HMS Boxer-- Part 5: Later Career

Initially the Boxer was used to defend  Portland harbor.  After the war, she became a merchant ship for several years.  The HMS Boxer evidently did not become the USS Boxer as a commissioned U.S. ship.  There was another USS Boxer, a 14-gun brig constructed by C, and D. Churchill of Middleton, Connecticut and commissioned in 185 under Lt. John Porter.)

Her first voyage as one was in April 1815, under Captain William McLellan, Jr.  (1776-1844).  She sailed to Havana, New York, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Marseilles and back to New York before returning to Portland in early  1816.

Subsequent  shorter cruises under McLellan, Hall or William Merrill took her along the coast or to the West Indies.

Around 1818, William Merrill sold her to a Portuguese  firm that used her as a mail packet between Portuguese  Cape Verde and Lisbon.

Merrill reported in 1825, that  he passed the Boxer leaving Praia at dusk as he entered the harbor as he entered the harbor on his vessel, the John, .

It is thought that the Boxer was eventually lost off the coast of  Brazil.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Boxer-- Part 4: Prize Money and the Privateer Hyder Ali

The HMS Boxer was sold at auction in Portland, Maine, to Thomas Merrill, Jr. for $5,600.  Her guns and ballast were sold at the same time, the whole proceeds amounting to $9,755.  Lt. Burrow's heirs received $1,115 and each seaman's share at $55.

Some of her spare spars and rigging were used on the Mercator.  The Boxer's guns went to arm the Maine privateer Hyder Ali.  But this ship didn't have a lot of luck either.  After capturing two prizes that the British retook before they reached the safety of Maine, the privateer was captured herself in May 1814 near the Nicobar Islands by the frigate HMS Owen Glendower.

But, what of the Boxer herself?

You Know Those New Englanders and Their Privateers.  --Brock-Perry

HMS Boxer (1812)-- Part 3: The Battle and Deaths

On 5 September 1812, the HMS Boxer met the brig USS Enterprise under Lieutenant William Burrows.  Blyth nailed his colors colors to the mast and died in the first broadside.  That same broadside dismasted the Boxer, but the ship, under new command, continued to fight for half an hour before surrendering.

The Enterprise carried two more guns and could fire a heavier broadside and had almost twice the number of men.  Regardless of the advantages the Enterprise had, the key factor in the American victory was the dismasting of the Boxer.  The British ship could not maneuver and the Enterprise was able to rake her at will.

Furthermore, a British court martial found that several sailors had deserted their stations during the battle.

Blyth was buried with military honors in Portland, Maine, (the battle was fought off this port) and was next to the American commander who was also killed in the battle.

The surviving officers placed a tombstone over Blyth's grave.  At the time of his death, Blyth was 29 years old and his counterpart, William Burrows was 28.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Boxer (1812)-- Part 2: A Man of Chivalry, That Samuel Blyth

Commander George Rose Sartorius commissioned her in August 1812.    R. Coote may have commanded her before Commander Samuel Blyth took command in  September.  On 17 April 1813, she sailed for Halifax and service in the squadron of Sir John Borlase  Warren.

In Halifax, Blyth added two extra carronades to her armament.

While coming down from New Brunswick and off the coast of Lubec, Maine, Blyth sighted and captured a small sailing craft crewed by a group of women out for a sail.  He brought the women aboard and politely suggested that in the future they should sail closer to shore and then released them.

One of the women was married to a local militia commander who, impressed with Blyth's courtesy, placed  advertisements in local newspapers praising his chivalry.

Over the next two months (6 July to 31 August), the Boxer captured seven American ships.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Boxer (1812)-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

The HMS Boxer was a 12-gun Bold-class gun-brig lunched in July 1812.  She had a short career in the Royal Navy, being captured by the brig USS Enterprise near Portland, Maine in September 1813.  Afterwards, she went on to a decade-long commercial career.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS

Builder:  Hobbs & Hellyer in Redbridge, Hampshire

Launched:  25 July 1812

Tons:  181

Length:  84 feet

Beam:  22 feet 1 inch

Crew:  60

Armament:

Ten 18-pdr. carronades

Two 6-pdr. long bow chasers

--Brock-Perry

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Poem 'My Lost Youth' Referenced the HMS Boxer/USS Enterprise Battle

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine in 1807.  In 1858 he write the poem about his youth in that ton.  One stanza was about the battle between the USS Enterprise and HMS Boxer.

"I remember  the sea-fight far way,

How it thundered over the tide!

And the dead captains, as they lay

In their graves o'erlooking the tranquil bay

Where they in battle died.

And the sound of that mournful song

Goes through me with a thrill:

"A boy's will is the wind's will,

And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."

Getting Literary On Us.  --Brock-Perry

Through the Ranks: John Henry Aulick and Bailey Washington on USS Enterprise

I found two other officers on the USS Enterprise.

JOHN HENRY AULICK

Midshipman:  15 November 1809

Lieutenant:  9 December 1814

Master Commandant:  3 March 1831

Captain:  8 September 1841

Commodore:  4 April 1867

Retire List:  4 April 1867

Died:  27 April 1873

****************************************

BAILEY WASHINGTON

Surgeon:  24 July 1813

Died 4 August  1854

--Brock-Perry

Through the Ranks With William Burrows and Kirven Waters

From the U.S.  Naval History and Heritage Command "Navy Officers:  1798-1900.

WILLIAM BURROWS

Midshipman:   10 November 1799

Lieutenant:  19 March 1807

Killed in Action:   5 September 1813  Action between USS Enterprise and HMS Boxer.

******************************

KIRVEN WATERS

Midshipman:

Lieutenant:

Died of Wounds received in Action 26 September 1815.  He received the wounds the same day that his commander, William Burrows died, 5 September 1813, so lived with his mortal wounds for two years.

*******************************

Edward R. McCall's rise through the ranks was given on December 22, 2021.

--Brock-Perry

Book About the Battle Between the Boxer and Enterprise-- Part 2

The battle between the Boxer and Enterprise would be the only major  sea engagement of the War of 1812 witnessed by  people on land, and,  though it lasted less than an hour, was a brutal contest whose outcome was uncertain.  When the cannon smoke cleared, good men had been lost, and the U.S. Navy's position in the war had changed.

"On 'Knights of the Sea,'  David Hanna brings to vivid life a lost era -- a time when sailing vessels exchanged broadsides and naval officers considered it the highest honor to harness the wind to meet their foes.   This history pays tribute to the young commanders on either side, a vanishing breed who would come to be standard bearers of courage and fortitude, and would be immortalized in words by the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

"The battle  between the Boxer and Enterprise came to represent for those who witnessed it, lived through it, and remembered it,  something more than a military turning point -- it became emblematic of a maritime era that would soon be gone forever."

Sounds like a good read.

--Brock-Perry

Book About the Battle Between the USS Enterprise and HMS Boxer-- Part 1

I came across a book by David Hanna titled "Knights of the Sea:  The True Story of the Boxer and  the Enterprise and the War of 1812."

It is available at Amazon for $11.50 with $2.99 shipping.

Here's what it says about the book:

On a September day in 1813, the Age of Fighting Sail was coming to an end, two maritime warriors faced each other in the waters off Pemaquid Point, Maine....

"Samuel Blyth was the youthful commander of His Majesty's brig Boxer, and William Burrows, younger still, commanded the USS Enterprise.  Both men valued honor over life and death, and on this day their commitment would be put to the ultimate test."

I may have to break down and buy a copy of this book, especially since I have been writing so much about it of late.

--Brock-Perry

Who Was Kervin Waters?-- Part 3: Lived Two Years Mortally Wounded

From Up the Woods site "A triple grave Eastern Cemetery, Portland, Maine.

Two years later (after the burials of Blyth and Burrows, a third grave was opened, and a teenaged midshipman who had been one of the Enterprise's ten wounded, was buried next to the ship's commander, Kervin Waters,

He had been to grievously wounded in the battle to continue his naval service.  Never to recover,  he suffered in considerable distress for two years before succumbing to his wounds.

***********************************

On September 7, 1813, Lt. EDWARD McCALL reported in his after action report that Midshipman Kervin Waters was mortally wounded.

--Brock-Perry

Who Was Kervin Waters?-- Part 2: Born in Georgetown

Continued from January 8.

I have already written that he was native of Georgetown (near Washington, D.C.), and that he had been injured in the battle but not died until two years later.  During those two years, he was in great pain, but persevered stoically according to accounts.

From Find A Grave.

Lieut, Kervin Waters

BIRTH:  1797  Georgetown, District of Columbia

DEATH:  25 September 1815, aged 17-18

BURIAL:   Eastern Cemetery, Portland, Maine.  Section 8, Grave 9.

--Brock-Perry

First Woman to Command the USS Constitution

From January 7, 2022, California Times.

The U.S. Navy announced January 4,  that a woman would take command of the USS Constitution, also known as the "Old Ironsides."  This will be the first time in the vessel's 224-year history that a woman has commanded the ship.

Commander Billy J. Farrell will take over from Commander John Vendor,  who has been in charge since February 2020.  She is from Paducah, Kentucky, and graduated from the Naval Academy in 2004 and most recently was executive officer on the USS Vicksburg.

The first woman to serve on the crew was sailor Rosemary Lanham in 1986.  The first woman to serve as an appointed officer on the Constitution was Lieutenant Commander  Claire V. Bloom, an executive officer and  head of the 1997 sail when the ship sailed under her own power for the first time since 1881.

Today, more than  one third of her 80 person crew is female.

You've Come a Long Way.  --Brock-Perry

Talk Tonight About Battle of Rock Island Rapids-- Part 2

Campbell's Island (near East Moline) was the site of the Battle of Rock Island Rapids, one of the western-most battles of the War of 1812.  (The Battle is also called the Battle of Campbell's Island.)

A band of approximately 500  Sauk warriors, allied with the British Army, clashed on July  19, 1814, with an American force let by Lieutenant John Campbell of the 1st United States Regiment of Infantry.

Campbell was leading three small gunboats along the Mississippi River to carry military supplies to Fort Shelby, located at the present-day site of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, when they were ambushed by Sauk, Fox and Kickapoo Indians led by  Chief Black Hawk.

There were some 400 Indians versus 33 U.S. Regulars and  65 Illinois Rangers.  This was an American loss.

Losses for the Indians put at more than two killed.  For the Americans 14 killed and 37 total casualties.

--Brock-Perry

Talk Tonight About the Little-Known War of 1812 Battle of Rock Island Rapids

From the January 11, 2022, Quad Cities.com "Learn about War of 1812 Battle of Rock Island Rapids on Wednesday library program" by Jonathan Turner.

Rock island is part of the Quad-Cities straddling the Iowa-Illinois border on the Mississippi River.

Kevin Braafladt,   the Army   Sustainment Command Deputy Historian at the Rock Island  Arsenal and Army  Sustainment Command History Office will give a free talk Wednesday, January 12 at 6 pm (CST) about a Quad-City battle fought during the War of 1812. 

This session (presented by the Davenport Public Library) will discuss the Battle of Rock Island Rapids within the context of the War of 1812 as well as the local conflicts that broke out during the war on the Mississippi River.

This program is scheduled to be held in person at the Main Davenport Public Library at 321  N. Main Street and it will also be held virtually.

So, if you're living in the area you have time to go, or you can attend virtually by going to the library site and registering for Zoom.

--Brock-Perry

Portland, Maine, in the War of 1812 and the Civil War: Two Sea Battles

I just realized that I have been writing a lot about this city in two of my blogs lately.

I have been writing about the battle between the USS Enterprise and HMS Boxer in this blog, as well as the burial of their two commanders who were both killed in the battle along with a Lt. Waters who were all buried next to each other in Portland's Eastern Cemetery.

In my Running the Blockade: The Civil War Navy blog I have been writing about Confederate Lt. Charles W. Read's successful commerce raid up the Union's coast fifty years later and his raid on Portland where he captured the U.S. Revenue Cutter Caleb Cushing.

And, most people, including myself, don't even know there was even one battle ever fought at Portland, Maine.  Like I say, learn something every day.

Small World.  I Didn't Know About Either One.--Brock-Perry

The Battle of New Orleans, January 8, 1815

From the January 8, 2022, We Are the Mighty  "Today in Military History:  Battle of New Orleans

On January 8, 1815,  U.S. General Andrew Jackson won one of the most decisive battles in the War of 1812.  But, the Treaty of Ghent, technically ending the war had been signed two weeks earlier, but not ratified but the U.S. and no one knew it at the time.

In September of 1814, the Americans had won a major victory on Lake Champlain in New York and the British were ready to negotiate peace terms.  Representatives from both sides met in Belgium and signed the Treaty of Ghent on December 24, 1814.

LEADING UP TO THE BATTLE

On December 23, 1814, A British force reached the LeCoste's Plantation, abut nine miles south of New Orleans.  Andrew Jackson led an American force in a surprise attack on the British which delayed them long enough for the Americans to build a heavily fortified defensive earthwork along the Rodriguez Canal, about four miles south of the city

The British general Sir Edward Packenham had every reason to believe he was going to be successful.  He was leading a force of some 8,000 British regulars, fresh from fighting the Napoleonic Wars and would be up against some 4,700 Americans.  Of these, only a small number were regular troops.  The rest were militia, civilians,  Choctow Indians, freed slaves and even pirates.

Instead of a victory, the British were mowed down and lost some 2,000 of their force as opposed to some 100 for Jackson.

--Brock-Perry

Who Was Kervin Waters?-- Part 1

Three War of 1812 naval officers are buried at Portland, Maine's Eastern Cemetery.  Two are American officers, one a British officer.  The Americans are William Burrows and Kervin Waters.  Samuel Blyth is the British officer,  Burrows commanded the brig USS Enterprise when it engaged the brig HMS Boxer on September 5, 1813, off Portland, Maine.  The American ship was victorious, but,, both commanders died as a result of the fight.  All sources I have read say that Waters was mortally wounded, but didn't die until two years later.

According to the list of U.S. Navy and USMC officers 1798 to 1900:

WILLIAM BURROWS

Midshipman:  10 November 1799

Lieutenant:  19 March 1807

Killed in action:   5 September 1813

**************************************

There is a  Kirven Waters listed  as well:

Midshipman:   1 September 1811

Lieutenant:   30 June 1814

Died of wounds received in action 26 September  1815.  I'm taking it that those wounds were received in 1813 at the battle of the Boxer and Enterprise.

Most likely a spelling error on his first name.  Was he promoted to lieutenant while still mortally wounded?

So, Who Is Kervin Waters?  --Brock-Perry

January Events War of 1812: New Orleans, War Declaration, Secretary of War, Frenchtown and Raisin

JANUARY 8, 1815

**  Battle of New Orleans

JANUARY  9, 1813

**  Great Britain declares war on the United States.

JANUARY 13, 1813

**  John Armstrong replaces William Eustis as Secretary of War.

JANUARY 18, 1813

**  American forces seize Frenchtown, Michigan.

JANUARY 22, 1813

**  Battle of River Raisin, Michigan.

--Brock-Perry

Inscription of Grave of Lt. Kervin Waters

The Eastern Cemetery in Portland, Maine, is unique for the fact that it has the graves of two officers who fought their ships against each other during wartime and both died in that battle.  It also has a third grave for an American officer, Lt. Kervin Waters,  who was mortally wounded at that battle, but didn't die until two years later.  He was placed next to the other two.

His inscription reads:

LIEUTENANT KERVIN WATERS

Beneath this stone by the side of his gallant  commander rests the remains of Lieutenant Kervin Waters.

A native of Georgetown, District of Columbia,  who received a mortal wound, September 5, 1813,  while a midshipman aboard the U.S. Enterprise 

In action with his B.M. Brig Boxer which terminated in the capture of the latter.

He languished in severe pain which he endured with fortitude until

September 25, 1815 when he died with Christian calmness of resignation

Aged 18

The young men of Portland erect this stone as a testimony to their respect for his valor and virtues.

--Brock-Perry

Inscription on Capt. Samuel Blyth's Grave

CAPTAIN SAMUEL BLYTH

In memory of Captain Samuel Blyth

Late commander of His Britannic Majesty's  Brig Boxer.

He notably fell on the  5th day of September 1813.

In action with the U.S. Brig Enterprise.

In life honorable! In death glorious!

His country will long deplore  one of her bravest sons

His friends long lament one of the best men.

AEt. 29

The surviving officers of his crew offer this feeble tribute if admiration and  respect.

*******************************

Quite a tribute to a fallen foe.

--Brock-Perry

Inscription on Captain William Burrows' Grave in Portland: William Burrows

From Spirits Alive, Eastern Cemetery, Portland, Maine.

CAPTAIN WILLIAM BURROWS

Beneath this stone moulders the body of  Captain William Burrows.

Late commander of the United States Brig Enterprise

Who was mortally wounded on  the 5th of September 1813

In an action that contributed to increase the fame of American valor by capturing

His Britannic Majesty's Brig Boxer after a contest of 45 minutes.

AEt.28

A passing stranger has created this memorial  of respect to the  memory of a Patriot

who in his hour of peril obeyed the loud summons of an injured country,

and who gallantly met, fought,  and conquered the foeman.

--Brock-Perry

Some More on the HMS Boxer and USS Enterprise-- Part 2: The Battle and Burials

When the two brigs opened fire, Samuel Blyth exclaimed, "Great God, what shots!" an instant before he was  killed in the first shots of the battle.  Moments later, while helping his crew run out a carronade, a musket ball tore through Burrows' thigh, a fatal wound, but he stayed on deck.

The fierce contest ended in 30 minutes.  Command of the Enterprise devolved to Lieutenant Edward McCall.  (I have been writing about him this last week in my Cooter's History Thing blog about the USS McCall (DD-28) named after him.  I will also be writing about the second USS McCall (DD-400) in my Tattooed on Your Soul:  World War II blog this week.)

While, on board the HMS Boxer, Lieutenant  David McGrery had assumed command of that badly cripple ship.  Towards that end, he described his new command as a complete wreck, with three feet of water in the hold.  The flags on the mainmast had been shot away, but the colors that had been nailed to the foremast were still there.

McGery surrendered the Boxer and was towed to Portland by the Enterprise.

Newspapers in the United States rejoiced  in "another brilliant naval victory."  

After two days of planning in Portland, an impressive state funeral was held for the two commanders, who were buried side-by-side in Portland's Eastern Cemetery.  They remain there to this day.

--Brock-Perry

Some More on the HMS Boxer-USS Enterprise Battle

From the Naval History and Heritage Command.  "USS Enterprise vs. HMS Boxer."

This is a battle most people do not know, including myself before recently.  It was quite a battle, involving essentially two equal ships and very good and brave commanders.

On September 5, 1813,  the USS Enterprise spotted the HMS Boxer off Pemaquid Point, Maine.  After six hours of maneuvering, the ship battle commenced.  British commander Samuel Blyth prepared for a fight to the finish.  He ordered a Union Jack nailed  to the foremast and two on the main mast.

On the Enterprise, Lt. William Burrows moved one of his two long 9-pounder cannons from the bow to the stern port.

When the fighting began, the two ships were eight miles southeast of Seguin.

--Brock-Perry

Commemorating 200th Anniversary of Boxer-Enterprise Battle Back in 2013-- Part 2

SEPTEMBER 5

Sunset tours of Portland Observatory, Thursday Sept. 5 from 5 to 8 pm  From here, Captain Lemuel saw the Enterprise towing the Boxer into port after the battle. Moody

SEPTEMBER 5

Boxer & Enterprise Lecture with Herb Adams  Thursday Sept. 5 7 to 9 pm.

SEPTEMBER 6

First Friday, Thundered Over the Tide Exhibit opening  Friday, Sept. 6, 5 to 8 pm.  Maine Historical Society hosts exhibit with objects and documents related to the naval battle  and the joint funeral procession which followed.  The exhibit, taking its name from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "My  Lost Youth."

SEPTEMBER 7

Eastern Cemetery Tours  Saturday, Sept. 7, 10:30 am.  The burial ground, dating back to 1668, is steeped in Portland's history and is the final resting places of both Capt. Burrows and Capt. Blyth.  Learn about the history of the cemetery, types of stones, mortuary art and the lives of those  interred here.

--Brock-Perry