Part 39

Although this protracted and bloody contest had now ended, the victors had not done with either dangers or labors. The Richard was not only sinking, from shot-holes, but she was on fire, so that the flames had got within the ceiling, and extended so far that they menaced the magazine; while all the pumps, in constant use, could barely keep the water in the hold from increasing.

Had it depended upon the exhausted crews of the two combatants the ship must soon have foundered; but the other vessels now sent men on board to assist. So imminent did the danger from the fire become, that all the powder left was got on deck, to prevent an explosion. In this manner did the night of the battle pass, with one gang always at the pumps and another fighting the flames, until about ten o’clock in the forenoon of the 24th, when the fire was got under.

Before daylight that morning eight or ten Englishmen, of the Richard’s crew, had stolen a boat of the Serapis, and made their escape, landing at Scarborough. Several other men of the Richard were so alarmed at the condition of the ship that, during the night, they jumped overboard and swam to the other vessels. At daylight an examination of the ship was made. Aloft, on a line with those guns of the Serapis which had not been disabled by the explosion, the timbers were nearly all beaten in, or beaten out, for in this respect there was little difference between the two sides of the ship. It is said, indeed, that her poop and upper-decks would have fallen into the gun-room, but for a few futtocks which the shot had missed.

So large was the vacuum, in fact, that most of the shot fired from this part of the Serapis, at the close of the action, must have gone through the Richard without touching anything. The rudder was cut from the stern-post, and her transoms were nearly driven out of her. All the after part of the ship, in particular, that was below the quarter-deck, was torn to pieces; and nothing had saved those stationed on the quarter-deck but the impossibility of elevating guns which almost touched their object.

The result of the examination was to convince every one of the impossibility of carrying the Richard into port, in the event of its coming on to blow.

Commodore Jones reluctantly gave the order to remove the wounded, while the weather continued fair.

The following night and a portion of the succeeding day were employed in this duty; and about nine in the morning the officer who was in charge of the ship, with a party at the pumps, finding that the water had reached the lower deck, at last abandoned her.

About ten, the Bonhomme Richard wallowed heavily, gave another roll, and went down, bows foremost.

The Serapis suffered much less than the Richard, as the guns of the latter were so light, and so soon silenced; but no sooner were the ships separated, than her main-top-mast fell, bringing with it the mizzen-topmast. Though jury-masts were erected, the ship drove about, nearly helpless, in the North Sea, until the 6th of October, when the remains of the squadron, with the two prizes, got into the Texel, the port to which they had been ordered to repair.

In this battle an unusual number of lives were lost; but no authenticated report seems to have come from either side. The English stated the loss of the Richard to have been about three hundred, in killed and wounded. This would include nearly all on board that ship, and was, of course, a mistake. The muster-roll of the Richard, excluding the marines, which roll was in existence long after, shows that 42 men were killed, or died of wounds very shortly, and that 41 were wounded. No list of the casualties of the marines is given. This would make a total of 83 out of 227 souls. But some of those on the muster-roll were not in the battle at all, for both junior lieutenants, and about 30 men with them, were absent in prizes.

There were a few volunteers on board, who were not mustered, and so, if we set down 200 as the regular crew during the action, we shall not be far wrong. Estimating the marines at 120, and observing the same proportion for casualties, we shall get 49 for the result, which will make the entire loss of the Richard one hundred and thirty-two.

It is known, however, that in the course of the action the soldiers suffered out of proportion to the rest of the crew, and as general report made the gross loss of the Bonhomme Richard 150, it is probable that this was about the number.

Captain Pearson made a partial report, putting his loss at 117; admitting, at the same time, that there were many killed who were not reported.

Probably the loss of the two ships was about equal, and that nearly or quite half of all engaged were either killed or wounded.

In a private letter, written some time after, Jones gives an opinion that the loss of men in the two ships was about equal. Muster-rolls were loosely kept, in those days.

That two vessels of so much force should be lashed together for more than two hours, making use of artillery, musketry, and all the other means of offence known to the warfare of the day, and not do even greater injury to their crews, must strike every one with astonishment. But the fact must be ascribed to the peculiarities of the battle, which, by driving the English under cover early in the fight, and keeping the Americans above the chief line of fire of their enemy, in a measure protected each side from the missiles of the other. As it was, it was a most sanguinary conflict, with a duration prolonged by unusual circumstances.

Great interest has always attached to this typical sea-fight. Scarcely any of the eye-witnesses agreed as to the facts. The principal information was given to Fennimore Cooper by Commodore Dale. Captain Pearson stated that the Alliance kept about them all the time, raking them fore and aft. This statement is contradicted by the certificates of the officers of the Richard, by persons who were on board the Alliance, by the persons who were in the boat, and by officers of the other vessels near.

The First Lieutenant and the Master of the Alliance admitted that they were never on the free side of the Serapis at all, and their ship never went round her. They also said that they engaged the Scarborough, at long shot, for a short time; a fact corroborated by Captain Piercy. They added that their ship was a long time aloof from the fight, and that she only fired three broadsides, or parts of broadsides, at the Richard and Serapis.

From the testimony it is likely that the Alliance injured the Richard much more than she did the Serapis. This does not detract from the merit of the gallant Captain Pearson, who could not have known that, and the proximity of the Alliance no doubt influenced him in inducing him to lower his flag.

It is and always will be a matter of doubt as to whether the Scarborough raked the Bonhomme Richard before she was engaged with the other ships.

Altogether, this was one of the most remarkable sea-fights on record.

The arrival of Jones and his prizes in the Texel excited much interest in the diplomatic world. The English demanded that the prizes should be released and Jones himself given up as a pirate. The Dutch government, though favorable to the Americans, was not prepared for war, and therefore temporized. A long correspondence ensued, and the following expedient was adopted. The Serapis, which had been refitted, was transferred to France, as was the Scarborough, while Jones took command of the Alliance; Landais having been suspended, and ordered to quit the country. Landais was afterward restored to command, but deposed again, on the ground of insanity; and eventually discharged the service.

WASP AND FROLIC. A. D. 1812.

On November 13th, 1812, the American 18-gun ship-sloop Wasp, Captain Jacob Jones, with a crew of 137 men, sailed from the Delaware, and ran off southeast, to get into the track of the West India traders. On the next day she encountered a heavy gale, and lost her jib-boom and two men who were upon it. On the 17th, the weather having moderated somewhat, she discovered several sail, which were part of a convoy of merchantmen from Honduras, bound for England, under convoy of the British 18-gun brig-sloop Frolic, of 19 guns and 110 men, commanded by Captain Whinyates. They had been dispersed by the gale of the 16th, in which the Frolic had lost her main yard. The Frolic had spent the next day in repairing damages, and by dark, six of her missing convoy had rejoined her. On Sunday, the 18th, which was a fine day, the convoy was discovered ahead and to leeward of the American ship, Captain Jones not choosing to close during the night, as he was ignorant of the force opposed to him.

The Wasp now sent down top-gallant yards, close reefed her top-sails, and bore down under short fighting canvas. The Frolic lashed her damaged yard on deck, and hauled by the wind, under her boom main-sail and close reefed fore-top-sail, hoisting Spanish colors to decoy the stranger down, and permit her convoy to escape. By half-past eleven the ships were close together, and running on the starboard tack, parallel, and not more than sixty yards apart. They then commenced firing, the Wasp her port, and the Frolic her starboard battery. The latter fired very rapidly, delivering three broadsides to the Wasp’s two, both crews cheering loudly as the ships wallowed through the water, abreast of each other. There was a very heavy sea running, left by the gale, which caused the vessels to roll and pitch heavily. The Americans fired as the engaged side of their ship was going down, aiming at the Frolic’s hull, while the English fired while on the crest of the seas, their shot going high.

The water flew in clouds of spray over both vessels, which rolled so that the muzzles of the guns went under, but in spite of this the firing was spirited and well directed. In five minutes the Wasp’s main-top-mast was shot away, and fell across the port fore and fore-top-sail braces, rendering her head yards unmanageable. Ten minutes after her gaff and mizzen-top-gallant mast came down, and by eleven o’clock every brace and most of her rigging was shot away, so that it was impossible to brace her yards.

But in the meantime the Frolic had suffered dreadfully in her hull and lower masts, and her gaff and head braces were also shot away. The slaughter among her crew was also very great; but the survivors kept at their work with the dogged courage of their race. At first the two vessels ran side by side, but the American gradually forged ahead, throwing in her fire from a position in which she herself received little injury. By degrees they drew so close together that the Americans struck the Frolic’s side with their rammers, in loading, and began to rake the British vessel with dreadful effect.

The Frolic then fell on board her antagonist, her jib-boom coming in between the main and mizzen-rigging of the Wasp, and passing over the heads of Captain Jones and Lieutenant Biddle, who were standing by the capstan, on the quarter-deck.

This forced the Wasp up into the wind, and she again raked the Frolic, Captain Jones trying to restrain his crew, who were anxious to board, until he could put in another broadside. But they could not be held back, and Jack Lang, a seaman from New Jersey, leaped on the Frolic’s bowsprit. Lieutenant Biddle then mounted the hammock-cloth, to board, but got his feet entangled in some rigging, and one of the midshipmen seizing his coat-tails, to help himself up, the Lieutenant tumbled back on the deck. As the ship rose to the next swell he succeeded in getting on the bowsprit, on which were one or two seamen of his ship. But there was no one to oppose them. The man at the wheel stood grim and undaunted, and there were two or three more about the deck, among them Captain Whinyates and his First Lieutenant, both so severely wounded that they could not stand without support. There could be no more resistance, and Lieutenant Biddle hauled down the flag himself, at a quarter-past twelve--just forty-three minutes after the action commenced. Almost immediately both the Frolic’s masts went by the board.

Of her crew not twenty men escaped unhurt. Every officer was wounded and two were killed. Her total loss was thus over ninety, about thirty of whom were killed outright or died of wounds.

The Wasp suffered severely in her rigging and aloft generally, but only two or three shots struck her hull. Five of her men were killed--two in her mizzen-top, and one in her main-top-mast rigging, and five were wounded, chiefly aloft.

The two vessels were practically of equal force. The loss of the Frolic’s main-yard had converted her into a brigantine, and as the roughness of the sea made it necessary to fight under very short canvas, her inferiority in men was fully compensated for by her superiority in metal. She had been desperately defended; no men could have fought more bravely than Captain Whinyates and his crew. On the other hand, the Americans had done their work with a coolness and skill that could not be surpassed. The contest had been mainly one of gunnery, and had been decided by the greatly superior judgment and accuracy with which they fired. Both officers and crew had behaved well.

The French Vice-Admiral Jurien de la Gravière, commenting on this action, says: “The American fire showed itself to be as accurate as it was rapid. On occasions, when the roughness of the seas would seem to render all aim excessively uncertain, the effects of their artillery were not less murderous than under more advantageous conditions. The corvette Wasp fought the brig Frolic in an enormous sea, under very short canvas, and yet, forty minutes after the beginning of the action, the Americans who leaped on board the brig found on the deck, covered with dead and dying, but one brave man, who had not left the wheel, and three officers, all wounded, etc., etc.”

The characteristics of the action are the practical equality of the contestants in point of force, and the enormous disparity in the damage each suffered. Numerically the Wasp was superior by five per cent., and inflicted a ninefold greater loss.

Captain Jones was not destined to bring his prize into port, for a few hours afterward the Poictiers, a British 74, hove in sight. Now appeared the value of the Frolic’s desperate defence; if she could not prevent herself from being captured, she had at least ensured her own recapture, and also the capture of her foe. When the Wasp made sail they were found to be cut into ribbons, and she could not make off with sufficient speed. The Poictiers soon overtook her, and carried both vessels into Bermuda. Captain Jones and his officers and men were soon exchanged, and Congress voted them prize money for their capture; while the Captain and Lieutenant Biddle were both deservedly promoted.

CONSTITUTION. A.D. 1812.

After the declaration of war with England, on the 18th of June, 1812, Vice-Admiral Sawyer, of the British Navy, prepared a squadron at Halifax, and dispatched it, on July 5th, to cruise against the United States. This squadron was commanded by Captain Broke, of the Shannon, 38, an officer of great merit and experience, who had under him the Belvidera, 36, Captain Byron, another excellent officer, the Africa, 64, and the Æolus, 32.

On the 9th of July, off Nantucket, they were joined by the Guerrière, 38, Captain Dacres. This squadron, on the 16th, fell in with and captured the United States brig Nautilus, 14, which, like all the brigs of that day, was overloaded with men and guns; she threw her guns overboard, and made use of every expedient to escape, but with no avail.

At 3 P. M. on the following day, when the British squadron was off Barnegat, and about twelve miles from the shore, a strange sail was seen in the southeast, or windward quarter, standing to the northeast. This vessel was the United States frigate Constitution, 44, Captain Isaac Hull. When the war broke out he was in the Chesapeake, engaged in getting a new crew. Having on board about four hundred and fifty souls, he sailed on the 12th of July. His crew was entirely new, drafts of men coming on board up to the last moment. Hull wrote, just before sailing, that “the crew are as yet unacquainted with a ship-of-war, as many have but lately joined and have never been on an armed ship before. We are doing all that we can to make them acquainted with their duty, and in a few days we shall have nothing to fear from any single-decked ship.” On the 17th, at 2 P. M., Hull discovered four sail to the northward, heading to the westward. An hour after, the wind being very light, the Constitution made more sail, and tacked ship, being in eighteen and a-half fathoms. At four P. M. the Constitution discovered a fifth sail, which was the Guerrière. At about six o’clock the wind shifted and blew lightly from the south, bringing the American ship to windward, and she immediately wore, with her head to the eastward, set studding-sails and stay-sails, and at half-past seven beat to quarters, intending to speak the nearest vessel, the Guerrière. The two frigates neared each other gradually, and the Constitution, at ten P. M., began making signals. These were not answered, and the two frigates gradually drew near each other; the Guerrière discovered, on her lee beam, the other British vessels, and signalled to them.

They did not answer the signals, thinking she must know who they were--a circumstance which afterwards gave rise to sharp recriminations. Dacres, concluding them to be Commodore Rodgers’ American squadron, tacked, and stood away from the Constitution for some time before discovering his mistake.

The next morning, soon after daylight, Hull had just enough steerage-way to keep the Constitution’s head to the east, on the starboard tack. On his lee quarter, bearing northeast by north, were the Belvidera and Guerrière, and astern the Shannon, Æolus, and Africa. At half-past five in the morning it fell dead calm, and Hull called away his boats, to tow the ship to the southward. At the same time he got two long guns aft, and cut away the taffrail, to give them more room to work; while he ran out of the cabin windows two of the long main-deck 24’s.

By this time the British had followed his example, and had their boats out to tow. Soon, however, a light breeze sprang up, and the Constitution set all studding-sails and stay-sails. At this time the Shannon opened upon her with her bow-guns, but ceased when she found she did not reach the American ship. By half-past six in the morning the light breeze had died away again, and the Shannon began to gain on the Constitution, in consequence of most of the boats of the British squadron being set to tow her. Just then the Constitution sounded in twenty-six fathoms, and Lieut. Charles Morris suggested to Captain Hull to try kedging. This was adopted, and all the spare rope bent on to the kedges, paid out into the cutters, and then one kedge run out half a mile ahead and let go. The crew then clapped on and walked the ship up to the kedge--over-running and tripping it as she came to the end of the line. Meanwhile, the other kedge and lines were carried out; and the ship thus glided away from her pursuers.

At half-past seven A. M. a little breeze sprang up, and the Constitution then set her ensign and fired a shot at the Shannon--the first shot of this remarkable chase. It soon fell calm again, and the Shannon began to near. This was a critical time, for, if the Shannon got close enough to disable in the slightest degree the spars of the American frigate, she must inevitably be captured. But about nine o’clock an air from the southward struck the Constitution, bringing her to windward. The breeze was seen, freshening the glassy surface of the sea, her sails were trimmed, and as soon as possible she was brought close upon the port tack. The boats which were engaged in kedging dropped alongside; those which belonged to the davits were run up, and the others lifted clear of the water by purchases from the chains and spare spars, so that they could be used again at a moment’s notice. The Guerrière, on her lee beam, now opened fire, but, as it fell short, Hull paid no attention to it. Again, to Hull’s vexation, it fell calm--it was, indeed, just such a summer’s day as is often seen off the Jersey coast, when it seems as if the wind had died out forever--and he started two thousand gallons of water, and once more lowered his boats to tow; having to use great exertion to keep the Shannon, which had most of the boats of the squadron, from gaining on her. Again a breath of air ruffled the water, and this time the Belvidera gained on the other British ships, and their boats were all put on to tow her. (Cooper says that this ship was the Shannon still, but Roosevelt, a very careful writer, says it was the Belvidera.) Captain Byron, of this ship, observing how the Constitution crept away from them by warping, did the same thing; and he even improved upon the operation by working two kedge anchors at the same time-paying the warp out of one hawse hole as it was run in through the other. Having men from the other English ships on board, and a lighter ship to work, he gradually gained upon the Constitution. Hull fully expected to be overtaken, but he made all his arrangements to endeavor to disable the first frigate before her consorts could come up. The English frigates, on the other hand, were deterred from coming very close, for fear of having their boats sunk by the American frigate’s stern-chasers.