Chesapeake–Leopard Affair
Encyclopedia
The Chesapeake-Leopard Affair was a naval engagement which occurred off the coast of Norfolk
, Virginia
on June 22, 1807, between the British
warship HMS Leopard
and the American frigate
, the USS Chesapeake
, when the crew of the Leopard pursued, attacked and boarded the American frigate looking for deserters from the British Navy. The Chesapeake was caught off guard and in a state of unpreparedness and after a short battle involving broadsides from the Leopard, her commander James Barron
surrendered his vessel to the British after firing only one shot. Four crew members were removed from the American vessel and were tried for desertion, one of whom was promptly executed aboard the Leopard. The Chesapeake was allowed to return home where James Barron was consequently court martialed and suspended from command. This event contributed to the start of the War of 1812
.
, a number of British Navy warships were on duty on the American Station, blockading two French Third Rate warships in Chesapeake Bay
. Three British sailors, both of British and American birth, deserted and joined the crew of the Chesapeake. The men suspected were reported to be at the Gosport naval yard, then under the command of Stephen Decatur
. Decatur received a letter from the British consul with instructions to turn over the three men who were alleged to have deserted from the British ship Melampus and who had enlisted into the American Navy through the efforts of Lieutenant Sinclair who was recruiting crew members at Gosport for the Chesapeake which at the time in was in the Washington naval yard outfitting for her coming voyage to the Mediterranean.
Vice-Admiral Sir George Berkeley
dispatched the fourth-rate warship
Leopard to search for the frigate and recover the deserters.
, and was under the command of Commodore James Barron
. The Leopard, under the command of Salusbury Pryce Humphreys
, hailed and requested to search the Chesapeake. When the Chesapeake temporized, the Leopard suddenly began to fire broadsides, killing three aboard the vessel and injuring another 18 including Barron. The Chesapeake, her decks cluttered with stores in preparation for a long cruise, managed to fire only a single gun in reply to the Leopard. Barron struck his colors and surrendered his ship. Humphreys, however, refused the surrender, and instead sent a boarding party to search for the deserters.
The boarding party found four Royal Navy
deserters among the Chesapeake crew: Daniel Martin, John Strachan, and William Ware, run from ; and Jenkin Ratford, run from HMS Halifax
. Of the four, only Ratford was British-born; the other three sailors were American citizens who had served in the Royal Navy
.
Leopard carried the men to HMS Halifax for trial. The British citizen, Ratford, was sentenced to death and hanged from the yardarm of HMS Halifax on August 31, 1807. The three Americans were sentenced to 500 lashes each, but the sentence was later commuted.
The incident caused a storm of protest from the United States' government, and the British government eventually offered not only to return the three to the U.S. but also to pay reparations for damaging the Chesapeake.
In 1812, the schooner returned the last two of the alleged British deserters to Boston, one month after the outbreak of the War of 1812.
noted: "Never since the Battle of Lexington have I seen this country in such a state of exasperation." James Monroe, then a foreign minister acting under instructions from U.S. Secretary of State James Madison, demanded British disavowal of the deed, the restoration of the four seamen, the recall of Admiral Berkeley, the exclusion of British warships from U.S. territorial waters, and the abolition of impressments from vessels under the United States flag.
This event raised tensions between the two countries and, while possibly not a direct cause, can certainly be seen as one of the events leading up to the War of 1812
. Indeed, many Americans demanded war following the incident, but President Jefferson initially turned to diplomacy and economic pressure in the form of the ill-fated Embargo Act of 1807
.
The incident had significant repercussions for the U.S. Navy. The public was shocked that Chesapeake had put up little resistance and surrendered so quickly (even if the surrender was declined), calling into question the ability of its navy to defend the U.S. from a possible British invasion, despite its expensive and controversial frigate-building program. A court-martial placed the blame on Barron and suspended him from service for five years as punishment. He did return to service, however, after the five years.
In 1820, Commodore Barron challenged, and killed, fellow Commodore Stephen Decatur
in a duel
over comments that Decatur had made about Barron's conduct in 1807. (Barron was wounded). Decatur had served on the court-martial that found Barron guilty of being unprepared and that barred him from command for five years.
As for the Chesapeake herself: On 1 June 1813, during the War of 1812, after a long and surprising series of victories of United States' ships in combat with the Royal Navy, Chesapeake — then under the command of Captain James Lawrence
— was defeated and captured by the British frigate in a ship-to-ship action near Boston, and taken into service in the Royal Navy. She was sold out of the service in 1820, the same year in which Barron killed Decatur.
's novel, Desolation Island
, Jack Aubrey
commands the Leopard well after her victory.
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
on June 22, 1807, between the British
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...
warship HMS Leopard
HMS Leopard (1790)
HMS Leopard was a 50-gun Portland-class fourth rate of the Royal Navy. She served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812.-Construction and commissioning:...
and the American 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"...
, the USS Chesapeake
USS Chesapeake
Five ships of the United States Navy have been named Chesapeake after the Chesapeake Bay, the body of water along Maryland and Virginia., a 38-gun frigate in commission from 1800 to 1813...
, when the crew of the Leopard pursued, attacked and boarded the American frigate looking for deserters from the British Navy. The Chesapeake was caught off guard and in a state of unpreparedness and after a short battle involving broadsides from the Leopard, her commander James Barron
James Barron
James Barron was an officer in the United States Navy. Commander of the frigate USS Chesapeake, he was court-martialed for his actions on 22 June 1807, which led to the surrender of his ship to the British....
surrendered his vessel to the British after firing only one shot. Four crew members were removed from the American vessel and were tried for desertion, one of whom was promptly executed aboard the Leopard. The Chesapeake was allowed to return home where James Barron was consequently court martialed and suspended from command. This event contributed to the start 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...
.
Background
In early 1807, during the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
, a number of British Navy warships were on duty on the American Station, blockading two French Third Rate warships in Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. Three British sailors, both of British and American birth, deserted and joined the crew of the Chesapeake. The men suspected were reported to be at the Gosport naval yard, then under the command of 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...
. Decatur received a letter from the British consul with instructions to turn over the three men who were alleged to have deserted from the British ship Melampus and who had enlisted into the American Navy through the efforts of Lieutenant Sinclair who was recruiting crew members at Gosport for the Chesapeake which at the time in was in the Washington naval yard outfitting for her coming voyage to the Mediterranean.
Vice-Admiral Sir George Berkeley
George Cranfield-Berkeley
Admiral Sir George Cranfield Berkeley GCB , often known as George Berkeley, was a highly experienced, popular, yet controversial naval officer and politician in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century Britain...
dispatched the fourth-rate warship
Fourth-rate
In the British Royal Navy, a fourth rate was, during the first half of the 18th century, a ship of the line mounting from 46 up to 60 guns. While the number of guns stayed subsequently in the same range up until 1817, after 1756 the ships of 50 guns and below were considered too weak to stand in...
Leopard to search for the frigate and recover the deserters.
Attack
The Chesapeake was off the coast of Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, and was under the command of Commodore James Barron
James Barron
James Barron was an officer in the United States Navy. Commander of the frigate USS Chesapeake, he was court-martialed for his actions on 22 June 1807, which led to the surrender of his ship to the British....
. The Leopard, under the command of Salusbury Pryce Humphreys
Salusbury Pryce Humphreys
Sir Salusbury Pryce Humphreys, CB, KCH was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, rising to the rank of rear-admiral....
, hailed and requested to search the Chesapeake. When the Chesapeake temporized, the Leopard suddenly began to fire broadsides, killing three aboard the vessel and injuring another 18 including Barron. The Chesapeake, her decks cluttered with stores in preparation for a long cruise, managed to fire only a single gun in reply to the Leopard. Barron struck his colors and surrendered his ship. Humphreys, however, refused the surrender, and instead sent a boarding party to search for the deserters.
The boarding party found four 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...
deserters among the Chesapeake crew: Daniel Martin, John Strachan, and William Ware, run from ; and Jenkin Ratford, run from HMS Halifax
HMS Halifax (1806)
HMS Halifax was a ship-rigged sloop of the Merlin class built in 1806 for the British Royal Navy at the Naval Yard in Halifax, Nova Scotia...
. Of the four, only Ratford was British-born; the other three sailors were American citizens who had served in 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...
.
Leopard carried the men to HMS Halifax for trial. The British citizen, Ratford, was sentenced to death and hanged from the yardarm of HMS Halifax on August 31, 1807. The three Americans were sentenced to 500 lashes each, but the sentence was later commuted.
The incident caused a storm of protest from the United States' government, and the British government eventually offered not only to return the three to the U.S. but also to pay reparations for damaging the Chesapeake.
In 1812, the schooner returned the last two of the alleged British deserters to Boston, one month after the outbreak of the War of 1812.
Aftermath
The American public was outraged with the incident, as President Thomas JeffersonThomas 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...
noted: "Never since the Battle of Lexington have I seen this country in such a state of exasperation." James Monroe, then a foreign minister acting under instructions from U.S. Secretary of State James Madison, demanded British disavowal of the deed, the restoration of the four seamen, the recall of Admiral Berkeley, the exclusion of British warships from U.S. territorial waters, and the abolition of impressments from vessels under the United States flag.
This event raised tensions between the two countries and, while possibly not a direct cause, can certainly be seen as one of the events leading up to 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...
. Indeed, many Americans demanded war following the incident, but President Jefferson initially turned to diplomacy and economic pressure in the form of the ill-fated Embargo Act of 1807
Embargo Act of 1807
The Embargo Act of 1807 and the subsequent Nonintercourse Acts were American laws restricting American ships from engaging in foreign trade between the years of 1807 and 1812. The Acts were diplomatic responses by presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison designed to protect American interests...
.
The incident had significant repercussions for the U.S. Navy. The public was shocked that Chesapeake had put up little resistance and surrendered so quickly (even if the surrender was declined), calling into question the ability of its navy to defend the U.S. from a possible British invasion, despite its expensive and controversial frigate-building program. A court-martial placed the blame on Barron and suspended him from service for five years as punishment. He did return to service, however, after the five years.
In 1820, Commodore Barron challenged, and killed, fellow Commodore 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 a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
over comments that Decatur had made about Barron's conduct in 1807. (Barron was wounded). Decatur had served on the court-martial that found Barron guilty of being unprepared and that barred him from command for five years.
As for the Chesapeake herself: On 1 June 1813, during the War of 1812, after a long and surprising series of victories of United States' ships in combat with the Royal Navy, Chesapeake — then 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...
— was defeated and captured by the British frigate in a ship-to-ship action near Boston, and taken into service in the Royal Navy. She was sold out of the service in 1820, the same year in which Barron killed Decatur.
Fiction
In Patrick O'BrianPatrick 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...
's novel, Desolation Island
Desolation Island (novel)
Desolation Island is an historical novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is the fifth book in the Aubrey-Maturin series, and is set prior to the War of 1812.-Plot summary:...
, Jack Aubrey
Jack Aubrey
John "Jack" Aubrey, KB , is a fictional character in the Aubrey–Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian. The series portrays his rise from Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The twenty -book series encompasses Aubrey's adventures and various commands along...
commands the Leopard well after her victory.
See also
- Little Belt AffairLittle Belt AffairThe Little Belt Affair was a naval battle on the night of May 16, 1811. It involved the United States frigate USS President and the British sixth-rate HMS Little Belt, a sloop-of-war, which had originally been the Danish ship Lillebælt, before being captured by the British in the 1807 Battle of...
- Impressment of American Seamen