SUCCESSFUL NAVAL ACTIONS 327 Successful right. The war party in 1812 had come to realize this, and failing to get the new ships they wished they put the vessels we had in a proper state of service. Eight ships, four of them forty-fours, with an equal number of smaller vessels, was the strength of the navy. Most people thought that to send them against the mistress of the sea was but to throw them away; but many inward-bound merchant ships were on the ocean in need of protection. Five ships, commanded by Rodgers and Decatur, were in New York harbor when the official information of the declaration of war reached that place, and in an hour they were at sea searching for a British convoy known to be on the ocean. They sailed boldly across the Atlantic to the English coast, thence to the Madeiras, and then to Boston without adventure. The day before Rodgers arrived in Boston came, also, the Constitution, Captain Isaac Hull, nephew of the commander at Detroit, with thrilling news of victory. August 19 she met and defeated the British ship Guerrière, 38 guns, after a fight Naval of half an hour. The disabled ship could not be taken Duels. into port, and was fired and abandoned. She had been very active in impressments, and her destruction occasioned joy from one end of the coast to the other. Then followed a series of naval duels in which the Americans bore themselves with distinction. In October the Wasp captured the Frolic and started with her for an American port, but both ships were later taken by a larger enemy vessel. Shortly afterwards the United States took the Macedonian and carried her safely into Newport, while in December the Constitution defeated and burned the Java, 38 guns. February 24 the Hornet sunk the Peacock after an action of fifteen minutes. In all these affairs the American ship, except the Wasp, was stronger than her opponent; but the accurate fire and good seamanship of the Americans astonished the enemy and brought them to realize that their best efforts were demanded on this side the Atlantic. In America, also, the effect was marked. A wave of enthusiasm for the navy swept the country, and congress voted to build sixteen new ships of war. Defeat of the Chesa June 1, 1813, came a disaster which sadly checked the American ardor. Captain Lawrence, who commanded the Hornet against the Peacock, was now in charge of the Chesapeake, fitting in Boston, with orders to cruise off the mouth of the St. Lawrence in order to intercept supplies for the British in Canada. Blockading the harbor was the Shannon, Captain Broke, peake. with some smaller ships. He was anxious for a combat with the Chesapeake, sent in a challenge, and ordered his companion ship away so as to induce Lawrence to come out. The latter needed little urging. He was rashly brave, and the recent victories had made him overconfident. He had been in command only ten days, his best officers were ill and absent, and his crew were raw and sullen. The ships were nearly of equal size, but the Shannon was manned by a well-drilled crew who adored their commander. Lawrence had not received the Briton's challenge when he learned that only a frigate kept the blockade. He was not averse to action, and the opportunity to get to sea seemed too good to miss; so he boldly sailed out, and at six o'clock the action began at the outer edge of Massachusetts Bay. In sixteen minutes Lawrence was mortally wounded, and his ship had surrendered after a brave battle. The Chesapeake was carried to Halifax, where the body of her commander was given honorable burial by the victors. The remains were later reinterred in New York. Lawrence's utterance as he was carried below, "Don't give up the ship," was repeated far and wide, and the people forgot his rashness in admiration of his courage. The repeal of the Orders in Council by England led her to hope that the war might be avoided, but she would not give up impress Naval Suc cess Checked. ments, and the hope of adjustment vanished. It thus happened that it was not until the spring of 1813 that she gave her best strength to the task before her. At this time the blockade was made stringent, commercial ships were vigorously seized, and a strong naval force continued off the coast. Decatur, with the United States and Macedonian, trying to get to sea by way of Long Island Sound, was forced into New London harbor and bottled up for the rest of the war. In the spring of 1814 he was transferred to the President, blockaded.at New York. It was not until the following January that he was able to get out in a storm, the blockaders pursuing and forcing him to an unequal fight, in which he surrendered. Similar fates awaited most of the other ships in the navy. The Adams was burned in the Penobscot, 1814, to prevent capture by the enemy; the Argus was defeated by the Pelican off the coast of Wales in 1813; the Enterprise, the newly built Frolic, and the Essex were all taken before the close of the war. The Constellation and the Congress were also securely blockaded in American harbors. At the beginning of the war we had Growth of ten effective ships and seven smaller vessels ranked as brigs. So fast had the navy grown, spite of losses, that at the close of 1815 it contained seventeen ships, three of them new seventy-fours, nine brigs, thirteen schooners, and three sloops. War was hardly declared before American privateers were on the seas. Subscription lists posted at the merchants' coffeehouses Navy, 18121815. American invited all adventurous persons to share the expense and profit sure to come through despoiling Great Britain's rich maritime trade. In Massachusetts, New York, and Maryland the response was particularly generous. Three-fourths of the 492 licensed privateers were from these three states. Good sailing and the ability to get out of tight places were necessary qualities 329 WASHINGTON CAPTURED of a good privateer. Some of the captains displayed great boldness, attacking British privateers, and even small naval ships, with success. Half of the ships engaged in the field did not come up to these requirements and took no prizes, but those best fitted for the enterprise paid their owners handsome profits, while they enriched our naval history with some of its most thrilling exploits. In the war of 1812, 1344 prizes were thus taken from Great Britain, the last in which the United States have resorted to privateering. THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN ON CHESAPEAKE BAY Object of the Expedition. In the summer of 1814, as Prevost prepared his invasion of New York by Lake Champlain, a British fleet under Admiral Cochrane and a army of 4000 men under Major General Ross appeared in the Chesapeake to create a diversion for the benefit of the northern operations. The plan was to take the capital and to seize Baltimore, especially disliked for its part in privateering. Ross landed without opposition at Benedict, on the Patuxent, forty miles from Washington, and marched unopposed on the city. News of his movement had reached the president seven weeks earlier, and the militia were frantically called out. They came together slowly, commanded by General Winder, a man of little determination. Falling back before the advancing foe, he at last faced them at Bladensburg, five miles from the capital. His position was good, a hill commanding a bridge across the Patuxent, and he had sufficient artillery. His forces were between six and seven thousand, all raw militia except five hundred marines and sailors under Captain Barney, of the navy. They were just assembled, did not know their officers, and Winder had no influence over them. As the British approached the bridge they received the American artillery fire, but dashed across, formed, and advanced on the Americans. The militia delivered one or two fires, and fled pell-mell. Barney's men stood their ground, Taken. firing with steadiness until about to be surrounded, when they fled from a field on which they now had no support. The British on the evening of the same day, August 24, entered Washington Washington, from which president, officials, and many residents had fled. The capitol, president's house, and the executive offices were burned by the troops. Ross justified this piece of vandalism as retaliation for the destruction of the parliament building at Toronto in the preceding year. The Americans did not pretend to justify the outrages at Toronto, but asserted that it was the action of privates, whereas the torch was applied in Washington at the direction of the commanding general. As an act of retaliation Ross's course went far beyond the action alleged as its justification, and it was committed with such evident relish by him and his officers that it cannot be defended as soldierly conduct. Public Baltimore While Ross moved against Washington seven small vessels appeared before Alexandria, levied a contribution, and rejoined the main force as Ross, his work at Washington done, embarked his force and moved on Baltimore. September 11 he landed at North Point, twelve miles from the city, against which he advanced on a narrow neck of land between the Patapsco and an arm of the bay, saying he would winter in the city even if "it rained militia." Next morning he was mortally wounded in a skirmish, but his army continued to advance. The people of the city and state had collected to the number of 14,000, and earthworks were constructed to protect the place. The harbor was impeded by sunken hulks and defended by Fort McHenry, well garrisoned by regulars and sailors. While the army approached by land the navy under command of Admiral Cochrane began to shell the fort. After several hours' bombardment the admiral reported that he could not advance; and although the infantry had carried the American first line, they did not feel like charging the works before them, and it was decided to withdraw to the ships. The expedition dropped down the bay, and a month later sailed out the capes to take part in the expedition against Louisiana. The Value of Militia. The attack on Washington showed as clearly as the operations in Canada the weakness of untrained militia. It is still more evident that the disaster was due chiefly to the lack of intelligent general officers. But the campaign about to be conducted around New Orleans revealed the value of militia when well trained and well led. The destruction of the capResignation ital aroused great indignation against the administration, and Armstrong, secretary of war, resigned. He was chiefly responsible for the inertness in his department, although Madison and congress, it must be admitted, had given him slender Armstrong was succeeded by Monroe, who for nearly a year was head of the state and war departments. of Armstrong. resources. LOOKING TOWARD FLORIDA 331 Maine and Meanwhile, British troops had landed at various harbors in Massachusetts and Connecticut, burning such crafts as they found. A more serious demonstration was an expedition against the eastern coast of Maine. The country as far as the Attacks on Penobscot was seized after little resistance by the natives, Elsewhere. with the intention of holding it after peace was made, · in order to establish a safe route from Montreal to Halifax. it was given up in 1815, the inhabitants, it was said, regretted that they did not continue under British sway. THE WAR ON THE GULF COAST When It will be remembered that the war party hoped for an opportunity to acquire Florida. Spain was England's ally, her South and Central American colonies were revolting one after the other, The Desire at home she was struggling for existence against Napoleon: for Florida. what better opportunity could there be, thought the expansionists, to oust her from the part of the coast which destiny evidently meant us to occupy? Madison accepted the idea, and would have carried it out by invading Florida without other pretext than the Louisiana treaty, had not the senate restrained him. Spite of this, two important events happened on the Florida border, one of them resulting in increase of American territory. In 1810 the inhabitants of the part of West Florida nearest the Mississippi revolted against Spain, proclaimed themselves a state, seized the post at Baton Rouge, and asked for annexation Rouge to the United States. Madison by proclamation ordered Baton the governor of the territory of Lousiana to extend Acquired. authority over this district without coming into conflict. with any Spanish post. He asserted our right to West Florida by the Louisiana treaty and proposed to hold the region in question subject to future agreement with Spain. Thus our authority was extended to the Pearl river, beyond which was Mobile in undisturbed Spanish possession. The revolt of the Spanish colonies in South America was suggestive, and a plan was made for a similar movement in East Florida. When it was accomplished, the United States, it seems, was to step in and annex the territory, as at Baton Rouge. In Island. 1811 congress in a secret act authorized the president to take possession of Florida under certain conditions, and Madison appointed two commissioners who repaired to the Georgia frontier. Amelia Island, just within the Florida line, was the scene of much smuggling, which it was desirable to break up. Here occurred a weak attempt at a revolution, and American soldiers occupied the island, but the revolt had so little support from the inhabitants that Madison did not dare carry out the plans made for him. Amelia Island was held, however, until 1813. |