USS United States Outsmarted British Captain
Naval Gun's Better Range led to Victory in Key Battle of War of 1812
Aug 20, 2009
Prior to 1812, the British Navy had sole possession of the seas. Admiral Horatio Nelson had recently defeated the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar, leaving Britain the only nation with a viable navy afloat on the seas and appearing invincible. That is until its second war with its former colonies in the Americas.
Going to War in 1812
In 1812, the United States declared war on Britain, citing the impressments of American sailors by the British Navy as one of the main causes of the hostilities. Impressment was a British policy where the Royal Navies ships could stop any merchant vessel suspected of employing British deserters and force them back into service on the British ships.
Citing this lack of respect for the American colors, president James Madison asked Congress to declare war in 1812.
The Navy in 1812
The United States was not prepared for war in 1812 and that rang true for the navy as well. In 1794, Congress had passed the Naval Act, authorizing the construction of six frigates that would constitute the first navy. While all six frigates were constructed and served the country first in the Quasi-War with France and then against Barbary Pirates in the Mediterranean, by 1812, the ships were mostly sitting in the stockyards due to budget concerns.
One of those ships was the USS United States, the first ship of the navy ever launched. Built in Philadelphia, the nation’s capital in 1794, the construction took place under the supervision of the master shipwright of the United States Joshua Humphreys. Humphreys design for the six ships called for them to be sturdy yet quick, a hybrid of naval construction from the designs of the British and French fleets.
Facing the HMS Macedonian
When the war broke out in 1812, debated ensued in whether the ships should be kept in port to avoid capture by the British or set to sea. Influenced by a meeting with several naval captains, Madison decided to send out the frigates. Among those was the United States under the command of Stephen Decatur, who had already garnered acclaim for his daring exploits during the Barbary Wars.
The frigate cruised the waters off the coast of the United States and in October of 1812, met with the British warship the HMS Macedonian. As the two ships neared and a battle was inevitable, Decatur made a surprise move and turned his ship and appeared to be trying to sail away.
In truth, it was Decatur’s strategy all-along. Prior to the outbreak of war, Decatur had been stationed in Norfolk, Va., where the Macedonian was moored for a time in 1810 for repairs and to take on provisions. Not uncommon at the time.
During the Macedonian's stay, Decatur befriended the British ships captain John Carden, who during a conversation had told Decatur how British ships preferred using 18-pound cannons that had a shorter range put could be fired quickly in a close in battle. The American boats were equipped with 24-pound cannons, which had a longer range but were slower to load and fire.
Armed with this knowledge in 1812, Decatur maneuvered his ship to stay farther away from the British ship. With his long-range cannons wreaking havoc on the British vessel and British shot unable to reach the American boat with any effect, Cardon was forced to strike his colors and hand the vessel over to his American friend.
Decatur took the Macedonian as a prize, accepting Cardon’s surrender. While Cardon seemed despondent thinking he had been the first British vessel to be taken by the American’s in the war, Decatur informed him that the Macedonian was the second vessel taken as earlier in the year, the USS Constitution had defeated the HMS Guerriere.
Aftermath
Decatur brought the captured vessel to New York harbor where the Macedonian was rechristened the USS Macedonian and refitted for battle. A strong British blockade, however, prevented the United States and the Macedonian from ever leaving the harbor, though, and the two ships sat out the rest of the war.
While the boats did not see action again in the War of 1812, the loss of the Macedonian was a serious blow to British morale. Thinking the British navy was invincible, the people of Britain were despondent at the news. The loss of the Guerriere was a blow to British pride but at least in that battle, the Constitution was technically the bigger ship, rated for more guns. In the United States/Macedonian conflict, the two ships were equals and on an equal footing, the Americans had triumphed.
Britain’s stranglehold on the seas was broken and it made those in England start to second think this new war with America.
Source:
Toll, Ian W., Six Frigates: The Epic History Founding of the U.S. Navy (W.W. Norton, 2006)
