Page:Cambridge Modern History Volume 7.djvu/371

1812] American naval successes. 339 The first naval action was fought on August 19, 1812, when the American frigate Constitution, 44, met the British Guerriere, 38, and after twenty-five minutes of firing reduced her to a complete wreck and compelled her surrender, receiving but insignificant damage in return. In weight of metal the American was incontestably superior, but she was also far better handled, and her shooting was such as to astonish the British crew. This victory caused extraordinary elation in the United States, while in London it produced corresponding gloom and depression. It was followed by three similar incidents. On October 18 the American sloop Wasp captured the British sloop Frolic of equal force but inferior nautical quality, and captured her with a loss to the Americans of only 10 men, against a British loss of 62. A week later, on October 25, the American frigate United States, 44, encountered the British frigate Macedonian, 38, and after a terrible combat of one hour's duration, in which the Americans inflicted a loss of 104, with only 13 casualties in their own ship, compelled her to strike her colours. Again the American was much superior in force; again the American captain, Decatur, handled his vessel far better than his British opponent. To complete the tale of British reverses, on December 29 the British frigate Java, 38, with a crew largely composed of landsmen, unskilled in gunnery, was captured by the American Constitution, 44, after an action in which the Java lost her captain and one-third of her crew. These disasters led to the issue of an order by the British Admiralty, directing captains not to engage American ships of superior force. This order at once produced the required result ; and the long succession of American victories was interrupted. While the warships of the United States were giving so good an account of themselves, the depredations committed by American privateers on British shipping were producing a state of exasperation among British traders. No less than 500 British merchantmen were posted in Lloyd's List as having been captured during the seven months of war from October, 1812, to May, 1813. On the other hand, American foreign trade was destroyed and coastwise traffic was interrupted a serious matter at a date when there were no railways, and communication by land was slow and uncertain. The United States, indeed, was in danger of being sundered strategically into a number of isolated fragments, and this though the British naval force on the American coast was as yet weak. Not till June, 1813, was the coast south of New York closely watched ; and even then privateers and warships from time to time managed to evade the blockade. The campaign of 1813 opened in the North- West with further American reverses. The American general Winchester, while marching to the relief of Frenchtown on the river Raisin, which was threatened by a Canadian force, was attacked on January 22 by the British colonel Proctor with a force of 1100 regulars, militia, and Indians, and was compelled to surrender with 500 men. A part of his force was ce. x. 22 2