This Month in the War of 1812: Battle of Ogdensburg, Treaty of Ghent and USS Constitution

From the American Battlefield Trust.

FEBRUARY 1, 1793

**  France declares war of Great Britain.  And we were sure fortunate they were still fighting during the early part of the war.

**  FEBRUARY 22, 1813

**  Battle of Ogdensburg, New York

FEBRUARY 16, 1815

**  The United States Senate ratifies the Treaty of Ghent.

FEBRUARY 18, 1815

**  The Treaty of Ghent is declared.  The War of 1812 is over.

FEBRUARY  20, 1815

**  The USS Constitution engages the HMS Cyane and HMS Levant, not knowong that the war is over.

--Brock-Perry

February War of 1812 Events: France Declares War on Britain, Battle of Ogdensburg, Treaty of Ghent and USS Constitution

From the American Battlefield Trust.

FEBRUARY 1, 1793

**  France declares war on Great Britain.

FEBRUARY  22, 1813

**  Battle of Ogdensburg.

FEBRUARY 16, 1815

**  The United States Senate  ratifies the Treaty of Ghent.

FEBRUARY 18, 1915

**  The Treaty of Ghent is declared, officially ending the War of 1812.

FEBRUARY 20, 1815

**  The USS Constitution engages the HMS Cyane and HMS Levant, not knowing that the War of 1812 was already over.

--Brock-Perry

Marines in the War of 1812

Happy 246th birthday United States Marine Corps!!

From Wikipedia.

During the War of 1812, Marine detachments on ships took part in the great frigate duels that characterized the war at sea.  These were also the first and last engagements of the war.

Probably their most significant service took place when they held the center of General Andrew Jackson's defensive line at the Battle of New Orleans, the final major land battle and one of the most one-sided engagements of the war.

Then, there were victories of American ships over the HMS Cyane, HMS Levant and HMS Penguin in the last engagements of the war where the Marines gained a reputation as expert marksmen in ship-to-ship action.

They played a large role in the 1813 defense of Sackets Harbor, New York, and Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia.

--Brock-Perry

So, What Was a 24-Pdr. Shifting Grenade Gun?

From the same source.

Also on the USS Constitution, besides the 4 Chambers repeating guns was one 24-pdr. shifting grenade gun.

This apparently was a British weapon captured by the United States.

The gun was a Congreve "shifting grenade."

Sixty-six shifting grenade guns were found on the British brig "Stranger" enroute from England to Kingston, Jamaica where they were to be used in arming two new frigates being built there.  The "Stranger" was captured by privateer "Fox" out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

A prize crew took it to Salem, Massachusetts, in late September 1814 where they told the U.S. Navy about them.

Not much was known about them, but on February 20, 1815, Captain Stewart and the USS Constitution defeated the HMS Cyane and HMS Levant.  Captain Fox of the Cyane wrote that he saw two of these guns on board the American ship.

Unfortunately, a quick look produced no other information on "shifting grenade" guns.

--Brock-Perry

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 Fort Peter, Georgia-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

I found out that I hadn't done much writing about this battle that took place even after the Battle of New Orleans, which was after the Treaty of Ghent.  In a few months, we will be in Savannah for a wedding and we will go to Florida afterwards, so planning on spending some time along the St. Marys River along the Georgia/Florida border.

The attacks of Fort Peter and Fort St. Tammany took place in January 1815, after the Treaty of Ghent was signed, ending the War of 1812, but before it was ratified by the United States which officially ended it.  Even then, the war could continue as long as the participants were not aware of its ratification as in the case of the USS Constitution and HMS Cyane and Levant.

This battle took place at the same time as the Siege of Fort St. Philip in Louisiana and the British occupation of St. Marys and Cumberland Island in Georgia.

Point Peter is the first landing spot on the Georgia side of the St. Marys River.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Cyane/USS Cyane-- Part 4: Cyane Gets Away, Levant Doesn't

The HMS Leander and a British squadron caught sight of the American ships on March 11th and recaptured the Levant, but the Cyane escaped.  It arrived at the North River on 10 April and anchored by the USS Constitution.  It was later adjudicated as a prize of war (despite the peace treaty having been already ratified) by a prize court and purchased by the U.S. Navy and commissioned at the USS Cyane.

It served off the West Coast of Africa 1819-1820 and the West Indies 1820-1821.  It protected the newly established Liberian colony (where American slaves were sent) and suppressed piracy and the slave trade.The Cyane then  served in the Mediterranean 1825-1826 and then was at the Brazil Station 1826-1827.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Cyane/USS Cyane-- Part 3

Captain Stewart of the USS Constitution had learned Feb. 8, 1815, that the Treaty of Ghent had been signed, but knew that until it was ratified a state of war between the two countries continued.  (It was ratified by the U.S. on Feb. 16th and proclaimed Feb. 18th)

The HMS Levant and Cyane attacked but were outgunned and within 30 minutes the Levant withdrew, whereupon the Constitution concentrated her firepower on the Cyane which lost 6 killed and 13 wounded.  With five feet of water in the hull and major damage to its masts and rigging, the Cyane was forced to surrender.

A prize crew was put aboard and the Constitution set off in pursuit of the Levant which was also captured.

The Constitution suffered but little damage, but in an after battle report, found that there were 12 British 32-pdr. carronade shells embedded in her hull.

Temporary repairs were made to all three ships.

The prisoners were taken to St. Jago in the Cape Verde Islands and landed there.  The three American ships left quickly when British ships were reported on their way.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Cyane/USS Cyane-- Part 2

In 1810, the HMS Cyane guarded a convoy going to South America and in 1812 was at the Jamaica Station. From 1812-1814, it was under the command of Captain Thomas Forrest.  On July 11, 1812, it captured the French privateer Serene, bound for New Orleans.In September, the Cyane captured six American ships.  Her crew received lots of prize money.

In January 1814, the Cyane accompanied the 74-gun, 3rd rate ship-of-the-line Venerable and her prize, the Jason, when they spotted two French 44-gun frigates and captured one of them.  The Cyane and Jason gave chase to the other one and caught up but were outgunned and drew off.  The Venerable came up and captured it as well.

Again doing convoy duty, the Cyane and the HMS Levant were 100 miles east of Madeira on 20 February 1815, when they encountered the USS Constitution.

--Brock-Perry

HMS Cyane/USS Cyane-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

This past week, I have been writing about the USS Constitution capturing the HMS Levant and HMS Cyane 200 years ago.

The Levant got away, but the famous American ship was able to hold on to the Cyane.

The HMS Cyane was a 22-gun Banterer-class post ship, 6th rate, built in 1806 and originally named the HMS Columbine.  It was 118 feet long and had a crew of 155.

In 1807, it was operating off Copenhagen against the Danish Navy and then it blockade Zealand Island off the Danish coast.

In February 1808, it captured eight merchant ships in the Mediterranean.  On 22 May, she captured the privateer Medusa, the last Spanish ship captured before Spain turned against Napoleon. to begin fighting the French.

More to Come.  --Brock-Perry

HMS Levant, the One That Got Away

From Wikipedia.

The Levant was completed on 22 April 1814 and was a 22-gun Cyrus-class 6th rate sloop with two 6-pdr. long guns and twenty 32-pdr. carronades.  It was one of five British ships captured by the USS Constitution during the war.  There 16 ships in the Cyrus-class.

The Levant and HMS Cyane were escorting two convoys when they were attacked by the Constitution on Feb. 20, 1815.  They were heavily outgunned by the much longer range American guns but made a fight of it.

The Cyane surrendered first and a prize crew placed upon it and then the Constitution gave chase to the Levant and captured it as well.  All three ships then headed for the Cape Verdi islands where they encountered a British squadron.  The Levant ran aground and was recaptured.  It was broken up in 1820.

--Brock-Perry

USS Constitution to Commemorate Its Last two Captures-- Part 2

The battle in which the Constitution captured the HMS Cyane and HMS Levant took place February 20, 1815 near the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira in the Atlantic Ocean.  The Constitution was commanded by Charles Stewart (who was the senior flag officer in the U.S. Navy when the Civil War broke out and placed on the retired list on December 21, 1861, at the age of 83).

The Treaty of Ghent had been ratified by the U.S. three days earlier so the war was officially over, but a clause in the treaty allowed hostilities to continue until news of it reached all parties concerned.  As a result, the Constitution was able to keep its prizes.

The HMS Cyane later served in the U.S. Navy.  The HMS Levant was recaptured by the British Navy.

The USS Constitution is the world's oldest commissioned warship and actively served from 1797 to 1855.  Today it is manned by U.S. Navy personnel and a part of Boston's famous "Freedom Trail."  Some 500,000 visitors see the ship a year. and it is scheduled to be drydocked at Charlestowne Navy Yard this spring for a three-year restoration.

I saw the ship once, but the line to go aboard was too long.

--Brock-Perry

USS Constitution To Commemorate Its Last Captures of the War Today-- Part 1

From the Mystic Seaport site.

The frigate USS Constitution scored a dual victory 200 years ago today when it captured the British ships HMS Cyane and HMS Levant in action in the Atlantic Ocean.  The battle will be commemorated to visitors aboard the world's oldest commissioned warship in Charlestown Navy Yard today.

The ship's saluting gun will be fired at noon.

A Proud Ship.  --Brock-Perry

200 Years Ago: The USS Constitution Captures Two British Ships

Even though the war by now was officially over with the U.S. ratification of the Treaty of Ghent three days earlier, there were still ships and places who didn't know about it.

FEBRUARY 20, 1815:  The USS Constitution captured the British sloops of war HMS Levant and HMS Cyane off the coast of North Africa.

Also, this date:  The Privateer schooner Dove out of Liverpool, England, captured the American brig Georges.  It is the last captured vessel to be brought into Halifax Harbor.

--  Brock-Perry

The HMS Levant

From Wikipedia.

I originally wrote about the HMS Levant back on March 12, 2013, in connection to its capture by the USS Constitution and recapture by the British.  Here is a follow up to the story.

The HMS Levant was a 20-gun Cyrus-class 6th rate and one of five vessels that the Constitution captured or destroyed during the war.

While escorting two British convoys along with the HMS Cyane, both ships were captured by the Constitution February 20, 1815.  This occurred after the war had ended, but the USS Constitution was unaware of it.  It was recaptured March 11, 1815.

After 1817, it was reclassified as a sloop-of-war and broken up in 1820.

Brock-Perry