The name of a famous United States frigate that will always be memorable because of her interest-absorbing career.
In the spring of 1807 a small British squadron lay (as they had lately) in American waters, near the mouth of
Chesapeake Bay, watching some French frigates blockaded at
Annapolis.
Three of the crew of one of the British vessels,
Melampus, and one of another,
Halifax, had deserted, and enlisted on board the
Chesapeake, lying at the
Washington navy-yard.
The British minister made a formal demand for their surrender.
The United States government refused compliance, because it was ascertained that two of them (colored) were natives of the
United States, and there was strong presumptive evidence that the third one was, likewise.
The commodore of the British squadron took the matter into his own hands.
the
Chesapeake, going to sea on the morning of June 22, 1807, bearing the pennant of
Commodore Barron, was intercepted by the British frigate
Leopard, whose commander, hailing, informed the commodore that he had a despatch for him. A British boat bearing a lieutenant came alongside the
Chesapeake.
The officer was politely received by
Barron, in his cabin, when the former presented a demand from the captain of the
Leopard to allow the bearer to muster the crew of the
Chesapeake, that he might select and carry away the alleged deserters.
The demand was authorized by instructions received from
Vice-Admiral Berkeley, at
Halifax.
Barron refused compliance, the lieutenant withdrew, and the
Chesapeake moved on. the
Leopard followed, and her commander called out through his trumpet, “
Commodore Barron must be aware that the
vice-admiral's commands must be obeyed.”
This insolent announcement was repeated.
the
Chesapeake moved on, and the
Leopard sent two shots athwart her bow. These were followed by the remainder of the broadside, poured into the hull of the
Chesapeake.
Though
Barron, suspecting mischief, had hastily tried to prepare his ship for action, he was unable to return the shots, for his guns had no priming-powder.
After being severely injured by repeated broadsides, the
Chesapeake struck her colors.
The
vice-admiral's command was obeyed.
The crew of the
Chesapeake were mustered by British officers, and the deserters were carried away; one of them, who was a British subject, was hanged at
Halifax, and the lives of the
Americans were spared only on condition that they should re-enter the
British service.
This outrage caused fiery indignation throughout the
United States.
The President issued a proclamation, at the beginning of July, ordering all British armed vessels to leave the waters of the
United States, and forbidding any to enter until ample satisfaction should be given.
A British envoy extraordinary was sent to
Washington to settle the difficulty.
Instructed to do nothing until the
President's proclamation should be withdrawn, the matter was left open more than four years. In 1811 the
British government disavowed the act.
Barron, found guilty of neglect of duty in not being prepared for the attack, was suspended from the service for five years, without pay or emolument.
While the
Hornet,
Captain Lawrence, was on her homeward-bound voyage with her large number of prisoners, the
Chesapeake was out on a long cruise to the
Cape de Verde Islands, and the coast of
South America.
She accomplished nothing except the capture of four British merchant vessels; and as she entered
Boston Harbor, in the spring of 1813, in a gale, her topmast was carried away, and with it several men who were aloft, three of whom were drowned.
Among the superstitious sailors she acquired the character of an “unlucky” ship, and they were loath to embark in her.
Evans was compelled to leave her on account of the loss of the sight of one of his eyes; and
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Lawrence, who had been promoted to captain for his bravery, was put in command of her, with the
Hornet,
Captain Biddle, as her consort.
At the close of May the British frigate
Shannon, thirty-eight guns,
Capt. Philip  |
|
The Shannon and Chesapeake entering the Harbor of Halifax. |
Bowes Vere Broke, appeared off
Boston Harbor, in the attitude of a challenger.
She then carried fifty-two guns.
He wrote to
Lawrence, requesting the
Chesapeake to meet the
Shannon, “ship to ship, to try the fortunes of their respective flags.”
He assured
Lawrence that the
Chesapeake could not leave
Boston without the risk of being “crushed by the superior force of the British squadron,” then abroad, and proposed that they should meet in single combat, without the interference of other vessels.
Lawrence accepted the challenge, and, with
Lieut. Augustus Ludlow as second in command, he sailed out of
Boston Harbor to meet the
Shannon, at mid-day, June 1, 1813.
The same evening, between five and six o'clock, they engaged in a close conflict.
After fighting twelve minutes, the
Shannon so injured the spars and rigging of the
Chesapeake that she became unmanageable.
This misfortune occurred at the moment when the latter was about to take the wind out of the sails of her antagonist, shoot ahead, lay across her bow, rake her, and probably secure a victory.
Her mizzen rigging was entangled in the fore-chains of the
Shannon, in which position the decks of the
Chesapeake were swept with terrible effect by the balls of her antagonist.
Lawrence ordered his boarders to be called up. There was some delay, when a musket-ball mortally wounded the gallant young commander, and he was carried below.
As he left the deck he said, “Tell the men to fire faster, and not to give up the ship; fight her till she sinks.”
These words of the dying hero slightly paraphrased to “Don't give up the ship,” became the battle-cry of the
Americans, and the formula of an encouraging maxim in morals for those who are struggling in life's contests.
Broke's boarders now swarmed upon the deck of the
Chesapeake, and
Lieutenant Ludlow, the second in command, was mortally wounded by a sabre cut. After
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a severe struggle, in which the
Americans lost, in killed and wounded, 146 men, vietory remained with the
Shannon.
The
British lost eighty-four men. Broke sailed immediately for
Halifax with his prize, and the day before his arrival there (June 7)
Lawrence expired, wrapped in the flag of the
Chesapeake.
England rang with shouts of exultation because of this victory.
An American writer remarked: “Never did any victory —not even of
Wellington in
Spain, nor those of
Nelson—call forth such expressions of joy on the part of the
British” ; a proof that our naval character had risen in their estimation.
Lawrence fought under great disadvantages.
He had been
Chesney, in command of the ship only about ten days, and was unacquainted with the abilities of her officers and men; some of the former were sick or absent.
His crew were almost mutinous because of disputes concerning prize-money, and many of them had only recently enlisted; besides, the feeling among the sailors that she was an “unlucky” ship was disheartening.
The remains of
Lawrence and
Ludlow were conveyed to
Salem, Mass., where funeral honors were paid to them on Aug. 23.
Early in September they were conveyed to New York, and were deposited (Sept. 16) in Trinity church-yard.
The corporation of the
city of New York erected a marble monument to
Lawrence, which becoming dilapidated, the vestry of Trinity Church erected a handsome mausoleum of brown freestone (1847), neat the southeast corner of Trinity Church, close by
Broadway, in commemoration of both
Lawrence and
Ludlow, and eight trophy cannon were placed around it.
Captain Lawrence's coat, chapeau, and sword are now in possession of the New Jersey Historical Society.
The freedom of the city of
London and a sword were given to
Captain Broke by the corporation; the
Prince Regent knighted him; and the inhabitants of his native county (
Suffolk) presented him with a gorgeous piece of silver as a testimonial of their sense of his eminent services.
the
Chesapeake was taken to
England and sold to the government for about $66,000, and in 1814 was put in commission.
In 1820 she was sold to a private gentleman for a very small sum, who broke her up and sold her timbers for building purposes, much of it for making houses in
Portsmouth, and a considerable portion for the erection of a mill at
Wickham, 9 miles from
Portsmouth.
