Decatur (Illinois) Named After War of 1812 Hero-- Part 1

From the May 10, 2021, Decatur (Illinois) Herald and Review "City bears name of a hero, Decatur" by John Reidy.

When Stephen Decatur lead a successful raiding party into Tripoli Harbor to burn the captured U.S. frigate Philadelphia, it was called "the most daring act of the age" by none other than Britain's Admiral Horatio Nelson.

On that night in February 1804, the United States had a new hero as well, 21-year-old Lieutenant Stephen Decatur.

In 1829, nine years after his death in a duel at the hands of another rival in the Navy, a new city was founded in Central Illinois which bore his name.

Decatur was our country's first post-Revolutionary War  national hero, leading by example in the Quasi-War vs. France, the Barbary  Wars of North Africa before reaching legendary status when his frigate USS United States defeated the British frigate HMS Macedonian in the War of 1812.

He was swiftly promoted to captain then commodore.

--Brock-Perry

George Campbell Read-- USN-- Part 2: Married Into the Dale Family

George Campbell Read married Elizabeth Dale Read (Midshipman Richard S. Dale's sister and daughter of American Revolution Naval Hero Richard Dale).

He was in the Navy from the War of 1812 until the Civil War, a long time.

Entering the U.S. Navy in 1804 as a midshipman, he was promoted to lieutenant in 1810.  In 1812, he was serving aboard the USS Constitution under Commodore Isaac Hull during the War of 1812.  And that meant he was there for the famed battle with the HMS Guerriere.

As a matter of fact, after it became clear that the Constitution had won the battle on August 19, 1812, he was detailed by Hull to  board the English vessel and receive its surrender.

Later that year, he was with Commodore Stephen Decatur when his ship, the USS United States, captured the British frigate HMS Macedonian.

And, I'd never heard of him.

There At the Both Big Naval Victories!!  --Brock-Perry

The Super-Frigates of the U.S. Navy (or, the Original Six Frigates )

 Wikipedia.

In case you're wondering about these six frigates built as per the Naval Act of 1794, of which the USS Congress was one, here is a list of them, along with site built, guns, naval contractor and Navy superintendent:

CHESAPEAKE:  Gosport, Virginia (Norfolk, Va.), 44 guns, Josiah Fox, Richard Dale

CONSTITUTION:  Boston, Massachusetts,  44 guns, George Claghorn, Samuel Nicholson

PRESIDENT:  New York, New York, 44 guns,  Christian Bergh, Silas Talbot

UNITED STATES:  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,  44 guns, Joshua Humphreys,  John Barry

CONGRESS:  Portsmouth, New Hampshire,  36 guns, James Hackett,  James Sever

CONSTELLATION:  Baltimore, Maryland,  36,  David Stodder,  Thomas Truxton

--Brock-Perry

U.S. Navy in War of 1812-- Part 7: The War at Sea to Capture Enemy Warships and Merchantmen

The war at sea to capture British warships and  merchantmen  was the most desirable objective for naval officers and has received the most writing in historical accounts.  The U.S. Navy had numerous victories in ship-to-ship duels.  Some of them are still the most recognizable events in our Navy's history.

They include Captain Isaac Hull and his frigate Constitution's capture of the HMS Guerriere, Captain Stephen Decatur and his frigate United States' capture of the frigate HMS Macedonian  and Captain William Bainbridge and his USS Constitution's capture of the frigate HMS Java.

However, these and most other U.S. victories occurred in the opening months of the war.

By early 1813, the British had eleven ships of the line, thirty-four frigates and fifty -two other warships operating off North America, while  the U.S. only had two frigates at sea.

By November 1813, Britain had established a commercial blockade that stopped all sea traffic regardless of nationality across the entire east coast south of New England.

--Brock-Perry

Dueling Frigates-- Part 4: Get Out With a Duel?

The day of the battle between the Chesapeake and Shannon off Boston, Captain Stephen Decatur of the 56-gun frigate USS United States, 38-gun frigate USS Macedonian (previously the HMS Macedonian) and 20-gun USS Hornet, into the Thames River, by New London, Connecticut.

They then found themselves blockaded there by British ships for the next six months.

Decatur tried various schemes to break out.  One of the first attempts were the blue light signals which caused him to cancel one attempt.  Then, he hit upon another scheme.

Captain Decatur was at Brown's tavern in New London, Ct., in January 1813, when Captain Nicholas Moran, a coasting ship commander, came to him and said that he had just been the "guest" aboard the HMS Ramillies, and that Captain Henry Hope of the 46-gun HMS Endymion had said he thought Decatur was afraid of an engagement between their two ships.

Moran also claimed that Sir Thomas Hardy had "remarked, that he should be delighted to see a match between the [HMS] Statira and [USS] Macedonian since they were sister ships."

In Other Word, "Duel."  --Brock-PerryDuel

George Henry Preble

The last four posts have been about this man and the flag he captured from a Chinese pirate.

Here is some more information about him.

February 25, 1816 - March 1, 1885.

American Naval officer.  Wrote a history of the United States flag and took the first picture of the Fort McHenry banner.

He was born in Portland, Maine, into a seafaring family.  His father was Enoch Preble and uncle was Commodore Edward Preble of the Tripolitan Wars fame.

Preble entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman on December 10, 1835, and served on the frigate USS United States (built in 1797) until 1838.

In 1841, he was in the Seminole War in Florida and was on the sloop USS St. Louis during its circumnavigation of the world 1843-1844.

He was involved in China, the Mexican War and the Civil War.

--Brock-Perry

Thomas Chambers-- Part 4: Paintings

Other paintings of Thomas:  Chambers"

**  "Capture of H.B.M. Frigate Macedonian By The USS United States on October 25, 1812", circa 1845.

 A critic remarked of this painting:  "The rolling waves and swirls of smoke convey the noise and excitement of battle."

**  "Pirate Ships and Cutter Firing Cannons, Seascape, Night Scene"  circa 1850.

Cutters were used by several navies in the 17th and 18th centuries and were usually the smallest commissioned ships in the fleet.  They were used for coastal patrol, customs duties, escort, dispatch carriers and for small "cutting out" raids.

--Brock-Perry

Sea Battle Paintings Sale at Auction

From Christie's September Sampling.

Sold in September.

If you had some extra bucks hanging around you could have some wonderful War of 1812 sea battle paintings.

The first one is believed to have been the battle between the frigates USS United States and the HMS Macedonian.  This was painted by Thomas Chambers.  It sold for 175% above the estimate.

There was also a pair of paintings of the War of 1812 sea battle between the USS United States and the Macedonian and the USS Constitution vs. the HMS Guerriere attributed to Michele Felice Corne.  They sold for 150% above estimate, for $25,000.

--Brock-Perry

Jacob Nicholas Jones

From Together We Served site.  List of and dates of U.S. Navy Service.

1799-1801   USS United States
1801-1803   USS Philadelphia
1801-1805   Prisoner of War, Algeria

1805-1810   U.S. Navy
1810-1812   USS Wasp
1813-1814   USS Macedonian

1815   USS Macedonian
1816-1818   USS Guerriere
1818-1821   U.S. Navy

1821-1823   Mediterranean Squadron
1823-1826   U.S. Navy Board of Commissioners
1826-1827   Pacific Squadron

1829-1847   U.S. Navy
1847-1850  U.S. Naval Asylum

Not sure about the last place he was.  Did he command it or was he in it?

--Brock-Perry

War of 1812's Ichabod Crane-- Part 1: Namesake of You-Know-Who?

From Wikipedia.

While researching John Milton Brannan, a Civil War officer who was in command of Fort Zachary Taylor during Florida's secession crisis, I found out he had married a daughter of Ichabod Crane, a very familiar name.  So, more research was in order.

(July 18, 1787 to October 5, 1857)

Career military officer in U.S. Army and probable namesake of Washington Irving's "Legend of Sleepy Hollow."

Born in New Jersey, enlisted in USMC in 1809 as a second lieutenant and assigned to the USS United States frigate, 44 guns, commanded by Stephen Decatur.  served for two years.

He then resigned from the Marines in April 1812 and accepted a U.S. Army commission as captain of Company B, 3rd Artillery.

--Brock-Perry

USS Hornet-- Part 1: Launched 1805 in Baltimore

From Wikipedia.

Yesterday, I wrote that The USS Hornet captured the HMS Penguin on March 23, 1815, quite a few weeks after the war was over.

The USS Hornet was launched in 1805 in Baltimore and was a brig-rigged sloop-of-war that was sunk in a storm in 1829 with the loss of its entire crew.  The ship was 106 feet long and mounted eighteen 32-pdr. carronades and two 12-pdr. long guns.

It sailed under James Lawrence's command during early War of 1812 on a raiding voyage to South America.  On February 24, 1813, it engaged the HMS Peacock off Denerary (Guyana), forcing the British ship to surrender, but it was in such bad condition it sank.

Later, the Hornet joined the USS United States and USS Macedonian and was chased into the Thames River near New London, Connecticut, and was blockade for a while.

--Brock-Perry

The First USS Macedonian

The USS Macedonuian was originally the HMS Macedonian, captured during the War of 1812, captured by Stephen Decatur and his USS United States on October 25, 1812.  After the capture, the ship was repaired for two weeks then brought into Newport, Rhode Island as a prize.  Decatur became even more famous for this feat.

It was commissioned into U.S. service after further repairs and served out the war.

It was decommissioned in 1828 and broken up in 1834.

Serving Two Navies  --Brock-Perry

Captain William Henry Allen, Rhode Island Naval Hero-- Part 2

On William Allen's first cruise, he went from Philadelphia to North Africa on the USS George Washington to carry tribute to the Dey of Algiers to keep him from attacking American shipping.

In June 1807, in the Chesapeake Bay, he allegedly fired the only shot at the HMS Leopard when it was impressing American seamen from the USS George Washington.  This even caused President Jefferson to enact his December 1807 Embargo against Britain.

In early 1812, Allen was 1st Lieutenant on Captain Stephen Decatur's frigate USS United States in its victory over the HMS Macedonian and then he took command of that ship and sailed it into Newport, Rhode Island, as a prize on Dec. 6, 1812.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Macedonian: Lively-Class Frigate-- Part 6

From Wikipedia.

The HMS Macedonian was one of the outclassed British frigates which lost a solo battle with an American frigate during the war.

In 1810, it operated off Portugal and was involved in the Napoleonic Wars. In Jan. 1812, it went to Norfolk, Virginia (before war was declared in June), for a secret deal to keep the Bank of England solvent. While there, its captain, John Garden, bungled the mission by revealing it to his friend, U.S. Navy Captain Stephan Decatur while dining and drinking together. Garden even bet his beaver hat that his ship could beat Decatur's ship, the USS United States in a ship-vs.-ship fight.

On October 22, 1812, the two ships and captains met in that fight. The United States had the much heavier broadside and in short time, all three of the Macedonian's masts were down and the ship's hull was riddled with shot.

The Macedonian became the second British frigate to surrender to the U.S. Navy, the HMS Guerriere being the first. However, the Macedonian could be saved and after repairs, was taken into the U.S. Navy as the USS Macedonian.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Belvidera-- Part 2: Chased By U.S. Frigates

On July 22, 1810, the Belvidera and HMS Nemesis captured 3 Danish vessels. After that, the Belvidera was transferred to the Halifax Station in North America.

Just five days after the U.S. declared war, on 23 June 1812, it encountered the American heavy frigates President, Congress (not the Civil War one) and United States. Any one of these ships could take the Belvidera single-handedly.

The crew of the Belvidera were not even aware that war had been declared, but managed to escape anyway and in so doing, led the American ships away from the convoy it was escorting.

On 16 July 1812, the Belvidera was part of a British squadron that chased the USS Constitution which was able to escape despite a light breeze by using its anchors to pull itself. The Belvidera did likewise and eventually pulled close enough to exchange gunfire.

For the remainder of the war, the ship was on blockade duty and quite successful at it.

Quite a Successful, But Little-Known Ship. --Brock-Perry

The USS Constitution Sets Sail Again-- Part 3

Continued from July 3rd.

All the iron in the Constitution, Old Ironsides but named for its wooden hull, came from the northwest hills of Connecticut which has a rich vein of the iron hematite.  This iron was forged at the Mt. Riga blast furnace in Salisbury, Connecticut.  The 44 cannons were also forged there.

One of Isaac Hull's lieutenants during its famous fight with the HMS Guerriere was Glastonburg, Ct., native George Campbell Read.  Hull asked Read to accept the Guerriere's surrender.

The same George Read was on the USS United States on October 25, 1812, under the command of Stephen Decatur when it captured the HMS Macedonian, the second British ship captured during the war.

The same George Read even commanded the USS Constitution for a short month in 1826.

Commodore Oscar C. Badger, born in Mansfield, Ct., commanded the Constitution from January 9, 1878 to August 2, 1879.  His son and grandson went on to become US Navy admirals.  His cousin, George E. Badger, was the 12th Secretary of the Navy.  Five different naval ships have been named for these four men, most recently, the DE-1071 which served from 1970 to 1988.

Now You Know.  --Brock-Perry

Commodore Jacob Nicholas Jones, USN

From Wikipedia.

(March 1768-August 3, 1850.  An American officer in the Quasi-War with France, the Barbary Wars and War of 1812.  Born in Kent County, Delaware.

He was definitely involved with some of the ships I wrote about last month on their 200th anniversaries.

Strangely, however, he didn't join the Navy as a midshipman until he was 31, that when some midshipmen were as young as 10.  Some think the death of his wife prompted him to do it.  During the Quasi War, he served on the USS United States under Commodore John Barry and was promoted to 2nd Lt. in 1801.

On Oct. 31, 1803, during the Barbary War, he was taken prisoner on the USS Philadelphia in the Bay of Tripoli, but freed in 1805.

In 1810, he was given command of the USS Wasp and during the War of 1812, on Oct. 18, 1812, captured the HMS Frolic and that same day he was again captured, this time by the HMS Poictiers.

He was widely acclaimed after his prisoner exchange despite losing his ship.  He then was given command of the USS Macedonian, a captured British ship before getting bottled up with the USS United States in New London, CT. in 1814.  He was then transferred to Lake Ontario and given command of the USS Mohawk during the last year of the war..

During the Second Barbary War, he again commanded the USS Macedonian and later captained the USS Guerriere, another captured British ship.  From 1821-1823, he commanded the Mediterranean Squadron, then the Pacific Squadron 1826-1829 and then was Navy Commissioner in Washington, DC. 

He commanded the Philadelphia Navy Yard from 1847 until his death.

So here was a guy captured twice and then who commanded two captured ships.

Must Have Been In His Blood.  --Brock-Perry

The USS United States vs. HMS Macedonian-- Part 3: A Literary and Civil War Connection

Ordinary seaman Herman Melville served on the United States in 1843.  Great Moby Dick!!

The United States was at Norfolk, Virginia and was not burned by retreating Union forces when the Confederates advanced on the naval yard April 20, 1861, but it was scuttled.  The Confederates raised it and made it into a 19-gun receiving ship and known as the CSS United States.  Kind of a strange name for a Confederate ship if you ask me.  It was also referred to as the CSS Confederate States (better).

It was sunk in the Elizabeth River in May 1862 as an obstruction to advancing Union ships.  It was raised and towed to Norfolk where it remained until March 1864 when it was broken up and sold for its wood.

But, What Happened to the Macedonian?  --Brock-Perry

USS United States vs. HMS Macedonian-- Part 2

October 25, 1812, the two ships cleared decks for action and commenced battle maneuvers at 0900.  The Macedonian pulled parallel to the United States and Decatur intended to stay at a distance to allow his longer-range and heavier guns to blast the British ship..  At 0920, the United States fired an inaccurate broadside and the Macedonian returned the favor and brought down a small spar.

Decatur's next broadside destroyed the British ship's mizzen topmast and with it, much of the steering.  The United States took position on the Macedonian's quarter and riddled her.  By noon, the Macedonian was a dismasted hulk and forced to surrender with 104 casualties compared with 12 on the American ship, which, for the most part was undamaged.

The two ships lay alongside each other for two weeks as repairs were made and in December they entered New York Harbor.

The Macedonian was purchased by the US Navy, repaired and placed in service.

On June 1, 1813, the Macedonian, United States and sloop Hornet were driven into New London, Ct., by a powerful fleet and remained there until the end of the war.

Big Naval Victory.  --Brock-Perry

200th Aniversary of the Battle Between the USS United States and HMS Macedonian to Settle a Bet-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Two hundred years ago, the USS United States squared off against the HMS Macedonian to settle a bet.

The USS United States was a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate, the first of six constructed by Congressional authorization (including the USS Constitution) according to the Naval Act of 1794.  These ships were larger and more heavily-armed than the frigates of other countries, kind of like Germany's pocket battleships during World War II. 

Thus giving the American ships a big advantage in fighting British frigates.  Plus, the American ship could outrun the heavily-armed British ships of the line, the most powerful ships afloat back then.

The United States cost $299,336 and was launched May 10, 1797 and abandoned by US forces to advancing Confederate troops in April 1861.  So, it had a Civil War connection as well.  The 15776 ton ship was 175-feet long, had a 43.6-foot beam, carried a complement of 400-600 and a 50-man Marine detachment.  The "Old Wagon" as it was nicknamed carried 32 X long 24-pdrs, and 24 X 42-pdr. carronades and took part in the Quasi-War with France but did not participate in the First Barbary War.

It was decommissioned in ordinary up until near the beginning of the War of 1812.  Recommissioned June 1810 and under the command of Stephen Decatur, the ship sailed to Norfolk, Virginia for refitting.

While there Captain John S. Carden of the new British frigate HMS Macedonian wagered a bet for a new beaver hat with Decatur that he could take the United States should the two ever fight.  One of Marines in the detachment assigned to the United States was named Ichabod Crane, whose name was used in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

At the outbreak of the War of 1812, the United States joined a fleet under Commodore John Rodgers and cruised off the U.S. coast before a fruitless chase of a British convoy almost to England.

Returning to home water, on this date 200 years ago, the United States engaged that very same HMS Macedonian.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry