William Jones, New Secretary of the Navy

From "Inside the U.S. Navy of 1812-1815"  

When William Jones became Secretary of the Navy, he discovered he had inherited from his predecessor, Paul Hamilton, several burdens.  One was the Navy Department's posture in regard to  the concerns of citizens for the safety of their ports and shipping with the increasing British threat as forces were transferred from Europe to North America after the fall of Napoleon.

One of his earliest was an order for the reduction in the number of gunboats in service.  He believed  This would save funds on maintenance and put available seamen to better use.  Only 50 of the approximately 150 gunboats were sufficiently serviceable to remain active; the rest would be laid up and available in case of emergency.

Of those gunboats in service, Jones assigned 15 to New York, 5 to the Delaware River, 6 to the Georgia coast and 10 to New Orleans.  Fourteen remained  active on the Chesapeake Bay (mostly  assigned to Norfolk).

But these measures did not go over very well in several cities whose citizens were not happy with the move.  This was especially in the case of New York City and its new flotilla commander Jacob Lewis.

--Brock-Perry

Jacob Lewis & the N.Y. Flotilla: Problems with Manpower

From "Six Frigates:  The Epic Founding  of the U.S. Navy" by Ian W. Toll.

Even after New York City was in dire threat from the British, it proved to be entirely impossible to mobilize all the city's gunboats because Master Commandant Jacob Lewis could not recruit enough seamen to man them.

"Although invited not one appeared," he told Secretary Jones.  This failure "served to prove incontrovertibly that volunteers cannot be depended on."

And, it wasn't just a New York City thing.  Secretary Jones received similar reports from the flotillas at Baltimore, Norfolk and Delaware Bay.  Jones  informed Congress a few weeks later that the gunboats could not be manned because  of "the preference which Seamen naturally give to Vessels better adapted to their habits and Comfort."

Also, more likely to capture prizes which meant prize money all around.

--Brock-Perry

Jacob Lewis & the NY Flotilla-- Part 2: Who Pays for More Gunboats and Their Crews?

In February, before the British announced their blockade of New York, Secretary of the Navy William Jones had  reduced the number of gunboats in the New York Flotilla to fifteen as a cost-cutting measure.  He stipulated that Lewis could  bring the excess gunboats back into service in an emergency and have them crewed by volunteers.

When the Royal Navy squadron appeared off Sandy Hook, Lewis returned the laid off gunboats to service and requested the Navy Department to pay for the crews.  This request brought a strong rebuke from  Jones, who reminded him that he was to find volunteer crews to man the gunboats and that Lewis could be held personally responsible for any costs his actions incurred. He then ordered Lewis to take the extra gunboats out of service unless the British were to attack.

(Don't you know that Lewis hit the ceiling when told this which was most likely the reason he tried to get Secretary of State James Monroe in on his side.)

Nicholas Fish, the Federalist chairman of New York City's Committee of Defense, asked Jones to authorize the addition gunboats for which the city would pay for the crews.  Jones agreed to this compromise and told Lewis to bring up to  fifteen additional gunboats into service.

This situation was a successful example of sharing defense responsibilities between the federal and state governments.

--Brock-Perry

Jacob Lewis Writes to Secretary of State Monroe About His New York Flotilla

February 27, 1813

** "I am very desirous of possessing the confidence of the present  Secretary of the Navy as I did the late Mr. Secy. Hamilton.'  (Paul Hamilton)  The Secretary of the Navy after Hamilton was William Jones.  (Evidently Lewis did not get along with Jones very well.  At first I thought Mr. Secy. Hamilton was Alexander Hamilton.)

**  Raising and organizing crews of NY Flotilla.    Intends to make them able to fight on land as well as sea.    Wants to be able to put as many as 1000 on the shore and also be be able to "place the  flotilla in of perfect safety where the Enemy could not possibly  get at them."

**  Will train crews on landing, embarking marching, forming and "displaying  Colloms."  (columns)

**  "They shall be  amphibious Soldiers."

**  But needs  the support of the Secretary of the Navy.  (Evidently not getting it.)

**  The gunboats are  "held in the utmost contempt" by the City of New York.

--Brock-Perry

Jacob Lewis & the New York Flotilla-- Part 2: Problems Facing Lewis

Lewis feared that his flotilla would be greatly weakened through drafts of his crews for other duties  These fears were realized when he was asked to recruit for the Lake Champlain service.  Secretary of Navy William Jones also didn't spare New York from the gunboat reduction order.

On 26 February, he was ordered to further reduce his force to fifteen  gun vessels.

Public reaction to this reduction was not very favorable.

In February 6, 1863, he wrote to Secretary Jones saying that he still needed 350 men but that the Rendezvous (place to get recruits) in New York City was closed for lack of money to pay the recruits.  "I am very much apprehensive that the Flotilla which I have the honor to Command will fall very short of that state of preparation which may be expected...."

--Brock-Perry

Jacob Lewis & the New York Flotilla-- Part 1

From the "Naval War of 1812:  A Documentary History" by William S. Dudley.

Jacob Lewis & the New York Flotilla.

Jacob Lewis was the commander of the privateer Bunker Hill early in the war and was appointed master commandant in the U.S. Navy in 1812.  Given command of all the  gunboats and fire ships stationed at New York, Lewis accepted this new challenge and set out to immediately assess the status of his flotilla.

One of his new ships was probably Gunboat No. 47, Richard Hill's ship.

He found his new command to be undermanned and "in a pitiable State owing to the prejudice against it."  Lewis knew that he had local support because the committee for harbor defense, fearful of a swarm of British ships in the spring, exhorted the state legislature for money for defense.

Unsure of Navy Secretary Jones' support, he enlisted the support of Secretary of State James Monroe in convincing the Navy Department that gunboats used in  coastal defense freed frigates for sea duty.

Brock-Perry

Shipwrights in Vergennes Were Key to Battle of Champlain-- Part 5: A Naval Arms Race on the Lake

Learning of the new larger threat of the HMS Confiance, Macdonough pleaded with the Navy to build another large ship.  Navy Secretary William Jones rejected this request saying there was not enough money.  However, President James Madison intervened.

This time, the Navy hired Adam Brown, Noah Brown's brother, who brought along with him about 200 shipwrights.  In just 19 days, they built the Eagle, a 120-foot long, 20-gun brig and launched it on August 11,  two weeks before the Confiance was launched.

The Browns and their bands of shipwrights were invaluable to the American cause, as was proven on September  11, 1814.

At the time, the British had troops invading south along the New York side of Lake Champlain and many of those troops were in the Plattsburgh area.  The British commander wanted to wait for the Royal Navy to defeat Macdonough's ships before storming Plattsburgh. (Plattsburgh with an "h" at the end of it because  that's the most common way the Battle of Plattsburgh is described.)

--Brock-Perry

The Armament of the USS Constitution Had Four Chambers Repeating Guns-- Part 2

In 1812, Joseph G. Chambers of Philadelphia produced a .75 caliber, seven barrel 7-shot repeating gun.  He received a patent for it in 1813 and that same year Secretary of the Navy Jones ordered ten for testing. Commodore William Bainbridge of the Boston Navy Yard conducted the tests and he considered them successful.

He reported this to Jones who then ordered a quantity of the new technology.  In April 1814, George Harrison of the U.S. Navy Depot in Philadelphia received instructions from Jones to send 15 of them "together with their apparatus" to Isaac Chauncey at Sackets Harbor.

Mr. Chambers and his two sons were hired to go along as instructors and trouble shooters.

--Brock-Perry

Machine Guns in the War of 1812-- Part 12: War Ends Before Used

Benjamin W. Crowinshield succeeded William Jones as Secretary of the Navy on 16 January 1815.  A little over a month later, Congress ratified the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812.

That, in turn was followed by the decision to send naval units to the Mediterranean Sea to put down a recurring Algerine pirate problem.  The Barbary Pirates had taken advantage of the U.S. being involved in the war with England to begin attacking American ships again.

One of the ships was known to have had Chambers' machine guns on board, but nothing is recorded saying that it was ever used.

The Chambers repeating weapons had caused a brief thrill, but ended their days being imoperative weapons staffed by people completely unskilled in their use.

--Brock-Perry

Machine Guns in the War of 1812-- Part 9: "A Truly Astonishing and Potent Weapon"

Joseph Chambers finally completed production of the immediate order and forwarded the arms to Sackets Harbor the next month, so that on May 27th, Secretary Jones was able to write to Commodore Chauncey that:  "Mr. Harrison has ... forwarded to you a number of repeating Swivels, Muskets and Pistols, with prepared ammunition and persons acquainted with the art of preparing the ammunition and loading the arms....

"They are a truly astonishing and potent weapon....  Two of those swivels on each Top, to be fired in succession upon the decks of your adversary, would not fail to clear to clear it entirely in five minutes."

High Praise for This New Technology.  --Bock-Perry

Machine Guns in the War of 1812-- Part 8: A Delay in Shipment

On 20 March, Secretary of the Navy Jones wrote to Joseph Chambers telling him that when the 50 swivels and 200 muskets were ready for shipment to Isaac Chauncey, he intended to appoint Chambers' son a gunner and have him accompany the weapons to Sackets Harbor to train squadron personnel in their loading and firing.  He also added 100 repeating pistols to the order.

Chambers responded on the 26th that he probably would have 30 swivels and 150 muskets ready by 1 May, and perhaps all the pistols.  But Chauncey wrote to Jones again on 30 March asking for "a few of those Seven barrel Swivels and Muskets that are preparing in Philadelphia."

A testy Jones sent a letter to Harrison to have 15 swivels, 50 muskets, and 50 pistols "put up immediately ... and forward [ed] forthwith" to Commodore Chauncey.

A Real Interest in These Machine Guns, But, What Was the Delay?  --Brock-Perry

Machine Guns in the War of 1812?-- Part 2: Machine Guns for $200

With the War Department's refusal to have anything to do with his invention, Joseph G. Chambers turned to the Navy and by mid-April 1813 also had produced an eight-barreled, swivel-mounted weapon that could discharge more than 200 rounds on one trigger-pull.

Several successful demonstrations of a repeating swivel, musket and pistol were conducted at the Washington Navy Yard.  This favorably impressed Secretary of the Navy William Jones who on 7 May ordered Philadelphia Navy Agent George Harrison to contract with Chambers for ten of his swivels and to have 100 conventional muskets modified into repeaters.

For his efforts, Chambers received $200 for his expenses and services.

Not That Much.  --Brock-Perry

Commodore Joshua Barney's Personal Items Donated to Maryland Historical Society-- Part 2

Joshua Barney was born in Baltimore 6 July 1759 and died 1 December 1818.  He was a hero in both the American Revolution and the War of 1812, going to sea at age 13.  During the Revolution, he was captured three times, held in a notorious prison ship and escaped twice.

In the 1790s, he was hired by the French to run their West Indies Squadron.

He achieved his biggest fame during the War of 1812, first commanding the legendary Baltimore privateer Rossie.

In 1813, he presented a plan to Secretary of Navy William Jones for defense of the Chesapeake Bay by proposing a flotilla of small, inexpensive barges perfect for the shallow bay waters and hence referred to as the "Mosquito Fleet."

This fleet proved a great disruption to British plans in the area and Barney became commander of this United States Chesapeake Flotilla.

--Brock-Perry