CHAPTER XXIII.

WAR OF 1812-CHIPPEWA-LUNDY'S LANE-FORT ERIE"DON'T GIVE UP THE SHIP"-SOME NAVAL EXPLOITS IN 1813.

HE arrival of large British fleets on the American

THE

in

blockading the ports, and the few noble ships of our little navy, which had made a brilliant record in 1812, were forced mainly to remain inactive during 1813 and 1814. Still the navy was not idle.

On the 4th of February, 1813, the sloop-of-war, Hornet, commanded by Captain James Lawrence, cap tured the British brig, Resolution, of ten guns, bearing a considerable quantity of specie. On the 24th of the same month Lawrence met the war brig, Peacock, of his own strength, and after a sharp, short battle, in which his loss was trifling, the British vessel was sunk, and her survivors with difficulty rescued by Americans.

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Soon after this event Lawrence was promoted to the command of the frigate, Chesapeake, and on 1st of June, with a mutinous and dissatisfied crew, sailed out of Boston Harbor to accept the challenge of Captain Brooke of the Shannon, one of the British blockading vessels. These vessels were about eq

ual

in force. But in a short and desperate conflict the Chesapeake was captured. Lawrence was himself mor

tally wounded, and when carried from the deck uttered the words which became a part of the naval history of the country, "Don't give up the ship." This brave officer died several days afterwards and was buried by the British at Halifax. Mr. Crowninshield of Boston not long subsequently caused the bodies of Lawrence and his lieutenant, Ludlow, to be brought to the United States.

The Chesapeake lost in killed 48, among whom were most of her officers, and 98 wounded, and the Shannon had 23 killed and 56 wounded. This unfavorable result to the Americans may have been reached through the drunken and mutinous condition of the Chesapeake's crew. At all events an apology for the loss of her and her daring commander was offered at the time, and is still maintained, chiefly on the ground mentioned above. But a drunken and mutinous crew should never have been taken into a contest which would have been equal only under the best circumstances.

On the 14th of August, Captain William H. Allen, of the Argus, with twenty guns, was chased by the British vessel, Pelican, of superior force, and after a severe engagement, Captain Allen and most of his officers having fallen, the American surrendered.

In the following month the American brig, Enterprise, captured the British brig, Boxer, of equal strength, but in this severe engagement William Burrows, the commander of the Enterprise, was mortally wounded.

Several American war frigates made valuable cruises this year, and these, with the privateers and other vessels, captured several hundred British craft of various kinds and of great value.

But the disasters of this year at sea, were partially compensated for, if that were possible, by several rich and successful voyages made by the Americans, the most wonderful of which was the cruise of Captain David Porter in the Essex on the Pacific Ocean. Some account of Porter's adventures and conduct may not be out of place here.

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Late in the fall of 1812, Porter left the Delaware with a view of joining Commodore Bainbridge off Cape Frio. Failing to find Bainbridge, and after a time having captured a British vessel having fifty or sixty thousand dollars in specie on board, he decided to venture around to the Pacific with the purpose preying upon British whaling vessels. Late in January, 1813, he cleared Cape Horn, and early in. March. reached Valparaiso. Here he was erroneously led to believe that a friendly feeling was entertained towards the United States. But Peru leaned strongly, he discovered, towards the British side. He was soon too busy to care for the political disposition of these small South American States. The Georgiana, a British whaler which he had captured, was converted into a war-vessel, and on her he put Downes, his own lieutenant, and sent him out to try his hand in carrying out the purpose in view, that is, breaking up the British fishing interests on the Pacific. Downes was subsequently transferred with his crew to a larger captured vessel, which Porter named the Essex Junior. Against the first day of October, he had gathered quite a fleet, and

substantially put an end to the British fisheries for the

way

of

time. He now began to reflect on the best
reaching home safely with his booty. This disposition
was increased by a change perceived in the friendly

inclinations of Chili, and in the fact of which he had become apprised, that British war-vessels had been sent out to arrest his career. He now determined to seek an unfrequented and secure bay among the Marquesas Islands, to repair his fleet for the homeward voyage. It was past the middle of October, before he entered the Bay of Novaheevah where he expected to remain concealed from the British foe. His first act was to take possession of the island bearing the name of the bay, in the name of the United States. Although this proceeding was little understood by the native savages, they soon had reasons enough for wishing that this bold American had never found his way to their beautiful island home. Up to this date he had met no obstruction in his way. He had made many captures, and ten thousand miles from home without a single, safe, friendly, or neutral port in which he could refit, or be secure from any odds brought against him, he had subsisted on the stores of his captured vessels. The daring character of the adventure and its wonderful success, with the very considerable tinge of romance which it was found to have embraced, rendered this one of the most remarkable cruises of modern times, and made it a theme of much boasting and admiration among his countrymen. But the side of misfortunes is yet to come, although even in disaster, America had no ground to lose admiration for the brave commander of the Essex. The men of Porter's fleet were not prepared for the scenes which awaited them at the Marquesas Islands. The one on which they landed, and which Porter saw fit to name Madison, after the President, they found peopled with an indolent but somewhat interesting race of savages,

supported mainly by the natural or spontaneous productions of their tropical home.

From among the unclad and swarthy women of the island, many of Porter's privateers took to themselves wives. Such as they were they got without persuasion or ceremony, as these dark, low-browed women of nature deemed themselves only too fortunate in being chosen before their sisters and companions, as objects of attention, by these gay and careless seamen.

Porter erected a fort, planted several guns, and built around him a few houses; and for some time carried on friendly relations with the adjacent people. But these people were engaged in a war with a neighboring tribe; and Porter was finally forced, as he believed to keep peace with those surrounding him and among whom his men had intermarried, so to speak, to join them in the war. This was mere play, for a dozen of his seamen, with guns in their hands, were equal to a whole island full of these stone and arrow throwers.

This job was hardly ended, when he found that the friendly tribe was turning against him. They were soon joined by their former foes, and finally to rid himself of annoyance Porter sallied out into the country with a great part of his crew, and not only killed a number of the unarmed savages, and put to flight thousands, but also burned and laid waste their beautiful breadfruit valleys. While this performance gained him the quiet he required, it added no laurels to the brave and generous sailor.

The British raised a great outcry about Porter's barbarities, but this demonstration was not in good taste or discreet, on their part, as they had done con