The Medallic History of the United States of America 1776-1876 Part 52

"_Wednesday, December 30th, 1812_ (nautical time) in lat.i.tude 13 degrees, 6 minutes South, and longitude 39 West, ten leagues from the coast of Brazil, commences with clear weather and moderate breezes from east north-east, hoisted our ensign and pendant. At 15 minutes past meridian, the s.h.i.+p hoisted her colours, an English ensign having a signal flying at her main, red, yellow and red. At 1.26 P.M. being sufficiently from the land, and finding the s.h.i.+p to be an English frigate, took in the main-sail and royals, tacked s.h.i.+p and stood for the enemy. At 1.50 P.M. the enemy bore down with the intention of raking us, which we avoided by wearing. At 2 P.M. the enemy being within half a mile of us, and to windward, and having hauled down his colours, except an Union Jack at the mizzen-mast head, induced me to give orders to the officers of the 3d division to fire one gun ahead of the enemy to make him show his colours, which being done, brought on a fire from us of the whole broadside, on which the enemy hoisted his colours and immediately returned our fire. A general action with round and grape then commenced, the enemy keeping at a (p. 169) much greater distance than I wished, but could not bring him to closer action without exposing ourselves to several rakes.

Considerable manoeuvres were made by both vessels to rake and avoid being raked. The following minutes were taken during the action:

"At 2.10 P.M. commenced the action within good grape and canister distance, the enemy to windward, but much further than I wished.

At 2.30 our wheel was shot entirely away; 2.40, determined to close with the enemy, notwithstanding his raking, set the fore and main-sail and luffed up close to him; 2.50, the enemy's jib-boom got foul of our mizzen rigging; 3, the head of the enemy's bowsprit and jib-boom shot away by us; 3.5, shot away the enemy's foremast by the board; 3.15, shot away his main-top-mast just above the cap; 3.40, shot away gaff and spanker boom; 3.55, shot away his mizzenmast nearly by the board; 4.5, having silenced the fire of the enemy completely, and his colours in main rigging being down, supposed he had struck, then hauled aboard the courses to shoot ahead to repair our rigging, which was extremely cut, leaving the enemy a complete wreck. Soon after discovered the enemy's flag was still flying; hove to, to repair some of our damage; 4.20, the enemy's main-mast went nearly by the board; 4.50, wore s.h.i.+p and stood for the enemy; 5.25, got very close to the enemy in a very effectual _raking position_, athwart his bows, and was at the very instant of raking him, when he most prudently struck his flag, for had he suffered the broadside to have raked him, his additional loss must have been extremely great, as he laid an unmanageable wreck upon the water.

"After the enemy had struck, wore s.h.i.+p and reefed the topsails, then hoisted out one of the only two remaining boats we had left out of eight, and sent Lieutenant Parker, 1st of the Const.i.tution, to take possession of the enemy, which proved to be His Britannic Majesty's frigate Java, rated 38 but carried 49 guns, and manned with upwards of 400 men, commanded by Captain Lambert, a very distinguished officer, who was mortally wounded.

The action continued, from the commencement to the end of the fire, one hour and fifty-five minutes. The Const.i.tution had 9 killed and 25 wounded. The enemy had 60 killed and 101 certainly wounded, but by a letter written on board the Const.i.tution, by one of the officers of the Java, and accidentally found, it is evident the enemy's wounded must have been considerably greater than as above stated, and who must have died of their wounds previously to their being removed. The letter states 60 killed and 170 wounded. The Java had her own complement of men complete, and upwards of one hundred supernumeraries, going to join the British s.h.i.+ps-of-war in the East Indies; also several officers, pa.s.sengers, going out on promotion. The force of the enemy in number of men, at the commencement of the action, was no doubt considerably greater than we have been able to ascertain, which is upwards of 400 men. The officers were extremely cautious in discovering the number. By her quarter bill she had one man more stationed at each gun than we had.

"The Const.i.tution was very much cut in her sails and rigging, and many of her spars injured. At 7 P.M. the boat returned with Lieutenant Chads, the first lieutenant of the enemy's frigate, and Lieutenant-General Hyslop (appointed governor of Bombay), Major Walker and Captain Wood, belonging to his staff. Captain Lambert, of the Java, was too dangerously wounded to be (p. 170) removed immediately. The cutter returned on board the prize for the prisoners, and brought Captain Marshall, master and commander of the British navy, who was pa.s.senger on board, as also several other naval officers, destined for s.h.i.+ps in the East Indies.

"The Java was an important s.h.i.+p, fitted out in the completest manner, to carry Lieutenant-General Hyslop and staff to Bombay, and several naval officers for different s.h.i.+ps in the East Indies; and had despatches for St. Helena, Cape of Good Hope, and every British establishment in the India and China seas. She had on board copper for a 74 and two brigs building at Bombay, and I expect a great many other valuables; but everything was blown up in her except the officers' baggage, when we set her on fire at 3 P.M., on the 1st of January, 1813 (nautical time)."

[Copy.]

_H. D. Corneck to Lieutenant Wood._

Prisoner on board the American frigate Const.i.tution.

To LIEUTENANT PETER V. WOOD, 22d Regiment of Foot, St. Salvador, Brazils, January 1st, 1813.

Isle of France or Bourbon, East Indies.

My dear Sir: I am sorry to inform you of the unpleasant news of Mr. Gascoigne's death. Mr. Gascoigne and myself were s.h.i.+pmates in Marlboro', and first came to sea together. He was shot in the early part of the action by a round shot in his right thigh, and died a few minutes after; four others of his messmates shared the same fate, together with 60 men killed and 170 wounded. The official account you no doubt heard of before this reaches you. I beg you will let all his friends and relations hear of his untimely fate. We were on board the Java frigate for a pa.s.sage to India, when we fell in with this frigate. Two parcels I have sent you under good care. Hope this will reach you safe.

Yours truly, H. D. CORNECK.

[A true copy.]

William BAINBRIDGE.

No. 29. (p. 171) PLATE x.x.x.

_September 4, 1813._

Edward [Rx]. McCall navis Enterprise praefectus. Sic itur ad astra.

[Rx]. Vivere sat vincere.

LIEUTENANT EDWARD RUTLEDGE McCALL.

[_Capture of the Boxer._]

EDWARD R. _(Rutledge)_ McCALL NAVIS ENTERPRISE _(sic)_ PRaeFECTUS. SIC ITUR AD ASTRA.[81] (_Edward Rutledge McCall, Commander of the vessel Enterprize. Thus one attains glory._) Bust of Lieutenant McCall, in uniform, facing the right. FuRST. F. (_fecit_).

[Footnote 81: Virgil, aeneid, Book IX, 641.]

VIVERE SAT VINCERE. (_To conquer is to live enough._) Naval engagement between the United States brig-of-war Enterprize, of fourteen guns, Lieutenant-Commander Burrows, and the British brig-of-war Boxer, of fourteen guns, Captain Blythe. The Enterprize is raking the Boxer, fore and aft. The latter has lost her main-topmast. Exergue: INTER ENTERPRIZE NAV. AMERI. ET BOXER NAV. BRIT.[82] DIE IV SEPT. MDCCCXIII.

(_Inter Enterprize navem Americanam et Boxer navem Britannicam, die 4 Septembris, 1813: Between the American vessel Enterprize and the British vessel Boxer, September 4, 1813._) FuRST. F. (_fecit_).

[Footnote 82: It is singular that on some of the silver coins of Great Britain the abbreviation BRIT. (Britanniarum) is spelled with one _t_, and on some of the copper coins, with two _t's_, thus, BRITT.]

EDWARD RUTLEDGE MCCALL was born in Charleston, South Carolina, August 5, 1790. He entered the navy in January, 1808. In 1813 he was first lieutenant of the Enterprize, under Lieutenant Burrows, in the action with the Boxer, took the command after that officer fell, and captured the British vessel, for which gallant deed Congress gave him a (p. 172) vote of thanks and a gold medal. He afterward served in the Mediterranean under Commodore Perry, was promoted to the rank of master-commandant in 1825, and to that of captain in 1835. He died in Bordentown, New Jersey, July 31, 1853.

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ORIGINAL DOc.u.mENTS.

_Resolution of Congress Voting Medals to Lieutenants McCall, Burrows, etc._

_Resolved unanimously by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress a.s.sembled_: That the President of the United States be requested to present to the nearest male relative of Lieutenant William Burrows, and to Lieutenant Edward R. McCall, of the brig Enterprize, a gold medal, with suitable emblems and devices; and a silver medal,[83]

with like emblems and devices, to each of the commissioned officers of the aforesaid vessel, in testimony of the high sense entertained by Congress of the gallantry and good conduct of the officers and crew in the conflict with the British sloop Boxer, on the fourth of September, in the year 1813. And the President is also requested to communicate to the nearest male relative of Lieutenant Burrows the deep regret which Congress feel for the loss of that valuable officer, who died in the arms of victory, n.o.bly contending for his country's rights and fame.

[Footnote 83: The silver medals are copies of the one in gold given to Lieutenant McCall.]

Approved January 6, 1814.

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_Captain Hull to the Secretary of the Navy._

To the Honourable United States Navy Yard, Portsmouth, William JONES, September 14th, 1813.

Secretary of the Navy, Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C.

Sir: I have the honour to forward to you, by the mail, the flags of the late British brig Boxer, which were nailed to her mast-heads at the time she engaged, and was captured by, the United States brig Enterprize.

Great as the pleasure is that I derive from performing this part of my duty, I need not tell you how different my feelings would have been, could the gallant Burrows have had this honour.

He went into action most gallantly, and the difference of injury done the two vessels proves how n.o.bly he fought.

I have the honour to be, &c., Isaac HULL.

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_Lieutenant McCall to Captain Hull._ (p. 173)

To United States Brig Enterprize, Isaac HULL, Esq., Portland, September 7th, 1813.

United States Navy Yard, Portsmouth.

Sir: In consequence of the unfortunate death of Lieutenant-Commander William Burrows, late commander of this vessel, it devolves on me to acquaint you with the result of our cruize. After sailing from Portsmouth on the 1st instant, we steered to the eastward, and on the morning of the 3d, off Wood Island, discovered a schooner, which we chased into this harbour, where we anch.o.r.ed. On the morning of the 4th weighed anchor and swept out, and continued our cruize to the eastward. Having received information of several privateers being off Manhagan, we stood for that place; and on the following morning, in the bay near Penguin Point, discovered a brig getting under weigh, which appeared to be a vessel of war, and to which we immediately gave chase. She fired several guns and stood for us, having four ensigns hoisted. After reconnoitering and discovering her force, and the nation to which she belonged, we hauled upon a wind to stand out of the bay, and at 3 o'clock shortened sail, tacked and ran down with an intention to bring her to close action. At 20 minutes after 3 P.M., when within half pistol shot, the firing commenced from both, and after being warmly kept up, and with some manoeuvering, the enemy hailed and said they had surrendered, about 4 P.M. Their colours being nailed to the masts, could not be hauled down. She proved to be His Britannic Majesty's brig Boxer, of 14 guns, Samuel Blythe, Esquire, commander, who fell in the early part of the engagement, having received a cannon shot through the body. And I am sorry to add that Lieutenant Burrows, who had gallantly led us to action, fell also about the same time by a musket ball, which terminated his existence in eight hours.

The Enterprize suffered much in spars and rigging, and the Boxer both in spars, rigging and hull, having many shots between wind and water. It would be doing injustice to the merit of Mr.

Tillinghast, 2d lieutenant, were I not to mention the able a.s.sistance I received from him during the remainder of the engagement, by his strict attention to his own division and other departments. And the officers and crew, generally, I am happy to add, from their cool and determined conduct, have my warmest approbation and applause.

As no muster roll that can be fully relied on came into my possession, I cannot exactly state the number killed on board the Boxer; but from information received from the officers of that vessel, it appears that there are between twenty and twenty-five killed, and fourteen wounded. Enclosed is a list of killed and wounded on board the Enterprize.

I have the honour to be, &c., Edward R. M'CALL, _Senior Officer_.

_Killed_ 1, _Wounded_ 13; of whom Lieutenant Burrows, Commander, Mids.h.i.+pman Kervan Waters, and carpenter's mate Elisha Blossom, have since died.