The Medallic History of the United States of America Part 39

To the Honourable United States Frigate Const.i.tution, Paul HAMILTON, Off Boston Light, August 30, 1812.

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

Sir: I have the honour to inform you that on the 19th instant, at 2 P.M., being in lat.i.tude 41 42', longitude 55 48', with the Const.i.tution under my command, a sail was discovered from the masthead bearing E. by S. or E. S. E., but at such a distance we could not tell what she was. All sail was instantly made in chase, and we soon found we came up with her. At 3 P.M. could plainly see that she was a s.h.i.+p on the starboard tack, under easy sail, close on a wind; at half past 3 P.M. made her out to be a frigate; continued the chase until we were within about three miles, when I ordered the light sails taken in, the courses hauled up, and the s.h.i.+p cleared for action. At this time the chase had backed his main top-sail, waiting for us to come down.

As soon as the Const.i.tution was ready for action, I bore down with an intention to bring him to close action immediately; but on our coming within gunshot she gave us a broadside and filled away, and wore, giving us a broadside on the other tack; but (p. 158) without effect; her shot falling short. She continued wearing and manoeuvering for about three-quarters of an hour, to get a raking position, but finding she could not, bore up, and run under topsails and gib, with the wind on the quarter.

Immediately made sail to bring the s.h.i.+p up with her, and five minutes before 6 P.M. being alongside within half pistol shot, we commenced a heavy fire from all our guns, double-shotted with round and grape, and so well directed were they, and so warmly kept up, that in fifteen minutes her mizzen-mast went by the board, and her mainyard in the slings, and the hull, rigging and sails were very much torn to pieces. The fire was kept up with equal warmth for fifteen minutes longer, when her main-mast and fore-mast went, taking with them every spar, excepting the bowsprit; on seeing this we ceased firing, so that in thirty minutes after we got fairly alongside the enemy she surrendered, and had not a spar standing, and her hull below and above water so shattered that a few more broadsides must have carried her down.

After informing you that so fine a s.h.i.+p as the Guerriere, commanded by an able and experienced officer, had been totally dismasted, and otherwise cut to pieces, so as to make her not worth towing into port, in the short s.p.a.ce of 30 minutes, you can have no doubt of the gallantry and good conduct of the officers and s.h.i.+p's company I have the honour to command. It only remains, therefore, for me to a.s.sure you, that they all fought with great bravery; and it gives me great pleasure to say, that from the smallest boy in the s.h.i.+p to the oldest seaman, not a look of fear was seen. They all went into action giving three cheers, and requesting to be laid close alongside the enemy.

Enclosed I have the honour to send you a list of killed and wounded on board the Const.i.tution, and a report of the damages she has sustained; also a list of the killed and wounded on board the enemy, with his quarter-bill, &c.

I have the honour to be, with very great respect, Sir, your obedient servant,

Isaac HULL.

Killed and wounded on board the United States frigate Const.i.tution, Isaac Hull, Esquire, Captain, in the action with His Britannic Majesty's frigate Guerriere, James A. Dacres, Esquire, Captain, on the 20th of August, 1812:

_Killed_: W. S. Bush, Lieutenant of Marines, and 6 seamen 7 _Wounded_: Lieutenant C. Morris, Master J. C. Aylwin, 4 seamen, 1 marine 7 -- Total killed and wounded 14

United States frigate Const.i.tution, August 21st, 1812.

T. S. CHEW, _Purser_.

Isaac HULL, _Captain_.

Killed and wounded on board His Britannic Majesty's frigate Guerriere:

_Killed_: 3 officers, 12 seamen and marines 15 _Wounded_: J. A. Dacres, Captain, 4 officers, 57 seamen and marines 62 _Missing_: Lieutenants Pullman and Roberts, and 22 seamen and marines, supposed to have gone overboard with the masts 24 --- Total killed, wounded and missing 101

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_Captain Hull to the Secretary of the Navy._ (p. 159)

To the Honourable United States Frigate Const.i.tution, Paul HAMILTON, Boston, August 30, 1812.

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

Sir: - - - - -

I cannot but make you acquainted with the very great a.s.sistance I received from that valued officer, Lieutenant Morris, in bringing the s.h.i.+p into action, and in working her whilst along side the enemy, and I am extremely sorry to state that he is badly wounded, being shot through the body; we have yet hopes of his recovery, when I am sure he will receive the thanks and grat.i.tude of his country, for this and the many gallant acts he has done in its service. Were I to name any particular officer as having been more useful than the rest, I should do them great injustice; they all fought bravely, and gave me every possible a.s.sistance that I could wish. I am extremely sorry to state to you the loss of Lieutenant Bush, of marines; he fell at the head of his men in getting ready to board the enemy. In him our country has lost a valuable and brave officer. After the fall of Lieutenant Bush, Lieutenant Contee of the corps, took command of the marines, and I have pleasure in saying that his conduct was that of a brave, good officer, and the marines behaved with great coolness and courage during the action, and annoyed the enemy very much whilst she was under our stern.

I have the honour to be, with very great respect, Sir, your obedient servant, Isaac HULL.

No. 26. (p. 160) PLATE XXVII.

_October 18, 1812._

Jacobus Jones virtus in ardua tendit. [Rx]. Victoriam hosti majori celerrime rapuit.

CAPTAIN JACOB JONES.

[_Capture of the Frolic._]

IACOBUS JONES VIRTUS IN ARDUA TENDIT. (_Jacob Jones. Valor seeks difficulties._) Bust of Captain Jones, in uniform, facing the right.

On edge of bust, FuRST. F. (_fecit_).

VICTORIAM HOSTI MAJORI CELERRIME RAPUIT. (_He quickly s.n.a.t.c.hed victory from a superior enemy._) Naval action between the United States sloop-of-war Wasp, of eighteen guns, Captain Jones, and the British sloop-of-war Frolic, of twenty-two guns, Captain Whinyates. The Wasp has lost her main-topmast, and is raking the Frolic as she lays her on board. The Americans are in possession of the enemy's forecastle.

Exergue: INTER WASP NAV. AMERI. ET FROLIC NAV. ANG. DIE XVIII OCT.

MDCCCXII. (_Inter Wasp navem Americanam et Frolic navem Anglicanam, die 18 Octobris, 1812: Between the American vessel Wasp and the English vessel Frolic, October 18, 1812._) On the platform, FuRST. F.

(_fecit_).

MORITZ FuRST was born in Presburg, Hungary, and studied with Wurt, a die sinker in the Imperial Mint of Vienna. He was for a time superintendent of the Royal Mint of Lombardy. In 1807 he was engaged by the American Consul at Leghorn as die sinker to the United States Mint, arrived the same year in America, and entered on his duties in the spring of 1808. He made nearly all the medals voted by Congress to the army and navy for the War of 1812-1815, and the Indian medals of Presidents Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and Martin Van Buren. He resided for many years in New York.

JACOB JONES was born near Smyrna, Kent County, Delaware, in March, (p. 161) 1770. He first studied medicine, but entered the navy as mids.h.i.+pman in 1799, was lieutenant in 1801, was taken prisoner in the frigate Philadelphia, off Tripoli, 1803, and remained in captivity for twenty months. Having been commissioned as master-commandant in 1810, he was given, in 1811, the sloop-of-war Wasp, with which he captured the British sloop-of-war Frolic, Captain Whinyates, October 18, 1812. For this gallant action Congress gave him a vote of thanks and a gold medal. He became captain in 1813, and received the frigate Macedonian.

He afterward commanded squadrons in the Mediterranean and in the Pacific; was a member of the Naval Board and governor of the Naval Asylum in Philadelphia, where he died, August 3, 1850.

[Footnote 78: The resolution of Congress voting this medal is given under No. 25, page 154.]

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ORIGINAL DOc.u.mENTS.

_Captain Jacob Jones to the Secretary of the Navy._

To the Honourable Paul HAMILTON, New York, November 24th, 1813.

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

Sir: I here avail myself of the first opportunity of informing you of the occurrences of our cruise, which terminated in the capture of the Wasp, on the 18th of October, by the Poictiers, of 74 guns, while a wreck from damages received in an engagement with the British sloop-of-war Frolic, of 22 guns; 16 of them 32-pound carronades, and four twelve-pounders on the main deck, and two twelve-pounders, carronades, on the top-gallant forecastle, making her superior in force to us by four twelve-pounders. The Frolic had struck to us, and was taken possession of, about two hours before our surrendering to the Poictiers.

We had left the Delaware on the 13th. The 16th had a heavy gale, in which we lost our jib-boom and two men. Half-past 11, on the night of the 17th, in the lat.i.tude of 37 degrees north, and longitude 65 degrees west, we saw several sail; two of them appeared very large. We stood from them for some time, then shortened sail, and steered the remainder of the night the course we had perceived them on. At daylight, on Sunday the 18th, we saw them ahead, gave chase, and soon discovered them to be a convoy of six sail, under the protection of a sloop-of-war, four of them large s.h.i.+ps, mounting from 16 to 18 guns. At 30 minutes past 11, A.M., we engaged the sloop-of-war, having first received her fire at the distance of fifty or sixty yards, which s.p.a.ce we (p. 162) gradually lessened until we laid her on board, after a well supported fire of 43 minutes; and although so near, while loading the last broadside, that our rammers were shoved against the side of the enemy, our men exhibited the same alacrity which they had done during the whole of the action. They immediately surrendered upon our gaining their forecastle, so that no loss was sustained on either side after boarding.

Our main-topmast was shot away between four and five minutes from the commencement of the firing, and falling, together with the main-topsail yard, across the larboard fore and fore-topsail braces, rendered our head-yards unmanageable the remainder of the action. At eight minutes the gaff and main-topgallant-mast came down, and at twenty minutes from the beginning of the action, every brace and most of the rigging was shot away. A few minutes after separating from the Frolic, both her masts fell upon deck, the main-mast going close by the deck, and the fore-mast twelve or fifteen feet above it.

The courage and exertions of the officers and crew fully answered my expectations and wishes. Lieutenant Biddle's active conduct contributed much to our success by the exact attention paid to every department during the engagement, and the animating example he afforded the crew by his intrepidity. Lieutenants Rodgers, Booth, and Mr. Rapp shewed, by the incessant fire from their divisions, that they were not to be surpa.s.sed in resolution or skill. Mr. Knight and every other officer acted with a courage and prompt.i.tude highly honourable, and, I trust, have given a.s.surance that they may be relied on whenever their services may be required.

I could not ascertain the exact loss of the enemy, as many of the dead lay buried under the masts and spars that had fallen upon deck, which two hours exertion had not sufficiently removed. Mr.

Biddle, who had charge of the Frolic, states that, from what he saw and from information from the officers, the number killed must have been about thirty, and that of the wounded about forty or fifty: of the killed is her first lieutenant and sailing master; of the wounded Captain Whinyates and the second lieutenant.

We had five killed and five wounded, as per list; the wounded are recovering. Lieutenant Claxton, who was confined by sickness, left his bed a little previous to the engagement, and though too weak to be at his division, remained upon deck, and shewed, by his composed manner of noting incidents, that we had lost, by his illness, the services of a brave officer.

I am, respectfully yours, etc., Jacob JONES.

No. 27. (p. 163) PLATE XXVIII.