The Second War with England, Vol. 1 of 2Headley, Joel Tyler
History
The Second War with England, Vol. 1 of 2
Headley, Joel Tyler
United States -- History -- War of 1812
hazard, and on the morning of the 1st of June, stood boldly out to
sea. At four o'clock he overhauled the Shannon, and fired a gun, which
made her heave to. The Chesapeake, now about thirty miles from land,
came down under easy sail, receiving the fire of the enemy as she
approached. Captain Lawrence having determined to lay the vessel
alongside and make a yard-arm to yard-arm fight of it, reserved his
fire until every gun bore, when he delivered a destructive broadside.
The clouds of smoke as they puffed out upon the sea and rolled upward,
thrilled the hearts of the hundreds of spectators that crowned the dim
highlands around Boston harbor. For a few minutes the cannonading was
terrific, but some of the rigging of the Chesapeake being cut to
pieces one of the sails got loose and blew out, which brought the ship
into the wind. Then taking sternway she backed on her enemy, and the
rigging and an anchor becoming entangled, she could not get off. This,
of course, exposed her to a raking fire, which swept her decks.
Captain Lawrence, during the conflict, had received a wound in the
leg, while several of his officers were killed. When he found that his
vessel would inevitably fall aboard that of the enemy, he ordered the
drums to summon the boarders. But a negro bugleman attempting to
perform this duty was so frightened that he could not blow a note, and
verbal orders were distributed. In the mean time, Lawrence fell
mortally wounded. Carried below, his last words were "Don't give up
the ship," a motto which Perry soon after carried emblazoned on his
flag as he passed from his helpless, dismantled ship, through the
enemy's fire, to the Niagara. With his fall ceased all efforts to
carry the Shannon by boarding. The commander of the latter finding
the quarter-deck guns of the Chesapeake abandoned, gave the orders to
board, and the flag which had never yet been struck to anything like
an equal foe, was hauled down. The destruction on board the American
ship after she fell foul of the enemy was frightful. The entire battle
lasted but twelve minutes, and yet in that short time a hundred and
forty-six of her officers and crew were killed or wounded. The loss of
the Shannon was twenty-three killed and fifty-six wounded. This
victory of the British was tarnished by the brutal conduct of
Lieutenant Faulkener, who took command of the prize. The testimony of
the surviving officers proved him unworthy to serve under the gallant
commander who had so nobly fought his ship.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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