264. _Constitution_ and _Guerrière_, 1812.--For some time Hull cruised about in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. One day he sighted a British frigate--the _Guerrière_--one of the ships that had chased the _Constitution_. But now that Hull found her alone, he steered straight for her. In thirty minutes from the firing of the first gun the _Guerrière_ was a ruinous wreck. All of her masts and spars were shot away and most of her crew were killed or wounded. The _Constitution_ was only slightly injured, and was soon ready to fight another British frigate, had there been one to fight. Indeed, the surgeons of the _Constitution_ went on board of the _Guerrière_ to help dress the wounds of the British seamen. The _Guerrière_ was a little smaller than the _Constitution_ and had smaller guns. But the real reason for this great victory was that the American ship and the American guns were very much better handled than were the British ship and the British guns. [Sidenote: _Wasp_ and the _Frolic_] [Sidenote: Effect of these victories.] 265. The _Wasp_ and the _Frolic_, 1812.--At almost the same time the American ship _Wasp_ captured the British brig _Frolic_. The _Wasp_ had three masts, and the _Frolic_ had only two masts. But the two vessels were really of about the same size, as the American ship was only five feet longer than her enemy, and had the lighter guns. In a few minutes after the beginning of the fight the _Frolic_ was a shattered hulk, with only one sound man on her deck. Soon after the conflict a British battleship came up and captured both the _Wasp_ and her prize. The effect of these victories of the _Constitution_ and the _Wasp_ was tremendous. Before the war British naval officers had called the _Constitution_ "a bundle of sticks." Now it was thought to be no longer safe for British frigates to sail the seas alone. They must go in pairs to protect each other from "Old Ironsides." Before long the _Constitution_, now commanded by Captain Bainbridge, had captured the British frigate _Java_, and the frigate _United States_, Captain Decatur, had taken the British ship _Macedonian_. On the other hand, the _Chesapeake_ was captured by the _Shannon_. This victory gave great satisfaction to the British. But Captain Lawrence's last words, "Don't give up the ship," have always been a glorious inspiration to American sailors. [Sidenote: Plan of campaign, 1814.] [Sidenote: Battle of Lundy's Lane, 1814.]