Part 16

Jacob Jones was the son of an independent and respectable farmer, near the village of Smyrna, in the county of Kent, in the state of Delaware, and was born in the year 1770. His mother, who was an amiable and interesting woman, died when Jacob was two years old. Some time afterwards his father married a second time to a Miss Holt, granddaughter of the Hon. Ryves Holt, formerly Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Delaware, or, as it was then denominated, “the lower counties on Delaware.” Shortly after this second marriage his father died, when this, his only child, was scarcely four years of age. It was the happiness of our hero to be left under the care of a step-mother who possessed all the kind feelings of a natural parent. The affection which this excellent woman had borne towards the father, was, on his death, transferred to his child. By her he was nurtured from infancy to manhood, with a truly maternal care and tenderness. At an early age he was placed at school, where his proficiency exceeded her most anxious expectations. He was soon transferred to a grammar school at Lewes, in Sussex county, where he read the classics with much assiduity, and became well acquainted with the Latin and Greek languages. At the age of eighteen he left school and commenced the study of medicine at Dover, in the county of Kent, where he remained four years, after which he attended the usual courses of medical lectures of the University of Pennsylvania, and returned to Dover to commence the practice of his profession. He did not, however, continue long in the practice. Discouraged by the scanty employment that is commonly the lot of the young physician, and impatient of an inactive life, he determined to abandon it for a more lucrative occupation. Governor Clayton, who was a personal friend of his father, conferred upon him the clerkship of the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware, for the county of Kent. In this situation he remained some time, but the sedentary nature of its duties caused it to become irksome to him, and possessing a spirit of enterprise, and not content with the tranquil ease of common life, he resolved upon a measure as indicative of the force of his character, as it was decisive of his future fortunes. This was to enter the navy of the United States. Jones, it appears, had weighed all the inconveniences and sacrifices incident to his determination, and had made up his mind to encounter and surmount them all. The only consolation to his friends was the reflection, that if courage, activity and hardihood could ensure naval success, Jacob Jones was peculiarly fitted for the life he had adopted; and it is probable they felt some degree of admiration for that decision of character which, in the pursuit of what he conceived a laudable object, could enable him to make such large sacrifices of personal pride and convenience. Through the exertions of his friends, he obtained a midshipman’s warrant and joined the frigate United States, Commodore Barry, from whom he derived great instruction in the theory and practice of his profession, blended with the utmost kindness and civility. He was a midshipman on board of the United States, when she bore to France Chief Justice Ellsworth and General Davie, as envoys extraordinary to the French Republic. He was next transferred to the Ganges, where he remained till the breaking out of the war with Tripoli, when he was stationed on board of the frigate Philadelphia, under the command of the gallant Bainbridge. The disaster which befel that ship and her crew before Tripoli, forms a solemn page in our naval history; atoned for, however, by the brilliant achievements to which it gave rise.

Twenty months of severe captivity among a barbarous people, and in a noxious climate, neither broke the spirit nor impaired the constitution of our hero. Blest by nature with vigorous health and an invincible resolution, when relieved from bondage by the bravery of his countrymen, he returned home full of life and ardor. He was soon after promoted to a lieutenancy, which grade he merited before his confinement in Tripoli, but older warrant officers had stood in the way of his preferment.

After being employed for some length of time on the Orleans station, he was appointed to the command of the brig Argus, stationed for the protection of our commerce on the southern maritime frontier. In this situation he acted with vigilance and fidelity, and conformed to his instructions, to the public interest and the entire satisfaction of his government. In 1811, Captain Jones was transferred to the command of the sloop of war Wasp, mounting eighteen twenty-four pound carronades, and was dispatched, in the spring of 1812, with communications to the courts of St. Cloud and St. James. During this voyage, war was declared by the United States against Great Britain.

On his return, Captain Jones refitted his ship with all possible dispatch, and repaired to sea on a cruise, in which he met with no other luck than the capture of an inconsiderable prize. He again put to sea on the 13th of October, and on the 18th of the same month, after a long and heavy gale, he fell in with a number of strongly armed merchantmen, under convoy of his Britannic majesty’s sloop of war The Frolic, Captain Whinyates.

As this engagement has been one of the most decidedly honorable to the American flag, from the superior force of the enemy, we vouch for the following account of it to be scrupulously correct:--“There was a heavy swell in the sea, and the weather was boisterous. The top-gallant yards of the Wasp were taken down, her top-sails were close reefed, and she was prepared for action. About eleven o’clock A. M., the Frolic showed Spanish colors, and the Wasp immediately displayed the American ensign and pendant. At thirty-two minutes past eleven, the Wasp came down to windward on her larboard side, within about sixty yards and hailed. The enemy hauled down the Spanish colors, hoisted the British ensign, and opened a fire of cannon and musketry. This the Wasp instantly returned, and coming nearer to the enemy, the action became close and without intermission. In four or five minutes the main-topmast of the Wasp was shot away, and falling down with the main-top sail yard across the larboard fore and fore-topsail braces, rendered her head-yards unmanageable during the rest of the action. In two or three minutes more her gaft and mizzen top-gallant sail were shot away. Still she continued a close and constant fire. The sea was so rough that the muzzles of the Wasp’s guns were frequently in the water. The Americans, therefore, fired as the ship’s side was going down, so that their shot went either on the enemy’s deck or below it, while the English fired as the vessel rose, and thus her balls chiefly touched the rigging, or were thrown away. The Wasp now shot ahead of the Frolic, raked her, and then resumed her position on her larboard bow. Her fire was now obviously attended with such success, and that of the Frolic so slackened that Captain Jones did not wish to board her, lest the roughness of the sea might endanger both vessels; but in the course of a few minutes more every brace of the Wasp was shot away, and her rigging so much torn to pieces that he was afraid that his masts, being unsupported, would go by the board and the Frolic be able to escape. He thought, therefore, the best chance of securing her was to board and decide the contest at once. With this view he wore ship, and running down upon the enemy, the vessels struck each other, the Wasp’s side rubbing along the Frolic’s bow so that her jib-boom came in between the main and mizzen rigging of the Wasp, directly over the heads of Captain Jones and the first lieutenant, Mr. Biddle, who were at that moment standing together near the capstan. The Frolic lay so fair for raking, that they decided not to board until they had given a closing broadside. Whilst they were loading for this, so near were the two vessels, that the rammers of the Wasp were pushed against the Frolic’s sides, and two of her guns went through the bow-ports of the Frolic, and swept the whole length of her deck. At this moment, Jack Lang,[A] a seaman of the Wasp, a gallant fellow, who had been once impressed by a British man-of-war, jumped on a gun with his cutlass, and was springing on board the Frolic. Captain Jones, wishing to fire again before boarding, called him down, but his impetuosity could not be restrained, and he was already on the bowsprit of the Frolic; when, seeing the ardor and enthusiasm of the Wasp’s crew, Lieutenant Biddle mounted on the hammock-cloth to board.

[A] John Lang was a native of New Brunswick, in New Jersey. This seaman is a proof that conspicuous bravery is confined to no rank in the naval service.

“At this signal, the crew followed, but Lieutenant Biddle’s feet got entangled in the rigging of the enemy’s bowsprit, and Midshipman Baker, in his ardor to get on board, laying hold of his coat, he fell back on the Wasp’s deck. He sprang up, and as the next swell of the sea brought the Frolic nearer, he got on her bowsprit where Lang and another seaman were already. He passed them on the forecastle, and was surprised at not seeing a single man alive on the Frolic’s deck, except the seaman at the wheel and three officers. The deck was slippery with blood and strewed with the bodies of the dead. As he went forward, the Captain of the Frolic, with two other officers, who were standing on the quarter-deck, threw down their swords, with an inclination of their bodies, denoting that they had surrendered. At this moment the colors were still flying; Lieutenant Biddle, therefore, jumped into the rigging himself and hauled down the British ensign, and possession was taken of the Frolic in forty-three minutes after the first fire. She was in a shocking condition; the birth-deck, particularly, was crowded with dead, wounded and dying; there being but a small portion of the Frolic’s crew who had escaped.

“Captain Jones instantly sent on board his surgeon’s mate, and all the blankets of the Frolic were brought from her slop room for the comfort of the wounded. To increase this confusion, both the Frolic’s masts soon fell, covering the dead and everything on deck, and she lay a complete wreck.

“It now appeared that the Frolic mounted sixteen thirty-two pound carronades, four twelve pounders on the maindeck, and two twelve pound carronades.

“She was, therefore, superior to the Wasp, by exactly four twelve pounders. The number of men on board, as stated by the officers of the Frolic, was one hundred and ten; the number of seamen on board the Wasp, was one hundred and two; but it could not be ascertained, whether in this one hundred and ten, were included the marines and officers, for the Wasp had besides her one hundred and two men, officers and marines, making the whole crew about one hundred and thirty-five. What is, however, decisive, as to their comparative force is, that the officers of the Frolic acknowledged that they had as many men as they knew what to do with, and in fact the Wasp could have spared fifteen men. There was, therefore, on the most favorable view, at least an equality of men, and an inequality of guns. The disparity of loss was much greater. The exact number of killed and wounded on board the Frolic, could not be precisely determined, but from the observation of our officers, and the declarations of those of the Frolic, the number could not have been less than about thirty killed, including two officers, and of the wounded between forty and fifty, the captain and second lieutenant being of the number. The Wasp had five men killed and five slightly wounded. All hands were now employed in clearing the deck, burying the dead, and taking care of the wounded, when Captain Jones sent orders to Lieutenant Biddle to proceed to Charleston, or any southern port of the United States; and, as there was a suspicious sail to windward, the Wasp would continue her cruise. The ships then parted. The suspicious sail was now coming down very fast. At first it was supposed that she was one of the convoy, who had fled during the engagement, and who now came for the purpose of attacking the prize. The guns of the Frolic were therefore loaded, and the ship cleared for action; but the enemy, as she advanced, proved to be a seventy-four, the Poictiers, Captain Beresford. She fired a shot over the Frolic, passed her, overtook the Wasp, the disabled state of whose rigging prevented her from escaping; and then returned to the Frolic, who could, of course, make no resistance. The Wasp and Frolic were both carried into Bermuda.”

On the return of Captain Jones to the United States, he was everywhere received with the utmost demonstrations of gratitude and admiration. Brilliant fêtes were given him in the cities through which he passed. The legislature of his native state appointed a committee to wait on him with their thanks, and to express the “pride and pleasure” they felt in recognizing him as a native of their state; in the same resolution they voted him an elegant piece of plate, embellished with appropriate designs.

The Congress of the United States appropriated twenty-five thousand dollars, as a compensation to Captain Jones and his crew for the loss they sustained by the recapture of the Frolic. They also ordered a gold medal (_see_ Plate X.) to be presented to the Captain, and a silver one to each of his officers. Various other marks of honor have been paid by the legislatures and citizens of different states, but the most substantial testimony of approbation which he received, was the appointment to the command of the frigate Macedonian, captured from the British.

Since the peace with England, Captain Jones has been alternately employed on foreign or home stations; he has now retired to his farm in his native state, to enjoy the evening of his days in tranquillity and peace. May they be as serene and happy as those of his early years were patriotic and brave!

DESCRIPTION OF THE MEDAL.

OCCASION.--Capture of the British sloop of war Frolic.

DEVICE.--Bust of Captain Jones.

LEGEND.--Jacobus Jones, virtus in ardua tendit.

REVERSE.--Two ships closely engaged, the bowsprit of the Wasp between the mast of the Frolic; men engaged on the bow of the Wasp while in the act of boarding the Frolic; the main-topmast of the Wasp shot away.

LEGEND.--Victoriam hosti Majori celerrime rapuit.

EXERGUE.--Inter Wasp nav. Ameri. et Frolic nav. Ang. die 18th Oct. 1812.

CAPT. STEPHEN DECATUR.

The subject of the following brief sketch was born in Worcester county, Maryland, on the 5th of January, 1779. He was the son of Stephen Decatur, a naval officer from the first establishment of the American navy, until the difficulties with the French terminated, when he retired to Philadelphia. He died, in 1808, honored and respected by all who knew him. His son, Stephen Decatur, Jun., entered the navy in 1798 as a midshipman in the frigate United States, then commanded by Commodore Barry.

In 1801, he was promoted and sailed as lieutenant on board the Essex, in Commodore Dale’s squadron, to the Mediterranean.

At Malta, he had an unfortunate rencontre with a British officer, which caused his suspension, and he returned home. He demanded an investigation, which ended in his appointment to the command of the Argus, destined to form part of Commodore Preble’s squadron then lying before Tripoli.

On his joining the squadron he was transferred to the command of the Enterprise, and shortly after, captured a Tripolitan ketch, within sight of the tower, which he afterwards named the Intrepid. A short time before the arrival of our hero, the frigate Philadelphia, which had run aground on the Barbary coast, had fallen into the hands of the Tripolitans. His jealous ardor excited him to form some project by which she could be recaptured or destroyed.

Having obtained the consent of his commodore, with seventy volunteers on board the ketch Intrepid, accompanied by the United States brig Syren, Lieutenant Stewart, he arrived about eight o’clock in the evening. The Philadelphia, lying within half gun-shot of the Bashaw’s castle, and of the principal battery, made the adventure extremely hazardous. About eleven o’clock, he approached within two hundred yards, when he was hailed, and ordered to anchor. He directed a Maltese pilot to answer that the anchor had been lost in a gale of wind. His object was not suspected till he was almost along side of the frigate, when the Turks were thrown into the utmost confusion.

Before they were aware of the character of their visitors, Decatur had sprung on board, followed by Midshipman Charles Morris: these officers were nearly a minute on the deck before their companions joined them. Fortunately the surprise was so great that before the Turks could recover themselves, a sufficient number had assembled equal to their adversaries; about twenty Turks were killed; the rest jumped overboard or fled below. After setting fire to the ship in several places, Decatur and crew returned to the ketch. A favorable breeze sprung up soon and carried them beyond the reach of the enemy’s guns, which had opened a fire upon them from the batteries and castles, and two corsairs. In this daring exploit, not one man was killed, and only four wounded. For this gallant achievement, he was immediately promoted to the rank of post captain. Commodore Preble had determined to make an attack on Tripoli; and having obtained the loan of some gun-boats and bombards from the King of Naples, gave the command of one division of them to Captain Decatur. The signal to prepare for action was made from the Commodore’s ship, the Constitution, on the morning of the 3d of August, and at nine o’clock the squadron began to bombard the town and the vessels in the harbor. Decatur advanced his gun-boats in a line to attack the Tripolitan gun-boats, which were moored along within musket-shot of the batteries. Disregarding the heavy fire from the batteries now pouring upon them, he, with twenty-seven men, boarded one of the enemy’s gun-boats which contained forty-seven men, and in ten minutes its deck was cleared, and the boat made a prize. At this moment he was informed that his brother, Lieutenant James Decatur, who commanded another boat, had captured a gun-boat of the enemy, but had been treacherously shot by her commander, who had pushed off, and was then steering towards the harbor. Decatur instantly pursued him, entering the enemy’s line with his single boat, and, overtaking the foe, boarded her with eleven men, being all the Americans he had left. He singled out the Turkish commander, who was armed with an espontoon or spear; in attempting to strike off the head of which with his sword, the treacherous steel gave way and was broken at the hilt, and he received a severe wound in the right arm and breast; upon which he seized the spear and closed with him. In the struggle both fell. Decatur, being uppermost, caught the arm of the Turk with his left hand, and with his right, seized a pistol which he had in his pocket, cocked it, fired through his pocket and killed him. During this struggle, a Tripolitan aimed a blow at the head of Decatur with a sabre; an American seaman, although so severely wounded as to lose the use of both hands, rushed forward and received the blow on his own head, by which his skull was fractured. The generous-hearted sailor survived, and his devotion to his commander was rewarded by his government.

Captain Decatur secured both his prizes, and received from Commodore Preble the highest commendation for his bravery, who, on retiring from the squadron, gave him the command of the Constitution.

On his return to America, he superintended the building of gun-boats, until he was ordered to supersede Commodore Barron in the command of the Chesapeake frigate. He was afterwards removed to the frigate United States. On the 25th of October, 1812, he fell in with his Britannic majesty’s ship Macedonian, one of the finest frigates in the British navy, which he captured after an action of an hour and a half. His loss was four killed and seven wounded; that of the Macedonian thirty-six killed and sixty-eight wounded. When the commander of the Macedonian came on board of the United States and presented his sword, Decatur, with a chivalrous and delicate courtesy, declined taking it, observing that he could not think of taking the sword of an officer who had defended his ship so gallantly, but he should be happy to take him by the hand. The Macedonian was taken into the harbor of New York, where she was repaired and equipped as an American frigate; and the name of her gallant victor was hailed with enthusiastic admiration throughout the country. Congress presented to him a vote of thanks and a splendid gold medal, (_see_ Plate X.,) while several of the state legislatures and cities testified their high sense of his services by votes of thanks and valuable presents. In 1813 Commodore Decatur was ordered to sea with the United States, the Macedonian and the Hornet, but being compelled to run into the mouth of the Thames in Connecticut, by a British squadron, he lay off New London for several months; this becoming irksome, he sent a challenge to the commander of the blockading squadron, offering to meet two British ships, with the United States and the Macedonian; but this invitation Sir Thomas M. Hardy politely declined.

In 1815 he was appointed to the command of the frigate President, and in attempting to get to sea, came in contact with the Endymon, Tenedos and Pomona frigates, by which he was captured and carried into Bermuda. After the peace with England, Commodore Decatur was dispatched to the Mediterranean, to chastise the Algerines, who, instigated as was supposed by the British, had captured some of our merchantmen and enslaved their crews. He soon captured an Algerine frigate of forty-nine guns, after a short action (in which the celebrated Rais Hammida was killed), and a brig of twenty-two guns. He arrived before Algiers on the 22d of June, 1815, and the next day compelled the proud regency to a treaty most honorable to our country. He demanded that no tribute was ever to be required of the United States; that all enslaved Americans were to be released without ransom, and that no American was ever to be held again as a slave. The relinquishment of the tribute was a point most difficult to adjust. The Dey contended that it might be used as a precedent by other nations; “even a little powder,” said he, “might prove satisfactory.” “If,” replied our hero, “you insist upon receiving powder as tribute, you must expect to receive balls with it.” The next day the treaty was negotiated, with immunities and privileges never before granted by a Barbary state to a Christian nation. Commodore Decatur thence proceeded to Tunis and Tripoli, where, by similar diplomatism, he obtained the necessary redress, and returned home in the autumn of the same year. He was appointed one of the board of commissioners, and resided at Kalarama, near Washington. In October, 1819, a correspondence commenced between Commodore Barron, former commander of the Chesapeake, and Commodore Decatur, in relation to harsh expressions said to have been used by the latter towards the former. Commodore Decatur denied having, at any time, made use of such expressions, but admitted at the same time, that he had not been particular to conceal his opinions, which were not very favorable to Commodore Barron. This controversy, which lasted some months, could not be assuaged by the interference of friends, but a challenge sent and accepted, named the day that was to send its victim bleeding to his grave. On the 20th of March, 1820, they repaired to Bladensburg. At the first fire both were wounded, Decatur mortally, Barron dangerously.