Andrew Sterett
Encyclopedia
Andrew Sterett was an officer in the United States Navy
during the nation's early days. He saw combat during the Quasi-War
with France and in the Barbary Wars
, commanding the schooner USS Enterprise
in both conflicts.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he was the son of John Sterett, a former Revolutionary War
captain and a successful shipping merchant. The fourth of ten children, Andrew Sterett nevertheless inherited a sizable amount of money. Despite this, he resolved to join the Navy, and was commissioned as a lieutenant on 25 March 1798.
, under Captain Thomas Truxtun
, which was sent to do battle with French
vessels during the Quasi-War
. Sterett was commanding a gun battery when Constellation defeated and captured the French frigate
Insurgente on 9 February 1799. Insurgente lost 29 dead and 41 wounded; the only American loss was a man run through by Lieutenant Sterett's saber for deserting his gun early in the battle.
During the battle, Sterett summarily executed a seaman, Neal Harvey, for having abandoned his post in a panic. Upon Constellation' s arrival back in Baltimore, the anti-federalist press, who opposed the military in general and the Quasi-War in particular, seized upon this incident as an example of the Navy's "arrogance and cold-bloodedness". The objections intensified when Sterett was heard to say, "We put men to death for even looking pale on this ship." The Navy saw things quite differently, and soon promoted Sterett to the rank of First Lieutenant.
A year later, Sterett was involved in a battle to a draw with the 54-gun French frigate Vengeance. Soon afterward, he took command of the schooner
USS Enterprise
where he remained through the end of the Quasi-War, capturing the privateer Amour de la Patrie on 24 December 1800.
in June, 1801 as part of a force under Commodore Richard Dale
, in the first stages of the Barbary Wars
.
On 1 August 1801, Enterprise under Sterett's command handily defeated
the 14-gun Tripoli, a Tripoli
tan corsair
. After twice faking surrender, Tripoli suffered 30 dead and 30 wounded, including the Captain, Rais Mahomet Rous, and the first officer. Enterprise suffered no casualties.
Since there was no formal declaration of war, Enterprise was under orders not to take prizes. After her crew was ordered to dump its guns overboard, Tripoli was allowed to sail home, where her captain was humiliated and punished.
Enterprise was sent back to Baltimore with dispatches after this engagement. While there, on the recommendation of Congress
, Sterett was presented by President
Thomas Jefferson
with a sword in gratitude of the victory over the Tripoli. Enterprise' s crew was also rewarded with an extra month's pay. The ship returned to the Mediterranean in November 1802.
Sterett turned over command of the Enterprise to Stephen Decatur
in April 1803. He was then promoted to Master Commandant
and offered the command of a brig
which was under construction.
in his honor.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during the nation's early days. He saw combat during the Quasi-War
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...
with France and in the Barbary Wars
Barbary Wars
The Barbary Wars were a series of wars between the United States of America and the Barbary States of North Africa in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At issue was the Barbary pirates' demand of tribute from American merchant vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. If ships failed to pay, pirates...
, commanding the schooner USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (1799)
The third USS Enterprise, a schooner, was built by Henry Spencer at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1799, and placed under the command of Lieutenant John Shaw...
in both conflicts.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he was the son of John Sterett, a former Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
captain and a successful shipping merchant. The fourth of ten children, Andrew Sterett nevertheless inherited a sizable amount of money. Despite this, he resolved to join the Navy, and was commissioned as a lieutenant on 25 March 1798.
The Quasi-War
Sterett's first assignment was as Third Lieutenant of the USS ConstellationUSS Constellation (1797)
USS Constellation was a 38-gun frigate, one of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794. She was distinguished as the first U.S. Navy vessel to put to sea and the first U.S. Navy vessel to engage and defeat an enemy vessel...
, under Captain Thomas Truxtun
Thomas Truxtun
Thomas Truxtun was an American naval officer who rose to the rank of commodore.Born near Hempstead, New York on Long Island, Truxtun had little formal education before joining the crew of the British merchant ship Pitt at the age of twelve...
, which was sent to do battle with French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
vessels during the Quasi-War
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...
. Sterett was commanding a gun battery when Constellation defeated and captured the French frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
Insurgente on 9 February 1799. Insurgente lost 29 dead and 41 wounded; the only American loss was a man run through by Lieutenant Sterett's saber for deserting his gun early in the battle.
During the battle, Sterett summarily executed a seaman, Neal Harvey, for having abandoned his post in a panic. Upon Constellation
A year later, Sterett was involved in a battle to a draw with the 54-gun French frigate Vengeance. Soon afterward, he took command of the schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
USS Enterprise
USS Enterprise (1799)
The third USS Enterprise, a schooner, was built by Henry Spencer at Baltimore, Maryland, in 1799, and placed under the command of Lieutenant John Shaw...
where he remained through the end of the Quasi-War, capturing the privateer Amour de la Patrie on 24 December 1800.
The Barbary Wars
After resupplying in Baltimore, Sterett sailed Enterprise to the Barbary CoastBarbary Coast
The Barbary Coast, or Barbary, was the term used by Europeans from the 16th until the 19th century to refer to much of the collective land of the Berber people. Today, the terms Maghreb and "Tamazgha" correspond roughly to "Barbary"...
in June, 1801 as part of a force under Commodore Richard Dale
Richard Dale
Richard Dale fought in the Continental Navy under John Barry and was first lieutenant for John Paul Jones during the naval battle off of Flamborough Head, England against the HMS Serapis in the celebrated engagement of...
, in the first stages of the Barbary Wars
Barbary Wars
The Barbary Wars were a series of wars between the United States of America and the Barbary States of North Africa in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At issue was the Barbary pirates' demand of tribute from American merchant vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. If ships failed to pay, pirates...
.
On 1 August 1801, Enterprise under Sterett's command handily defeated
Action of 1 August 1801
The Action of 1 August 1801 was a single-ship action of the First Barbary War fought between the American schooner and the Tripolitan polacca Tripoli off the coast of modern-day Libya....
the 14-gun Tripoli, a Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
tan corsair
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
. After twice faking surrender, Tripoli suffered 30 dead and 30 wounded, including the Captain, Rais Mahomet Rous, and the first officer. Enterprise suffered no casualties.
Since there was no formal declaration of war, Enterprise was under orders not to take prizes. After her crew was ordered to dump its guns overboard, Tripoli was allowed to sail home, where her captain was humiliated and punished.
Enterprise was sent back to Baltimore with dispatches after this engagement. While there, on the recommendation of Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, Sterett was presented by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
with a sword in gratitude of the victory over the Tripoli. Enterprise
Sterett turned over command of the Enterprise to Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur, Jr. , was an American naval officer notable for his many naval victories in the early 19th century. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Worcester county, the son of a U.S. Naval Officer who served during the American Revolution. Shortly after attending college Decatur...
in April 1803. He was then promoted to Master Commandant
Master Commandant
Master commandant was a rank within the early United States Navy. The rank of master commandant was slightly higher than lieutenant, and a master commandant would often command warships too small to justify the command of a full captain. In the United States Navy, the rank was shortened to...
and offered the command of a brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
which was under construction.
Resignation and last years
Sterett had been senior in rank to Decatur, but due to their comparative length of service, as of 1803, Decatur was selected to be promoted above Sterett. Sterett therefore resigned from the Navy, on 29 June 1805, to join the merchant marine. He died in Lima, Peru at the age of twenty-nine.Legacy
Four ships of the United States Navy have been named USS SterettUSS Sterett
Four ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Sterett in honor of Master Commandant Andrew Sterett , who served during the Quasi-War with France and the Barbary Wars....
in his honor.
Further reading
- London, Joshua E. Victory in Tripoli: How America's How America's War with the Barbary Pirates Established the U.S. Navy and Shaped a Nation. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2005. ISBN 0-471-44415-4.