Next book in my American history section is 1812: The War That Forged a Nation (P.S.)
It’s not a well-written book. The author actually uses the word “Hey” in the text, which is truly terrible and I cannot believe an editor didn’t slash it to bits. Like: “Hey, the British were impressing American soldiers … what choice did the Americans have?” Hey? Hey? Are you kidding me? Terrible.
But I have some bad books on my shelves – and this book excerpt thing isn’t about me editorially choosing my “favorites” … So here it is. 1812.
Here’s an excerpt detailing the battle between the USS Constitution and the HMS Guerriere on August 19, 1812.
Hey, of course they were battling, right?
From 1812: The War That Forged a Nation (P.S.)
Leaving Boston harbor, Hull steered the Constitution northeast along the coasts of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and took up station off Cape Race in the Gulf of St. Lawrence — the route of Canada’s lifeline to Great Britian. Constitution captured and sank two British merchantmen there and then turned south toward Bermuda. She soon chased down a brig that turned out to be the American privateer Decatur, of fourteen guns. Her captain reported to Hull that he had outrun a British frigate the day before. This was good news to Hull. Now he knew that there was a British warship in the vicinity and that he had just run down a vessel that had proven faster the day before.
About two o’clock on the afternoon of August 19, 1812, the Constitution’s lookouts raised cries of “Sail ho” and pointed to a sail bearing east-southeast. Pulses quickened. Having the wind, the Constitution gave chase and quickly closed to within three miles. Both ships beat to general quarters, but Hull was still uncertain about the identity of his quarry. It soon proved to be the frigate Guerriere, and her captain was about to get his wish for a chance at revenge. Supposedly Captain Dacres was quoted as boasting, “There is the Yankee frigate: in forty-five minutes she is certainly ours: take her in fifteen and I promise you four months’ pay!”
As Constitution closed with GFuerriere from its windward side, an overeager Dacres ordered his crew to fire broadside after broadside at the approaching vessel. By and large, Hull held his fire, much to the consternation of Lieutenant Morris, who asked three times for permission to do so. British cannonballs struck the Constitution, but did little damage. After one particularly well-aimed British broadside bounced harmlessly off Constitution‘s hull, a crew member is reported to have exclaimed, “Hurrah, her sides are made of iron,” or words to that effect. No matter. A legend was born, and “Old Ironsides” she became.
Finally, with the two ships but twenty-five yards apart, Hull ordered his first broadside of double-shot — both a canonball and a canister of grape — from his starboard guns. The effect on the Guerriere at such close range was dreadful, and the cheers of the British seamen quickly quieted into moans of pain. Constitution fired again and again, and then crossed Guerriere’s bow and brought her port guns to bear in equally devastating fashion. Hull, who was rather short and stocky, became so animated that he split the seat clean out of his breeches, an event that did as much for the morale of his crew as the obvious damage being inflicted on Guerriere. When another broadside raked Guerriere and toppled her mizzenmast, Hull ignored his breeches and shouted above the roar, “Huzza, my boys! We’ve made a brig of her.”
The fallen mizzenmast acted as a huge rudder and had the effect of slowing Guerriere and swinging her to starboard despite the efforts of her helmsman. Constitution surged ahead and attempted to cross her bow again, but this time Hull cut the maneuver too close and the Guerriere‘s bowsprit became entangled in the rigging of the Constitution‘s mizzenmast. The Constitution poured yet another broadside into the starboard bow of the Guerriere while the Guerriere‘s own bow guns landed shots that set fire to Captain Hull’s cabin. Trumpets sounded on both ships to summon boarding parties, while marine marksmen in the rigging of both ships added deadly small-arms fire to the melee. Aboard Constitution, Lieutenant Morris fell critically wounded as he prepared to lead a boarding party.
Then Guerriere‘s foremast fell with a splintering crash that took most of her mainmast with it. The ship shuddered and lost most of its forward momentum. Constitution continued under sail and broke loose from the grip of Guerriere‘s bowsprit. With Guerriere almost dead in the water, Constitution drew apart and prepared to rake her fore and aft with still more broadsides. Suddenly the British frigate fired a shot to leeward — in the opposite direction of the Constitution. With no flags left to strike, Captain Dacres, who himself had been wounded, was signaling his surrender.
Captain Hull sent Lieutenant George C. Read aboard Guerriere to ascertain the situation. Stepping across decks slippery with blood, young Read confronted Dacres amid the carnage of his quarterdeck and inquired, “Captain Hull presents his compliments, sir, and wishes to know if you have struck your flag?” To this, Dacres is said to have replied, “Well, I don’t know. Our mizzen mast is gone, our fore and main masts are gone — I think on the whole you might say we have struck our flag.”
Dacres was escorted aboard Constitution to confront Hull, who refused Dacres’s tender of his sword, supposedly saying that he could not take the sword of one who had defended his ship so gallantly. Then Hull asked if there was anything on the Guerriere that Dacres wished to have brought aboard. “Yes,” Dacres replied, “my mother’s Bible.” Hull ordered it retrieved.
Constitution had sustained losses of seven killed and seven wounded to British losses of fifteen killed and seventy-eight wounded — the latter number due in no small measure to Captain Hull’s use of grapeshot at close range. Hull hoped to tow the Guerriere into port as a prize, but by dawn the next morning there was four feet of water in her hold. By midafternoon Hull recalled his prize crew and ordered her blown up. In transferring the crew of Guerriere to the Constitution, Hull found that there were ten impressed Americans aboard — a graphic example of one of the war’s causes. Dacres clearly knew of it because he had graciously permitted the Americans to go belowdecks rather than fight against their countrymen.
Hey, the American soldiers were a lot less impressed by the British after the Battle of New Orleans.
hahahahahahaha
Enter Ken, stage left, wearing jacket, waistcoat, pocket watch and gold chain, plus pince-nez. Harrumphs and reads from notes:
Bornemann’s version is contradicted by a version presented in John van Duyn Southworth’s War at Sea series (it’s actually Volume 2, Age of Sail: I have vols. 2 & 3, but not 1 & 4, they’re available used but are often pretty dear).
I don’t have it secreted about my person, so I’ll paraphrase, but this is my memory we’re talking about…. :-p
According to Southworth, it was a crewman on Constitution who said “Hurrah, boys, we’ve made a brig of her! Give her another and make her a sloop!”
Hull is supposed to have said, “No! Fire at the waterline, where the yellow stripe is! Hull her, boys!”
On another topic, double-shotting often refers to double round shot, and was used in situations where the first shots would be fired at very close range. Some captains would even load two balls and grape besides. I don’t have any reason to doubt Bornemann’s account here, but I believe it’s the first specific reference I’ve read regarding what Hull loaded in this engagement.
Exeunt