been for his discretion and promptitude on first falling in with the American squadron; his perseverance in leading Commodore Rodgers out of the track of a valuable Jamaica fleet, which both parties knew was then on its passage to England under a very trivial escort[1]; and his bravery in defending the Belvidera, during a long and arduous chase, while engaged with a force so greatly superior; the country would have sustained a much greater loss than that resulting from the capture of six or seven insignificant merchantmen, which, with one solitary recapture, were the only trophies of Commodore Rodgers’ prowess, obtained by him during a cruise of two months and eight days, although he had sailed from New York with the singular advantage of his hostile intentions being unknown to any British cruiser.
On the 5th of the following month, Captain Byron sailed from Halifax in company with a squadron sent to cruise off the enemy’s coast, under the orders of Captain (now Sir Philip) Broke; and eleven days after assisted at the capture of the Nautilus of 14 guns and 106 men, off Sandy Hook[2]. At 3 P.M. on the same day, a strange sail was seen in the wind’s eye, which afterwards proved to be the Constitution of 56 guns, on her way from Chesapeake Bay to New York. A general chase ensued, and was continued during the night. At day-light on the 17th, it being then calm, the enemy’s ship and her pursuers hoisted out their boats to tow, and at 7h 30' the former began warping herself ahead, in 24 fathoms water. She then bore from the Belvidera S.W.b.S. distant four miles. At 9 o’clock a light air sprang up from the S.S.E., and the Belvidera trimmed sails on the larboard tack. At 10 h 30' the breeze freshened, but in a few minutes died away to a calm; when Captain Byron, observing the benefit that the Constitution had derived from warping, immediately
- ↑ Captain Byron’s position at day-light on the 23d June is stated in the above letter. The West India fleet just alluded to were that day, at noon, in lat. 39° 35' N., long. 61° 38' W. From the course that Commodore Rodgers was steering when first discovered by the Belvidera, and from the circumstance of his bringing a westerly breeze from the American coast, it is obvious that he had every chance of coming up with the convoy.
- ↑ See Vol. II. Part I, p. 370.
