The HMS Dauntless: The Real One

From Wikipedia.

This was the ship I wrote about in the Battle of Ice Mound earlier this week.

Launched in 1808 after being built at the Deptford Dockyard on the River Thames.  The ship was 422 tons, 108.4 feet, 29.7-foot beam, 121 crew and mounted 26 guns.

In November 1809 it escorted a convoy to the African coast and also escorted convoys to Russia.

In early 1814, it was sent to the Newfoundland Station.

On 22 May, the Dauntless and Cyane recaptured the Eolus.

With the end of the Napoleonic Wars and War of 21812, it was no longer needed and paid off in Portsmouth, but recommissioned in 1818 for service in the East Indies.  It was sold for breaking up in 1823.

--Brock-Perry

The Battle of Ice Mound-- Part 4: The Cannon "Becky Phipps"

The British tender was dismantled and sold at auction.    The 12 pdr. carronade was kept by the local community and named "Becca Phipps."  That would be names of the cook and British lieutenant.  The name of the gun became corrupted and today is called the "Becky Phipps."

It was fired for many years to celebrate special events   It exploded while being fired to celebrate Woodrow Wilson's election in 1912.  It was eventually repaired and put on public display in the early 1950s and nicely refurbished in 1999.

Today it can be seen after you cross the bridge on Taylors Island Road.

A Piece of the War of 1812 Right There.  --Brock-Perry

The Battle of the Ice Mound-- Part 3: British Surrender

The American militia closed to within 150 yards of the British and found extra large mounds of ice that could be used for protection against enemy fire, especially against their cannon, a small carronade.  They opened fire on the trapped Englishmen.

After a two hour exchange of fire, the British surrendered

Two of the British crew, including Lt. Phibbs, were taken to Easton and eventually to Baltimore.  The rest were put into jail near Madison.

After the battle, Private Stewart petitioned Congress for prize money and years later, he and his men received $1800 which they all split, a good-sized fortune back then.

--Brock-Perry

The Battle of the Ice Mound-- Part 2

They stole 7 sheep, burned several vessels and captured a black man and a woman (a cook by the name Becca).  They started to return to their ship but the winter was very cold which resulted in a lot of draft ice.  They had to stop and spend the night on the lee shore of James Island.

The next morning they discovered they were trapped by ice that stretched all the way to the shore of Taylors Island.

The 48th Maryland Militia had an opportunity to attack them because of the ice.  Led by Private Joseph Stewart, an American force of about twice the size of the British group made their way across the ice.  Along the way they found clumps of ice stacked up because of the tides.

--Brock-Perry

The Battle of the Ice Mound-- Part 1: HMS Dauntless

From the Exploratorius Blog "Battle of Ice Mound: Reloaded.

The HMS Dauntless, one of 30 Comorant-class sloops of war, was launched in 1808 and sailed for Newfoundland, Canada on April 4, 1814.  It mounted sixteen 32-pdr. carronades, eight 18-pdr. carronades and two 6-pdr. long guns.

Ships like the Dauntless made life along the Chesapeake Bay miserable with raids against shore towns and watermen.

Not much is known about the Dauntless until it showed up in Maryland waters during the winter of 1814-1815.

On February 6, 1815, a tender from the ship commanded by Lt. Matthew Phibbs, one midshipman, 13 crew members and 3 Royal Marines raided Tobacco Stick (present-day Madison).

--Brock-Perry

Battle of Ice Mound-- Part 8

On February 27, 1815, the HMS Dauntless departed the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay

There has always been the question as to why the tender's crew didn't use the carronade cannon as it was the most powerful piece of ordnance at the skirmish.  Some suspect that the ice had allowed the militia to approach so closely that their musket fire which would have been concentrated on any British trying to man it, kept them away.

Joseph Stewart, the American commander, died August 4, 1839 at Tobacco Stick (Madison), Dorchester County, Matyland.

The captured carronade was named by the Americans for Lt. Phibbs and the black woman cook and is called the "Becky Phibbs."  It can be seen on the western side of Taylors Island Bridge on Maryland Route 16.

--Brock-Perry

Battle of Ice Mound-- Part 7

The skirmish/battle took place over two hours when the British surrendered using a white handkerchief.  The Marylanders captured a 12-pdr. carronade cannon, swivel gun, 17 muskets, 6 pistols and gunpowder.

The militiamen with Joseph Stewart:  Moses Navy, William Geohagen, John Bell, Moses Geoghegan, Robert Travers, Henry K. Travers, Daniel Travers, Matthias Travers, Nichs North, William Dove, Thomas Tolly, John Tolly, James Hooper, Hugh Roberts, Moses Simmons and an unknown black man.

There were 16 militiamen involved.  Afterwards in a disposition to attain prize money, another 26 militiamen were listed.

--Brock-Perry

Battle of Ice Mound-- Part 6: OK, That's Why the Name

So, the battle took its name from the ice mound piled up close to the British tender where the American militia took cover during the attack.

Again, I usually don't think of ice being on the Chesapeake Bay either, but evidently so.

--Brock-Perry

Battle of Ice Mound-- Part 5

The tender had come to within 400 yards off shore before being frozen in.

Maryland militia had, meanwhile, been gathered by Private Joseph Fookes Stewart (1777-1839.  They were apart of Captain Thomas Woolford's Company of the 48th Maryland Regiment.  They heard that the tender was stuck between ice from the shore and a cake of ice that had drifted in from the bay and just 400 yards from the shore.  Also, there was "a mound of ice, which had formed at about 150 yards from the tender."

Sounded like an excellent time to strike, and they did.

The tender was commanded by Lt. Matthew Phibbs, RN.  Also on the tender was a midshipman, 3 Royal Marines and 13 sailors, including a black man named Abraham Travers and a black woman cook named Becca.

--Brock-Perry

Is It Phibbs or Phipps? Ice Mound in Maryland? James or Taylors Island

I have seen that the HMS Dauntless' tender was commanded by a Lt. Matthew Phibbs, Royal Navy.  But the cannon captured from the tender is called the "Becky Phipps" and named for the black cook, Becca, and the tender's commander.

Also, not only do I not think of ice on the Chesapeake Bay, but definitely not an ice mound.

Also, some accounts refer to a James Island and others to a Taylors Island where the re-enactment took place.

So, What happened?  --Brock-Perry

Battle of Ice Mound-- Part 4

From the Maryland in the War of 1812 site.

BATTLE OF ICE MOUND, FEBRUARY 7, 1815

The last known skirmish in the Chesapeake Bay area.

The schooner HMS Dauntless was offshore and had sent her tender to James Island near the mouth of the Choptank River to raid livestock on nearby farms.

From the ship's log:  "February 7th: "at daylight saw ourselves surrounded with ice and by 7 o'clock the ship was fast...  Noon.  Fine hard weather saw nothing of our boats...  8 p.m., fresh breezes with severe frost the boats not having returned fear they are frozen in."

--Brock-Perry

Battle of Ice Mound-- Part 3: "Becky Phipps"

FROM THE HISTORICAL MARKER AT THE SITE.

"BATTLE OF ICE MOUND."

"Last battle of the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake Bay.  A tender to the British ship of war 'Dauntless' was captured by Joseph Stewart and local militia near James Island on February 7, 1815.

"Ice along the shore allowed the militia to approach within firing range.  The cannonade taken from the tender was named for two of the twenty captured, Lt. Matthew Phibbs, and African-American cook Becca.

"By tradition it has come to be called 'Becky' Phipps."

--Brock-Perry

Battle of Taylors Island: Battle of Ice Mound-- Part 2

At 11 a.m., at the Fire Hall, a National Park Service ranger will have presentation on the battle.

The battle will be re-enacted afterward at a private field near the Island Grille.  This re-enactment is special because it will feature the actual number if participants in the original; battle, the only full-scale bicentennial re-enactment.

Along with Americans, there will be British sailor and Marine re-enactors.

There are plans to have a long boat and jolly boat, such as the ones used in the attacks on Tobacco/Stick/Madison before the Battle of Ice Mound.  There may be a cutter on site as well.

For more information, go to the Battle of Ice Mound War of 1812 Facebook page.

--Brock-Perry

Battle of Taylors Island, Md: Battle of Ice Mound-- Part 1

From the January 28, 2015, Star-Democrat (Md) "War of 1812 battle of re-enactment planned.  The bicentennial of the Battle of Taylors Island from the War of 1812 is scheduled for February 7th at the Taylors Islamd Volunteer Fire Company House.  There will be a re-enactment of the Battle of Ice Mound immediately following the ceremony.

The battle, actually more of a skirmish, is often referred to as the Battle of Ice Mound, which I find somewhat strange for the Chesapeake Bay which I generally think of as being warmer.

At 9:30 a.m., the 20-member Chesapeake Blues will honor battle participants buried at Old Trinity Church in Church Creek as well as at Bethlehem's "Brick" Church at Grace Church, both on Taylors Island.  They will fire a three-volley salute at both cemeteries.

The battle took place today, February 7, 1815, 200 years ago.

--Brock-Perry