War of 1812, Part 24: Don’t Give Up the Ship

The New Nation
Written By Tom Hand

Captain Phillip Broke, perhaps the most capable captain in the Royal Navy, had commanded HMS Shannon for seven years, relentlessly drilling his crew, especially in gunnery, and had made her the most dangerous frigate in the British fleet. He greatly desired to engage an American frigate in a single-ship combat to showcase its talents and sent several messages into Boston requesting any of the three American frigates then in the harbor to come out and fight. Captain James Lawrence, who commanded the Chesapeake, wanted the fight as desperately as Broke and, on June 1, 1813, sailed from Boston Harbor to the cheers of a thousand spectators, anxious to see “Captain Jim” punish the Brits. Just before 6 p.m., both vessels opened with broadsides, but Shannon’s were more rapid and more accurate than Chesapeake’s. Soon the American vessel was in trouble, its deck strewn with dead and wounded, including Lawrence, who was shot in the right knee but continued to direct the fight.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses what happened during the Battle of Boston Harbor and why it still matters today. 

Images courtesy of Naval History and Heritage Command, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, New York Public Library, Wikimedia.

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Tom Hand
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War of 1812, Part 23: USS Wasp and Hornet Sting British