foe. Both stationed themselves on her port-quarter,
the _Phoebe_ at anchor, with a spring, firing her broadside, while
the _Cherub_ kept under way, using her long bow-chasers. Their fire
was very destructive, for they were out of reach of the _Essex's_
carronades, and not one of her long guns could be brought to bear
on them. Porter now cut his cable, at 5.20, and tried to close with
his antagonists. After many ineffectual efforts sail was made. The
flying-jib halyards were the only serviceable ropes uncut. That sail
was hoisted, and the foretop-sail and fore-sail let fall, though the
want of sheets and tacks rendered them almost useless. Still the
_Essex_ drove down on her assailants, and for the first time got
near enough to use her carronades; for a minute or two the firing
was tremendous, but after the first broadside the _Cherub_ hauled
out of the fight in great haste, and during the remainder of the
action confined herself to using her bow-guns from a distance.
Immediately afterward the _Phoebe_ also edged off, and by her
superiority of sailing, her foe being now almost helpless, was enabled
to choose her own distance, and again opened from her long 18's,
out of range of Porter's carronades. [Footnote: American writers
often sneer at Hilyar for keeping away from the _Essex_, and out
of reach of her short guns; but his conduct was eminently proper
in this respect. It was no part of his duty to fight the _Essex_
at the distance which best suited her; but, on the contrary, at
that which least suited her. He, of course, wished to win the victory
with the least possible loss to himself, and acted accordingly. His
conduct in the action itself could not be improved upon.] The carnage
on board the _Essex_ had now made her decks look like shambles. One
gun was manned three times, fifteen men being slam at it; its captain
alone escaped without a wound. There were but one or two instances
of flinching; the wounded, many of whom were killed by flying splinters
while under the hands of the doctors, cheered on their comrades,
and themselves worked at the guns like fiends as long as they could
stand. At one of the bow-guns was stationed a young Scotchman, named
Bissly, who had one leg shot off close by the groin. Using his
handkerchief as a tourniquet, he said, turning to his American
shipmates: "I left my own country and adopted the United States,
to fight for her. I hope I have this day proved myself worthy of
the country of my adoption. I am no longer of any use to you or to
her, so good-by!" With these words he leaned on the sill of the port,
and threw himself overboard. [Footnote: This and most of the other
anecdotes are taken from the invaluable "Life of Farragut," pp. 37-46.]
Among the very few men who flinched was one named William Roach;
Porter sent one of his midshipmen to shoot him, but he was not to
be found. He was discovered by a man named William Call, whose leg
had been shot off and was hanging by the skin, and who dragged the
shattered stump all round the bag-house, pistol in hand, trying to
get a shot at him. Lieut. J. G. Cowell had his leg shot off above
the knee, and his life might have been saved had it been amputated
at once; but the surgeons already had rows of wounded men waiting
for them, and when it was proposed to him that he should be attended
to out of order, he replied: "No, doctor, none of that; fair play's
a jewel. One man's life is as dear as another's; I would not cheat
any poor fellow out of his turn." So he stayed at his post, and
died from loss of blood.

[Illustration: Captain David Porter: an unattributed early-19th-century
portrait. (Courtesy U.S. Naval Academy Museum)]

Finding it hopeless to try to close, the _Essex_ stood for the land,
Porter intending to run her ashore and burn her. But when she had
drifted close to the bluffs the wind suddenly shifted, took her flat
aback and paid her head off shore, exposing her to a raking fire. At
this moment Lieutenant Downes, commanding the _Junior_, pulled out
in a boat, through all the fire, to see if he could do any thing.
Three of the men with him, including an old boatswain's mate, named
Kingsbury, had come out expressly "to share the fate of their old
ship"; so they remained aboard, and, in their places, Lieutenant
Downes took some of the wounded ashore, while the Cherub kept up a
tremendous fire upon him. The shift of the wind gave Porter a faint
hope of closing; and once more the riddled hulk of the little American
frigate was headed for her foes. But Hilyar put his helm up to avoid
close quarters; the battle was his already, and the cool old captain
was too good an officer to leave any thing to chance. Seeing he
could not close, Porter had a hawser bent on the sheet-anchor and
let go. This brought the ship's head round, keeping her stationary;
and from such of her guns as were not dismounted and had men enough
left to man them, a broadside was fired at the _Phoebe_. The wind
was now very light, and the _Phoebe_, whose main- and mizzen-masts
and main-yard were rather seriously wounded, and who had suffered
a great loss of canvas and cordage aloft, besides receiving a number
of shot between wind and water, [Footnote: Captain Hilyar's letter.
James says the _Phoebe_ had 7 shot between wind and water, and one
below the water-line. Porter says she had 18 12-pound shot below
the water-line. The latter statement must have been an exaggeration;
and James is probably farther wrong still] and was thus a good deal
crippled, began to drift slowly to leeward. It was hoped that she
would drift out of gun-shot, but this last chance was lost by the
parting of the hawser, which left the _Essex_ at the mercy of the
British vessels. Their fire was deliberate and destructive, and could
only be occasionally replied to by a shot from one of the long 12's
of the _Essex_. The ship caught fire, and the flames came bursting
up the hatchway, and a quantity of powder exploded below. Many of
the crew were knocked overboard by shot, and drowned; others leaped
into the water, thinking the ship was about to blow up, and tried
to swim to the land. Some succeeded; among them was one man who had
sixteen or eighteen pieces of iron in his leg, scales from the muzzle
of his gun. The frigate had been shattered to pieces above the
water-line, although from the smoothness of the sea she was not harmed
enough below it to reduce her to a sinking condition. [Footnote:
An exactly analogous case to that of the British sloop _Reindeer_.]
The carpenter reported that he alone of his crew was fit for duty;
the others were dead or disabled. Lieutenant Wilmer was knocked
overboard by a splinter, and drowned; his little negro boy, "Ruff,"
came up on deck, and, hearing of the disaster, deliberately leaped
into the sea and shared his master's fate. Lieutenant Odenheimer
was also knocked overboard, but afterward regained the ship. A shot,
glancing upward, killed four of the men who were standing by a gun,
striking the last one in the head and scattering his brains over
his comrades. The only commissioned officer left on duty was Lieutenant
Decatur McKnight. The sailing-master, Barnwell, when terribly wounded,
remained at his post till he fainted from loss of blood. Of the 255
men aboard the _Essex_ when the battle began, 58 had been killed,
66 wounded, and 31 drowned ("missing"), while 24 had succeeded in
reaching shore. But 76 men were left unwounded, and many of these
had been bruised or otherwise injured. Porter himself was knocked
down by the windage of a passing shot. While the young midshipman,
Farragut, was on the ward-room ladder, going below for gun-primers,
the captain of the gun directly opposite the hatchway was struck
full in the face by an 18-pound shot, and tumbled back on him. They
fell down the hatch together, Farragut being stunned for some minutes.
Later, while standing by the man at the wheel, an old quartermaster
named Francis Bland, a shot coming over the fore-yard took off the
quartermaster's right leg, carrying away at the same time one of
Farragut's coat tails. The old fellow was helped below, but he died
for lack of a tourniquet, before he could be attended to.

Copyright (c) 2007. famouswriterz.com. All rights reserved.