During the War of 1812, after the American failure to invade Canada, it became readily obvious that the British – later supplied with fresh veterans of Wellingtons victory over Napoleon – would again seek to divide New England from the rest of the states just as they had when they were defeated by Benedict Arnold’s scratch boats during the American Revolution. Mindful people, aware of the significance of the lake, began planning & seeking logistical support for the defense of the waterway. And rightly so in the doing… for they were correct.

The job fell to one Thomas MacDonough & he had spent roughly a year & a half to study & prepare. When his needs were finally granted, the famed ship designer & builder, Henry Eckford, produced the plans for a 26 gun Sloop of War & dispatched another famed builder, Noah Brown, to Lake Champlain to construct it. He completed her 40 days after felling the first tree for the warship. The vessel was named USS Saratoga.

When the British General Sir George Prevost was supplied with some of the seasoned vets of victory at Waterloo, he refrained from their immediate employment, but rather husbanded them while planning an all out effort, to include naval elements to support a land advance, before he would move. This required ship builders, frames, & timbers to be shipped from England to construct a shallow draft 36 gun Frigate under Captain George Downie. Considering the logistics of it, & the lack of such seasoned design/builders as Eckford & Brown – not to mention the incessant exhortations of Prevost – he did not do too bad. The finished vessel was named HMS Confiance. She was directed south even before a crew could be adequately organized or nominally trained. Against his better desires for such… Downie expedited his orders – as if the lessons of HMS Shannon & USS Cheasepeake, a year earlier, had been ignored entirely.

MacDonough had his spys & knew of the advance. He also had studied his foes likely movement & judged that the frigate & its consorts would have to hug the shoreline in order to support & protect the advancing Army ashore. He chose his defensive position so as to command both the advance ashore where the troops would be forced to the shore line road in order to pass, and the Naval contingent would be forced to engage USS Saratoga & her consorts, or accept failure completely.

Not a new or unknown tactic, but MacDonough sought to fight at anchor. In preparation to the British arrival, he chose a shallow bay off of Plattsburg & ordered his ships anchored by bow & stern. He also ordered his ships to lay “spring” lines to the bow & stern anchors. In effect, he intended to “wind” (rhymes with mind) ship.

In September, 1814, when Prevost’s march southward along the western coast of Lake Champlain came within range of MacDonoughs ships, he halted his advance in anticipation of Downie’s engagement & defeat of the enemy naval forces blocking his advance. As Downie – due MacDonoughs position – could not maneuver so as to intercede between the shore & MacDonough, he would be forced to fight at anchor as well. He did not have the time to prepare, as had the American vessels.

Although both ships were comparable in material condition & purpose, USS Saratoga had been in commission for 6 months. HMS Confiance, only a couple of weeks, though she had heavier guns. As both sides engaged, they did manage considerable damage to each other. But this time, MacDonough – like Broke in HMS Shannon – had ample time to study & make proper preparation for battle. Downie – like Lawrence in USS Cheasapeake – did not, & was harried into battle by his superiors or contemporaries.

The die was cast! There could likely have been no other outcome.

Not long after the consummation of battle, a cannon aboard HMS Confiance was struck on its muzzle. It was driven back into the groin of Downie, thus pinning him to the timbers & leaving him in great pain until his passing. (This particular cannon is now on the grounds of the US Naval Academy with part of its muzzle shot off.) This resulted in a passing of command to his lesser skilled 1st officer with expediency as his only source of options. Never the less… as the battle afloat continued in general favor of HMS Confiance, due her more numerous & heavier guns. Just as British hopes began to show far more promise than was truly the case – due the near total destruction or apparent silencing of USS Saratogas engaged broadside – it soon became horror as USS Saratoga slowly turned herself 180 degrees at anchor & engaged her other entirely fresh & fully undamaged broadside in battle.

MacDonough had “wound” ship.

HMS Confiances 2nd Lt. – trying, with what he had – attempted the same manuever… but lacking the “spring” lines, found himself hung in irons only to be pounded relentlessly by what amounted to a fresh adversary.

Astonished, Prevost about faced – leaving huge quantities of equipment – & left all hope of British control of Lake Champlain & dreams of dividing New England from the rest of the American states to history.

It was also 1 year & 1 day after Perry’s victory on Lake Erie. MacDonough had in fact won two very solid victories of mention. Victory over Downie’s British Naval squadron & Victory over an army of Wellingtons veterans led by a lesser General in Prevost.

It was the last, & in the opinions of many… the most important, even if not the most famous battle of the Naval war… this, by virtue of its direct impact upon – not just naval control of Lake Champlain – but upon further British abilities & desire to cut the United States in half ashore.

admiral Military History, Uncategorized Henry Eckford, HMS Confiance, Lake Champlain, Plattsburg, Sir George Prevost, Thomas MacDonough, USS Saratoga, War of 1812

In 1807, Stephan Decatur has given command of the dishonored (The Leopard Affair) & bad star frigate USS Chesapeake. He was already famous due his exploits involving the burning of the captured USS Philidelphia in Tripoli harbor & hand to hand combat aboard various Tripolitan gunboats. He was already respected by the crew that hoped he could somehow let them regain their dignity & honor lost to HMS Leopard. Much of the crew that had suffered the indignity were still aboard & Decatur saw fit to refine & focus their anger & desire for revenge through strict regime & an intensive & ongoing degree of training & gunnery drills. He turned the vessel & crew into a top notch warship over the next couple of years, as if in total defiance to USS Chesapeakes bad star.

In 1809, the new SecNav, Paul Hamilton placed him in command of the big sister USS United States – then nearing completion of a 2 year refit at the Washington Navy Yard – and ordered him to ready her for sea. Most of USS Cheasapekes crew jumped at the chance to move up to the larger sister & greater command with him. They could not wait to abandon USS Cheasapekes unlucky reputation and also avoid the chaos of another reorganization as surely the next skipper would insist & require. SecNav Hamilton directed Decatur & Isaac Hull to join John Rogers first squadron in New York. USS Constitution barely escaped a British squadron giving chase & got into Boston to late as Rodgers & Decatur had already sailed from NY. This had the benifit of freeing him to act independently & allowed for Hulls defeat of HMS Guerriere while the first of four voyages of Rogers squadron was unproductive & very likely had Stephan Decatur simply chomping at the bit as Hull in USS Constitution achieved the high honor of victory over HMS Guerriere – the first of the entire war.

Upon return from the first cruise of Rogers squadron, Decatur became enamoured by a new plan espoused by SecNav Hamilton. Of the 6 Live Oak super frigates designed by Joshua Humphreys, the first three were rated 44s, (USS President, USS United States, USS Constitution) The final three were rated 36-38s. (USS Congress, USS Constellation, USS Chesapeake) SecNav Hamilton envisaged a flagged three ship squadron around each of the 3 big sisters. Decaturs would include USS United States as his flagship, his old ship, USS Chesapeake, & the brig USS Argus. USS Chesapeake was not ready to sail & USS Constitution required refit.

On October 8th, 1812, both John Rogers, with his flag in USS President, with USS Congress as consort & Stephen Decaturs squadrons both left port & sailed in concert for a few days. They then parted company & a few days later Stephen Decatur directed Captain Sinclair to sail independently – contrary to SecNav Hamiltons desire. USS Argus sailed east capturing six valuable merchant men, returning to port January 3, 1813. His cruise involved a harried chase wherein USS Argus was literally stripped underway & cleared of all non-critical cargo, fittings, anchors, boats… in order to give the pursuing British squadron the slip, at one point. But this too is another story.

Decatur took USS United States to cruise between the Azores & the Canary Islands – an area known to often be the station of various British warships. He was eagerly in search of a target rich environ & was quite sure he would find what he sought. On October 25, he found what he was searching for when the tops of HMS Macedonian were sighted. She was a finely constructed 2 year old frigate under the command of John Carden, who was also seeking a worthy antagonist. Carden was in fact looking for USS Essex, thought to be cruising in the area.

Of particular note is that USS Essex was known by the British to be unusually armed with heavy short range carronades & but a small battery of light long guns. USS Essex would have to rapidly close range to bring her heavy main guns into effective range. Cardens mis-identification was likely his most fatal of mistakes, but would probably not have changed the outcome much, regardless. A proper ID would have changed John Cardens tactics quite a bit. As it was, he sought to keep the range open, using his long 18-pounders to cut up USS Essex rigging to reduce her helm, and then close herself using canister & dismantling shot for a classic yardarm-to-yardarm. Against the faster USS Essex, this may well have worked. But his antagonist was not USS Essex.

This vessel showed no sign of any hurry to close the range. Of even more concern to him was that the enemys 24-pound round shot was rapidly coming aboard & smashing his ship long before the grape & canister in his spar deck guns, or even his long 18-pounders could reach his opponent. He became readily aware that this certainly was not USS Essex, quite likely to late. The gunners of this antagonist seemed to fire on target with a vengence. They were – stick by stick – taking out the masts of HMS Macedonian & putting great holes in her sides. He could not have known that most of these vengeful gunners were still mindful of their humiliation aboard USS Chesapeake at the hand of HMS Leopard five years previous.

Decaturs emphasis upon intensive training & drill, combined with their own deeply seated desire to regain their honor had sharpened the blade falling upon Cardens command. USS United States 1st Lt. was William Henry Allen. The same Wm. Allen that had carried – bare handed – the coal that touched off USS Chesapeakes only reply against HMS Leopard. He & Decatur had drilled their men often & well. The crew relished the drills hoping one day to regain what was taken from them. It was paying off.

Stephan Decatur fought the battle much as his opponent John Carden had planned to fight it. He avoided the urge to charge in for a yardarm-to-yardam, choosing to use his greater range & the excellence of his gun crews to avoid foolish loss of life in his own crew & to avoid needless damage to his flagship. He fought smartly. By the time Carden knew of his tactical error, he tried desperately to close range, but with his standing rigging shot away and but a stump left of his main mast he never the less tried unsuccessfully to crawl to his antagonist. Almost completely undamaged, USS United States sailed about him at will. Holding a frantic war council, HMS Macedonians 1st Lt. was the only one that wanted to continue the fight. All others agreed that would be useless self-destruction to do so. At this, John Carden struck his colors, feeling that he had betrayed his trust as a captain in the British Navy. Much as Dacres in HMS Guerriere before him.

The catives of HMS Macedonian were treated with utmost care & respect – unlike the treatment meted out to many of the former USS Chesapeake crew – now in USS United States – by HMS Leopard. British losses were 36 dead and 68 wounded. American losses were 7 dead and 5 wounded.

At this point, Stephan Decatur realized he now had what Issac Hull did not. A very new, strong & refitable prize in HMS Macedonian. He understood well the nations need for not only the material… but the psychological victory in the war up to that point. USS United States lay alongside for four days making their prize seaworthy for sail. He then cut his intended cruise short to lead such a worthy prize victoriously into port. On December 4, 1812, Decatur reached New London Connecticut with his prize. Upon his arrival he discovered that there was to be a Naval Ball held in honor of Hull & the officers of USS Constitution & their victory at sea, in Washington a few days hense. A perfect occasion to be climaxed by the presentation by Issac Hull of HMS Guerrieres huge battle flag to Dolly Madison. It was a highly prideful & glorious occasion.

The Navy Secretaries son – Archibald Hamilton – was one of Decaturs officers & was dispatched with HMS Macedonians largest battle flag to the event with instructions of timing & behavior upon his arrival. According to the Niles’ Weekly Register, “about nine o’ clock a rumor was spread through the assembly that Lieutenant Hamilton, the son of the Secretary of the Navy, had reached the house, the bearer of dispatches from Commodore Decatur and the colors of the Macedonian. He was escorted to the festive hall [and] the flag of the Macedonian was borne into the hall by Captains Hull and Stewart.”

The young Hamilton, smelling foul and of horses from the frantic 4 day journey, strode into the hall, centered with HMS Guerrieres Battle Flag, surrounded by the President, First Lady, Cabinet Ministers , dignitaries, socialites, & their wives, of all stripe dressed in their finest, and was followed by the rolled prize of HMS Macedonians Battle Flag upon the shoulders of Decaturs comrades. Equal in size, it was spread by Hull & Stewart before Dolly – beside the prize of HMS Guerriere – and the Navy’s stock could not have been higher at that moment & at that delirious gathering.

The US Navy had proven its metal & it drove home the vast import of Sea Power to a young nations people upon their learning of it.

admiral Military History, Uncategorized 1812 USS United States HMS Macedonian

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He most certainly changed the world.

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Nuff said, methinx!

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Wes

admiral Military History, Uncategorized