Battle of Boston Harbor
Encyclopedia
The Capture of USS Chesapeake, or the Battle of Boston Harbor, was fought on 1 June 1813, between HMS Shannon
and the USS Chesapeake
, as part of the War of 1812
. Shannon won the battle, and Chesapeake was captured, in a pitched battle in which over 80 men were killed.
At Boston, Captain James Lawrence
took command of Chesapeake on 20 May 1813, and on 1 June, put to sea to meet the waiting HMS Shannon, the frigate whose written challenge had just missed Chesapeakes sailing. During six minutes of firing, the vessels fired two full broadside
s; 362 shots struck Chesapeake, while 258 struck Shannon. Chesapeake suffered early in the exchange of broadsides, having her wheel shot away, costing her her maneuverability. Lawrence himself was mortally wounded and was carried below. The crew struggled to carry out their captain's last order, "Don't give up the ship!", but the British boarding party overwhelmed them. The battle lasted thirteen minutes, killing or wounding 252 men. Shannons Captain Broke was severely injured in fighting on the forecastle. Chesapeake and her crew were taken to Halifax
, Nova Scotia
where the sailors were imprisoned; the ship was repaired and taken into service by the Royal Navy
. She was sold at Portsmouth
, England in 1820 and broken up. Surviving timbers were used to build the nearby Chesapeake Mill
in Wickham and can be seen and visited to this day.
In addition to these gunnery drills, Broke was fond of preparing hypothetical scenarios to test his crew. For example, after all hands had been drummed to quarters, he would inform them of a theoretical attack and see how they would act to defend the ship. He would also arrange on occasion for a wooden cask to be sent over the side so competitions could be held to see which crew could hit it and how fast they could do so. A game called 'singlestick' was also devised and practised. "This was a game employing roughly similar thrusts and parries as were used with cutlass, but as it was played with blunt sticks, hits, although painful, were not often dangerous. It soon developed quickness of eye and wrist."
Eager to engage and defeat one of the American frigates that had already scored a number of victories over the Royal Navy in single ship confrontations, Broke prepared a challenge. The USS President
had already slipped out of the harbour under the cover of fog and had evaded the British. The Constitution was undergoing extensive repairs and alterations and would not be ready for sea in the foreseeable future. However, the Chesapeake appeared to be ready to put to sea. Consequently Broke decided to send his challenge to the USS Chesapeake, which had been refitting in Boston
harbour under the command of Captain James Lawrence
, offering single ship combat. Whilst patrolling offshore, the Shannon had intercepted and captured a number of American ships attempting to reach the harbour. After sending two of them off to Halifax, he found that his crew was being dangerously reduced. Broke therefore resorted to burning the rest of the prizes in order to conserve his highly trained crew in anticipation of the battle with the Chesapeake. The boats from the burnt prizes were sent into Boston, carrying Broke's oral invitation to Lawrence to come out and engage him. He had already sent the Tenedos away in the hope that the more favourable odds would entice the American out, but eventually began to despair that the Chesapeake would ever come out of the harbour. He finally decided to send a written challenge.
Captain Lawrence did not in fact receive Broke's letter and according to author Ian W. Toll, would it have made the slightest difference, he would sail USS Chesapeake at the 1st day of favorable weather. The fact that it wasn't in his nation's interests at this point in the war to be challenging British frigates seems to have not entered into his reasoning either, USS President had in fact slipped out of harbor in foul weather to commerce raid which was deemed in the US national self interest. Half of the officers and up to one quarter of the crew were new to the ship. No practice at small arms nor of the main battery been exercised. Despite this Lawrence believed that he would win the battle and wrote 2 quick notes one to the Secretary of the Navy pronouncing his intentions and another to his brother in-law asking him to look after his wife and children in event of his death.
By now the Shannon had been off Boston for 56 days and was running short of provisions, whilst the extended period at sea was wearing the ship down. She would be even more at a disadvantage facing the Chesapeake, fresh from harbour and a refit. A boat was despatched carrying the invitation, manned by a Mr Slocum, a discharged American prisoner. The boat had not reached the shore when the Chesapeake was seen underway, sailing out of the harbour.Fowler 1984. p. 205 She was flying three American ensigns and a large white flag at the foremast inscribed 'Free Trade and Sailor's Rights'.Fowler 1984, p. 206 Shannon carried 276 officers, seamen and marines of her proper complement; eight recaptured seamen; 22 Irish labourers who had been 48 hours in the ship, and of whom only four could speak English, and 24 boys, of whom about 13 were under 12 years of age. Broke had trained his gun crews to fire accurate broadsides into the hulls of enemy vessels, with the aim of killing their gun crews, rather than shooting down the masts. Lawrence meanwhile was confident in his ship, especially since she carried a substantially larger crew. Meanwhile the previous American victories over Royal Navy ships left him expectant of success. Just before the engagement, the American crew gave three cheers.
The two ships therefore had in one another about as close a match as could exist in a state of war. The USS Chesapeake's (rated at 38 guns) armament of 28 18 lb'r long guns was an exact match for HMS Shannon. Measurements proved the ships to be about the same deck length and in fact the only difference being the ships complements Chesapeake's 379 against the Shannon's 330.
and Cape Cod
. Shannon was flying a rusty blue ensign
and her dilapidated outside appearance after a long period at sea suggested that she would be an easy opponent. Observing the Chesapeake’s many flags, a sailor had questioned Broke: "Mayn't we have three ensigns, sir, like she has?" "No," said Broke, "we've always been an unassuming ship." HMS Shannon refused to fire upon USS Chesapeake as she bore down, nor would USS Chesapeake rake HMS Shannon despite having the weather gauge. Lawrence's behavior that day earned him praise from the British officers for gallantry. The two ships opened fire just before 18:00 at a range of about 35 metres, with Shannon scoring the first hit, striking the Chesapeake on one of her gunports with two round shot and a bag of musket balls fired by William Mindham, the gun captain of one of Shannon’s starboard 18-pounders. Two or three further broadsides followed which swept the Chesapeake’s decks with grape and roundshot from Shannon’s 32-pounder carronade
s. The Chesapeake fell on board Shannon, lying athwart her starboard bow, trapped by one of Shannon’s anchors.
Shannon now opened fire on the Chesapeake’s maindeck with her after guns firing through the Chesapeake’s port holes. The Chesapeake’s wheel was then shot away and her helmsman killed by a 9-pounder gun that Broke had ordered installed on the quarter deck for that very purpose. Trapped against the Shannon and unable to manoeuvre away, the stern now became exposed and was swept by raking British fire
. Her situation worsened when a small open cask of musket
cartridges abaft the mizzen-mast blew up. When the smoke cleared, Captain Broke judged the time was right and gave the order to board. Captain Lawrence also gave the order to board but the frightened bugler aboard the Chesapeake failed to sound the call, and only those near Lawrence heard his command. Lawrence was mortally wounded directly after issuing the order. The few Americans who heard him fell back from their cannon to arm themselves for hand-to-hand combat, but the British interpreted this as disorderly retreat, and gained courage.
attempted to lash the two ships together to prevent the Chesapeake from disengaging and escaping, and lost an arm as he did so. A party of small-arm men rushed aboard the Chesapeake, led by Broke and including the purser
, Mr G. Aldham, and the clerk, Mr John Dunn. Aldham and Dunn were killed as they crossed the gangway, but the rest of the party made it onto the Chesapeake.
Meanwhile, the First lieutenant, Mr George T. L. Watt, had attempted to hoist the British colours over the Chesapeake, but was hit in the forehead by grapeshot as he did so. Fighting had now broken out along the top-masts of the ships as rival sharpshooters fired upon their opponents in their rival's masts, and on the sailors on the exposed decks. The British marksmen, led by midshipman William Smith, who had command of the fore-top, stormed the Chesapeake’s fore-top over the yard-arm and had killed all the Americans there. Captain Broke himself led a charge against a number of the Americans who had managed to rally on the forecastle
. After four minutes of fierce fighting, the Americans called for quarter, but finding themselves superior in numbers to the British, they rallied and counter attacked. Three American sailors, probably from the rigging, descended and attacked Captain Broke. Taken by surprise, he killed the first, but the second hit him with a musket which stunned him, whilst the third sliced open his skull with his sabre, knocking him to the deck. Before he could finish Broke off, he was cut down by William Mindham, and the Shannon’s crew rallied to the defence of their captain and carried the forecastle, killing the remaining Americans.
Broke handed over command of the Shannon to Lieutenant Wallis
. Though wounded, Broke was able to save the life of a young American midshipman
who had slid down a rope from the fore-top. With American resistance weakening, Lieutenant Charles Leslie Falkiner who had commanded the boarders who had rushed the main-deck, took command of the prize. Whilst the two yard-arms had been locked together, Mr Cosnaham, who had commanded the main-top, had crawled out on the main yard-arm where he could fire down onto the Chesapeake, killing three of her men.
was found open on Chesapeake’s forecastle and another bag of lime was discovered in the fore-top. British sailors alleged the intention was to throw handfuls into the eyes of Shannon’s men in an unfair and dishonourable manner as they attempted to board, though that was never done by the Chesapeake’s crew, and the historian Albert Gleaves has called the allegation "absurd," noting, "Lime is always carried in ship's stores as a disinfectant, and the fact that it was left on the deck after the ship was cleared for action was probably due to the neglect of some subordinate, or petty officer." Shannon’s midshipmen during the action were Messers. Smith, Leake, Clavering, Raymond, Littlejohn and Samwell. Samwell was the only other officer to be wounded in the action. Mr Etough was the acting master, and conned the ship into the action. Shortly after the frigate had been secured, Broke fainted from loss of blood and was rowed back to the Shannon to be attended to by the ship's surgeon. After the victory, a prize crew was put aboard the Chesapeake and the Shannon escorted her and her crew into Halifax, arriving there on 6 June. There the sailors were imprisoned and the ship was repaired and taken into service by the Royal Navy. The Chesapeake was sold at Portsmouth, England in 1820 and broken up.
As the first major victory in the naval war for the British, the capture raised the shaken morale of the Royal Navy. After setting out on 5 September for a brief cruise under a Captain Teahouse, the Shannon departed for England on 4 October, carrying the recovering Captain Broke. They arrived at Portsmouth
on 2 November. After the successful action Lieutenants Wallis and Falkiner were promoted to the rank of commander, and Messrs. Etough and Smith were made lieutenants. Captain Broke was made a Baronet
that September. The Court of Common Council of London
awarded him the freedom of the city
, and a sword worth 100 guinea
s. He also received a piece of plate
worth 750 pounds and a cup worth 100 guineas. Captain Lawrence was buried in Halifax with full military honors with six British Naval Officers serving as pall bearers. Captain Broke never again commanded a ship, his head wound from a cutlass stroke had been pronounced fatal by the ship's surgeon though he survived it. The casualties were heavy. The British lost 23 killed and 56 wounded. The Americans lost 48 killed and 99 wounded. 228 dead or wounded between the 2 ship's companies, and another 23 would die of wounds in the next two weeks. In ratio this was one of the bloodiest ship to ship actions of the age of sail. By comparison, suffered fewer casualties during the whole of the Battle of Trafalgar. The entire action lasted a total of 15 minutes speaking to the ferocity of the fighting.
by Patrick O'Brian
. It is discussed briefly, with reference to the court martial of Third Lieutenant William Sitgreaves Cox, in Robert A. Heinlein
's Starship Troopers
. This engagement also became the subject of a well-known British sea shanty
, "The Chesapeke and the Shannon".
HMS Shannon (1806)
HMS Shannon was a 38-gun Leda-class frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1806 and served in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812...
and the USS Chesapeake
USS Chesapeake (1799)
USS Chesapeake was a 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was one of the original six frigates whose construction was authorized by the Naval Act of 1794. Joshua Humphreys designed these frigates to be the young navy's capital ships...
, as part of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. Shannon won the battle, and Chesapeake was captured, in a pitched battle in which over 80 men were killed.
At Boston, Captain James Lawrence
James Lawrence
James Lawrence was an American naval officer. During the War of 1812, he commanded the USS Chesapeake in a single-ship action against HMS Shannon...
took command of Chesapeake on 20 May 1813, and on 1 June, put to sea to meet the waiting HMS Shannon, the frigate whose written challenge had just missed Chesapeakes sailing. During six minutes of firing, the vessels fired two full broadside
Broadside
A broadside is the side of a ship; the battery of cannon on one side of a warship; or their simultaneous fire in naval warfare.-Age of Sail:...
s; 362 shots struck Chesapeake, while 258 struck Shannon. Chesapeake suffered early in the exchange of broadsides, having her wheel shot away, costing her her maneuverability. Lawrence himself was mortally wounded and was carried below. The crew struggled to carry out their captain's last order, "Don't give up the ship!", but the British boarding party overwhelmed them. The battle lasted thirteen minutes, killing or wounding 252 men. Shannons Captain Broke was severely injured in fighting on the forecastle. Chesapeake and her crew were taken to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
where the sailors were imprisoned; the ship was repaired and taken into service by the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. She was sold at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
, England in 1820 and broken up. Surviving timbers were used to build the nearby Chesapeake Mill
Chesapeake Mill
The Chesapeake Mill is a watermill in Wickham, Hampshire, England. The mill was designed and constructed in 1820 using the timbers of HMS Chesapeake, which had previously been the United States Navy frigate . Chesapeake had been captured by the Royal Navy frigate during the War of 1812. John Prior...
in Wickham and can be seen and visited to this day.
Issuing a challenge
During his long period in command of Shannon, Broke had drilled his crew to an extremely high standard of naval gunnery.In addition to these gunnery drills, Broke was fond of preparing hypothetical scenarios to test his crew. For example, after all hands had been drummed to quarters, he would inform them of a theoretical attack and see how they would act to defend the ship. He would also arrange on occasion for a wooden cask to be sent over the side so competitions could be held to see which crew could hit it and how fast they could do so. A game called 'singlestick' was also devised and practised. "This was a game employing roughly similar thrusts and parries as were used with cutlass, but as it was played with blunt sticks, hits, although painful, were not often dangerous. It soon developed quickness of eye and wrist."
Eager to engage and defeat one of the American frigates that had already scored a number of victories over the Royal Navy in single ship confrontations, Broke prepared a challenge. The USS President
USS President
USS President may refer to:, was a 44-gun frigate launched in 1800 and captured by the Royal Navy in 1815. She was then taken into their service as HMS President., was a 12-gun sloop purchased in 1812 that the British captured in 1814. She served simultaneously with, but separately from, the first...
had already slipped out of the harbour under the cover of fog and had evaded the British. The Constitution was undergoing extensive repairs and alterations and would not be ready for sea in the foreseeable future. However, the Chesapeake appeared to be ready to put to sea. Consequently Broke decided to send his challenge to the USS Chesapeake, which had been refitting in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
harbour under the command of Captain James Lawrence
James Lawrence
James Lawrence was an American naval officer. During the War of 1812, he commanded the USS Chesapeake in a single-ship action against HMS Shannon...
, offering single ship combat. Whilst patrolling offshore, the Shannon had intercepted and captured a number of American ships attempting to reach the harbour. After sending two of them off to Halifax, he found that his crew was being dangerously reduced. Broke therefore resorted to burning the rest of the prizes in order to conserve his highly trained crew in anticipation of the battle with the Chesapeake. The boats from the burnt prizes were sent into Boston, carrying Broke's oral invitation to Lawrence to come out and engage him. He had already sent the Tenedos away in the hope that the more favourable odds would entice the American out, but eventually began to despair that the Chesapeake would ever come out of the harbour. He finally decided to send a written challenge.
Captain Lawrence did not in fact receive Broke's letter and according to author Ian W. Toll, would it have made the slightest difference, he would sail USS Chesapeake at the 1st day of favorable weather. The fact that it wasn't in his nation's interests at this point in the war to be challenging British frigates seems to have not entered into his reasoning either, USS President had in fact slipped out of harbor in foul weather to commerce raid which was deemed in the US national self interest. Half of the officers and up to one quarter of the crew were new to the ship. No practice at small arms nor of the main battery been exercised. Despite this Lawrence believed that he would win the battle and wrote 2 quick notes one to the Secretary of the Navy pronouncing his intentions and another to his brother in-law asking him to look after his wife and children in event of his death.
By now the Shannon had been off Boston for 56 days and was running short of provisions, whilst the extended period at sea was wearing the ship down. She would be even more at a disadvantage facing the Chesapeake, fresh from harbour and a refit. A boat was despatched carrying the invitation, manned by a Mr Slocum, a discharged American prisoner. The boat had not reached the shore when the Chesapeake was seen underway, sailing out of the harbour.Fowler 1984. p. 205 She was flying three American ensigns and a large white flag at the foremast inscribed 'Free Trade and Sailor's Rights'.Fowler 1984, p. 206 Shannon carried 276 officers, seamen and marines of her proper complement; eight recaptured seamen; 22 Irish labourers who had been 48 hours in the ship, and of whom only four could speak English, and 24 boys, of whom about 13 were under 12 years of age. Broke had trained his gun crews to fire accurate broadsides into the hulls of enemy vessels, with the aim of killing their gun crews, rather than shooting down the masts. Lawrence meanwhile was confident in his ship, especially since she carried a substantially larger crew. Meanwhile the previous American victories over Royal Navy ships left him expectant of success. Just before the engagement, the American crew gave three cheers.
The two ships therefore had in one another about as close a match as could exist in a state of war. The USS Chesapeake's (rated at 38 guns) armament of 28 18 lb'r long guns was an exact match for HMS Shannon. Measurements proved the ships to be about the same deck length and in fact the only difference being the ships complements Chesapeake's 379 against the Shannon's 330.
Initial engagement
The two ships met at half past five in the afternoon, 20 nautical miles (37 km) east of Boston lighthouse, between Cape AnnCape Ann
Cape Ann is a rocky cape in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. The cape is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Boston and forms the northern edge of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester, and the towns of Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and...
and Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
. Shannon was flying a rusty blue ensign
Blue Ensign
The Blue Ensign is a flag, one of several British ensigns, used by certain organisations or territories associated with the United Kingdom. It is used either plain, or defaced with a badge or other emblem....
and her dilapidated outside appearance after a long period at sea suggested that she would be an easy opponent. Observing the Chesapeake’s many flags, a sailor had questioned Broke: "Mayn't we have three ensigns, sir, like she has?" "No," said Broke, "we've always been an unassuming ship." HMS Shannon refused to fire upon USS Chesapeake as she bore down, nor would USS Chesapeake rake HMS Shannon despite having the weather gauge. Lawrence's behavior that day earned him praise from the British officers for gallantry. The two ships opened fire just before 18:00 at a range of about 35 metres, with Shannon scoring the first hit, striking the Chesapeake on one of her gunports with two round shot and a bag of musket balls fired by William Mindham, the gun captain of one of Shannon’s starboard 18-pounders. Two or three further broadsides followed which swept the Chesapeake’s decks with grape and roundshot from Shannon’s 32-pounder carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
s. The Chesapeake fell on board Shannon, lying athwart her starboard bow, trapped by one of Shannon’s anchors.
Shannon now opened fire on the Chesapeake’s maindeck with her after guns firing through the Chesapeake’s port holes. The Chesapeake’s wheel was then shot away and her helmsman killed by a 9-pounder gun that Broke had ordered installed on the quarter deck for that very purpose. Trapped against the Shannon and unable to manoeuvre away, the stern now became exposed and was swept by raking British fire
Raking fire
In naval warfare, raking fire is fire directed parallel to the long axis of an enemy ship. Although each shot is directed against a smaller target profile than by shooting broadside and thus more likely to miss the target ship to one side or the other, an individual cannon shot that hits will pass...
. Her situation worsened when a small open cask of musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
cartridges abaft the mizzen-mast blew up. When the smoke cleared, Captain Broke judged the time was right and gave the order to board. Captain Lawrence also gave the order to board but the frightened bugler aboard the Chesapeake failed to sound the call, and only those near Lawrence heard his command. Lawrence was mortally wounded directly after issuing the order. The few Americans who heard him fell back from their cannon to arm themselves for hand-to-hand combat, but the British interpreted this as disorderly retreat, and gained courage.
The British board
Mr Stevens, the boatswainBoatswain
A boatswain , bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews...
attempted to lash the two ships together to prevent the Chesapeake from disengaging and escaping, and lost an arm as he did so. A party of small-arm men rushed aboard the Chesapeake, led by Broke and including the purser
Purser
The purser joined the warrant officer ranks of the Royal Navy in the early fourteenth century and existed as a Naval rank until 1852. The development of the warrant officer system began in 1040 when five English ports began furnishing warships to King Edward the Confessor in exchange for certain...
, Mr G. Aldham, and the clerk, Mr John Dunn. Aldham and Dunn were killed as they crossed the gangway, but the rest of the party made it onto the Chesapeake.
"Captain Broke, at the head of not more twenty men, stepped from the rail of the waist-hammock netting to the muzzle of the after-carronade of the Chesapeake, and sprang from thence upon her quarterdeck."The main-deck was found to be empty, having been swept clear by Shannon’s broadsides. Broke and his men quickly advanced forward along the deck, whilst more British reinforcements leapt aboard.
Meanwhile, the First lieutenant, Mr George T. L. Watt, had attempted to hoist the British colours over the Chesapeake, but was hit in the forehead by grapeshot as he did so. Fighting had now broken out along the top-masts of the ships as rival sharpshooters fired upon their opponents in their rival's masts, and on the sailors on the exposed decks. The British marksmen, led by midshipman William Smith, who had command of the fore-top, stormed the Chesapeake’s fore-top over the yard-arm and had killed all the Americans there. Captain Broke himself led a charge against a number of the Americans who had managed to rally on the forecastle
Forecastle
Forecastle refers to the upper deck of a sailing ship forward of the foremast, or the forward part of a ship with the sailors' living quarters...
. After four minutes of fierce fighting, the Americans called for quarter, but finding themselves superior in numbers to the British, they rallied and counter attacked. Three American sailors, probably from the rigging, descended and attacked Captain Broke. Taken by surprise, he killed the first, but the second hit him with a musket which stunned him, whilst the third sliced open his skull with his sabre, knocking him to the deck. Before he could finish Broke off, he was cut down by William Mindham, and the Shannon’s crew rallied to the defence of their captain and carried the forecastle, killing the remaining Americans.
Broke handed over command of the Shannon to Lieutenant Wallis
Provo Wallis
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Provo William Perry Wallis, GCB was a Royal Navy officer and naval war hero. He was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and was 100 years old when he died....
. Though wounded, Broke was able to save the life of a young American midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
who had slid down a rope from the fore-top. With American resistance weakening, Lieutenant Charles Leslie Falkiner who had commanded the boarders who had rushed the main-deck, took command of the prize. Whilst the two yard-arms had been locked together, Mr Cosnaham, who had commanded the main-top, had crawled out on the main yard-arm where he could fire down onto the Chesapeake, killing three of her men.
The Chesapeake is taken
The British then secured the ship and took her surrender. The engagement had lasted just eleven minutes. Shannon had lost 23 killed, and had 56 wounded. Chesapeake had about 48 killed, including her four lieutenants, the master and many other of her officers, and 99 wounded. Captain Lawrence had been mortally wounded by fire from Shannon’s fore-top and was carried below before the Chesapeake was boarded. His last order upon being wounded was "Don't give up the ship!" A large cask of un-slaked limeCalcium oxide
Calcium oxide , commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature....
was found open on Chesapeake’s forecastle and another bag of lime was discovered in the fore-top. British sailors alleged the intention was to throw handfuls into the eyes of Shannon’s men in an unfair and dishonourable manner as they attempted to board, though that was never done by the Chesapeake’s crew, and the historian Albert Gleaves has called the allegation "absurd," noting, "Lime is always carried in ship's stores as a disinfectant, and the fact that it was left on the deck after the ship was cleared for action was probably due to the neglect of some subordinate, or petty officer." Shannon’s midshipmen during the action were Messers. Smith, Leake, Clavering, Raymond, Littlejohn and Samwell. Samwell was the only other officer to be wounded in the action. Mr Etough was the acting master, and conned the ship into the action. Shortly after the frigate had been secured, Broke fainted from loss of blood and was rowed back to the Shannon to be attended to by the ship's surgeon. After the victory, a prize crew was put aboard the Chesapeake and the Shannon escorted her and her crew into Halifax, arriving there on 6 June. There the sailors were imprisoned and the ship was repaired and taken into service by the Royal Navy. The Chesapeake was sold at Portsmouth, England in 1820 and broken up.
Aftermath
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
on 2 November. After the successful action Lieutenants Wallis and Falkiner were promoted to the rank of commander, and Messrs. Etough and Smith were made lieutenants. Captain Broke was made a Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
that September. The Court of Common Council of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
awarded him the freedom of the city
Freedom of the City
Freedom of the City is an honour bestowed by some municipalities in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Rhodesia to esteemed members of its community and to organisations to be honoured, often for service to the community;...
, and a sword worth 100 guinea
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
s. He also received a piece of plate
Plate (dishware)
A plate is a broad, concave, but mainly flat vessel on which food can be served. A plate can also be used for ceremonial or decorative purposes.-Materials:...
worth 750 pounds and a cup worth 100 guineas. Captain Lawrence was buried in Halifax with full military honors with six British Naval Officers serving as pall bearers. Captain Broke never again commanded a ship, his head wound from a cutlass stroke had been pronounced fatal by the ship's surgeon though he survived it. The casualties were heavy. The British lost 23 killed and 56 wounded. The Americans lost 48 killed and 99 wounded. 228 dead or wounded between the 2 ship's companies, and another 23 would die of wounds in the next two weeks. In ratio this was one of the bloodiest ship to ship actions of the age of sail. By comparison, suffered fewer casualties during the whole of the Battle of Trafalgar. The entire action lasted a total of 15 minutes speaking to the ferocity of the fighting.
In fiction
A fictionalized account of the battle appears in the novel The Fortune of WarThe Fortune of War
The Fortune of War is a historical novel written by British author Patrick O'Brian. It is the sixth book in the Aubrey-Maturin series, and is set during the War of 1812....
by Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian, CBE , born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series of novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and centred on the friendship of English Naval Captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish–Catalan physician Stephen...
. It is discussed briefly, with reference to the court martial of Third Lieutenant William Sitgreaves Cox, in Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
's Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers is a military science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, first published as a serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published hardcover in December, 1959.The first-person narrative is about a young soldier from the Philippines named Juan "Johnnie" Rico and his...
. This engagement also became the subject of a well-known British sea shanty
Sea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
, "The Chesapeke and the Shannon".