Part 9 (2/2)

When Lawrence formed his men to board after the two vessels had fouled the bugler could not be found, whereupon Captain Broke led his own men upon the deck of the _Chesapeake_.

It was at this critical moment that Lawrence was fatally wounded and carried below. He kept calling out his commands while in the c.o.c.kpit to fight harder and to keep the guns going. His last words, often repeated in his delirium, were ”_Don't give up the s.h.i.+p!_” and they formed the motto of the American navy for many years afterward.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE OFFICERS OF THE ”CHESAPEAKE” OFFERING THEIR SWORDS.]

In the wild, savage fighting, where everything was so mixed that an American lieutenant joined the British boarders under the impression that they were his own men, Captain Broke was fearfully wounded, though he afterward recovered. The _Chesapeake_, with a loss of 47 killed and 99 wounded to 24 killed and 59 wounded of the enemy, became the prize of the _Shannon_.

CHAPTER XV.

David Porter--A Clever Feat--Numerous Captures by the _Ess.e.x_--Her Remarkable Cruise in the Pacific--Her Final Capture.

David Porter was born in 1780 and died in 1842. He came from a seafaring family, and, entering the navy at an early age, did gallant service in the war with France and Tripoli. He was the father of David Dixon Porter, who, on account of his brilliant record in the war for the Union, was made vice-admiral in 1866 and admiral in 1870.

The elder Porter was appointed captain of the _Ess.e.x_ at the beginning of the War of 1812, and, leaving New York, started on a cruise after the British 36-gun _Thetis_, which was on her way to South America with a large amount of specie aboard. She took several unimportant prizes, and, failing to meet the _Thetis_, turned northward and on the night of July 10, 1812, sighted a fleet of merchantmen.

The night was cloudy and dark and Porter with a great deal of cleverness pushed his way among the vessels without his ident.i.ty being suspected.

He had drawn in his guns, hidden most of his men and done all he could to give the _Ess.e.x_ the appearance of being an inoffensive merchantman.

His object was to learn whether the escort was too powerful to be attacked. He opened conversation with the captain of one of the vessels, who, unsuspicious of his ident.i.ty, informed him that the fleet was carrying a thousand soldiers from Barbados to Quebec, and that the convoying vessel was the _Minerva_, a 32-gun frigate. In addition, several of the merchantmen were heavily armed.

Captain Porter's next act was still more audacious. He glided forward among the fleet and hailed the captain of a second vessel, but the latter became suspicious, and was on the point of signalling to the escort the appearance of a stranger among them, when Porter thrust out the muzzles of twenty cannon and warned him that if he failed to keep perfect silence and follow in his wake he would blow him out of the water. The English captain obeyed, and Porter extricated his prize with such astonis.h.i.+ng skill that not a vessel took the alarm. When a safe point was reached, Porter found that his prize was a brig with about two hundred British soldiers on board.

Having succeeded so well, Porter again returned to the fleet for another capture. But by this time day was breaking and the character of his vessel was discovered. It being useless to attempt further disguise, he cleared for action and offered the _Minerva_ battle. The captain, however, deemed it his duty to remain with his convoy, and continued his course to Quebec, while Porter headed southward, afterward restoring his prize to its owners for a liberal ransom.

Captain Porter had become so clever in disguising his vessel as a merchantman that some days later he lured the British 16-gun s.h.i.+p-sloop _Alert_ to attack him. In the s.p.a.ce of eight minutes the _Alert_ was so helplessly crippled that her captain surrendered. The _Ess.e.x_ did not suffer the slightest injury and no men were killed on either vessel.

The _Ess.e.x_ had now five hundred prisoners aboard, and they formed an element of serious danger, for they began plotting among themselves to capture the s.h.i.+p from the Americans and turn her over to the enemy.

Captain Porter was a severe disciplinarian, and one of his practices was to have the alarm of fire sounded at all hours of the day or night, that his crew might be taught the successful way of fighting the ever-present danger. To make such training perfect, he occasionally started a fire in the hatches.

The leader in the conspiracy to seize the s.h.i.+p fixed upon a night to make the attempt, and his friends were on the alert to join him the moment he gave the signal. In one of the hammocks was sleeping a mids.h.i.+pmite only eleven years old, but, young as he was, he was a hero.

Pistol in hand, the plotter tiptoed up beside the hammock to learn whether the boy was asleep. The little fellow was never wider awake in his life; but he kept his eyes closed and breathed regularly, so as to deceive the scoundrel, who slipped away to lead his companions in their murderous uprising.

The instant the man disappeared the boy mids.h.i.+pman sprang out of his hammock, crept to the cabin and told Captain Porter what he had seen.

That officer ran into the berth deck and loudly shouted ”_Fire_!” The finely disciplined crew promptly answered the call, and going to the main hatch, were speedily armed and received their orders from Captain Porter. The plotters were overawed and the rebellion nipped in the bud.

Thus the _Ess.e.x_ was saved by the wits of a boy only eleven years old.

The name of that boy was David Glasgow Farragut, and he became the greatest naval officer of the American navy. Of course I shall have more to tell you about him later on.

Determined to rid himself of the dangerous prisoners, Captain Porter placed them on board the _Alert_ and sent them to Nova Scotia on parole.

In a cruise of sixty days he made nine captures, recaptured five privateers and merchantmen, and arrived in the Delaware early in September.

He sailed again in the latter part of October with the smallest frigate in the navy, but with a full complement of officers and men. Among the former, it need hardly be said, was young Mids.h.i.+pman Farragut. The first port at which he stopped was Port Praya, where the Portuguese governor showed them much courtesy. In December the _Ess.e.x_ crossed the equator, and soon after overhauled a British brig of war, which strained every effort to escape. The two manoeuvred for position, but the _Ess.e.x_ proved her superiority, and, after a volley of musketry, which killed one man, the _Nocton_, as she proved to be, hauled down her flag. She carried only 10 guns and 31 men, but had $50,000 in specie on board.

Captain Porter placed an officer and crew in charge of the prize, with instructions to make the nearest American port. While striving to do so he was captured by the British frigate _Belvidera_.

Captain Porter's instructions were to meet the _Const.i.tution_ and _Hornet_, which were cruising in that part of the world. He made continued efforts to do so, and frequently got on their track, but finally had to give it up. Then Captain Porter formed the bold plan of doubling Cape Horn and entering the Pacific ocean.

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