The truth is, as was said in telling of the Constitution-Guerrière fight, the British Lords of Admiralty knew all about the size of the Constitution, the United States and all the rest of the American ships. They knew the number and size of guns carried. The United States was launched at Philadelphia on July 10, 1797. She had been afloat fifteen years when she whipped the Macedonian, and the Constitution, her sister-ship, had been afloat but a few weeks less. The British officers had often inspected them, and yet through their obstinate faith in the superiority of their own knowledge they built the Macedonian in 1810, fully believing she was a fair match for any frigate afloat! After the war of 1812 had taught them something they built their frigates on “exactly the same plan” of the long-despised model of Joshua Humphreys, the Philadelphia Quaker.
Stephen Decatur.
From the portrait by Thomas Sully, at the Naval Academy, Annapolis.
It is now proper to defend the British seamen as a class from a charge made by every British historian—the charge that in this war they deserted their flag in such great numbers to join the American ships as enabled the American commanders to fill all the important petty offices, such as that of gunner, or boatswain’s mate, etc., with experienced British men-o’-warsmen. They assert repeatedly that from one-third to one-half of the crack American crews were British subjects who had deserted from the British navy. They go further. They quote from a letter written by Decatur who therein mentioned the fact that many of his crew on the United States had served under Nelson and other famous British officers. This quotation is made to prove conclusively to their minds that the efficient members of the American crews were British subjects.
When the American student comes to examine the facts in this matter he is sure to be either indignant or amused, but most likely he will be amused. For the truth of the matter shows the most remarkable condition of affairs known to the history of navies. It is literally true that in some of the American crews from one-third to one-half the men had served in British ships; they were the American citizens who had been made the victims of the British press-gangs. What the British writers call deserting was the escape of the slave to his own country. The greatest number of British-born men in any American crew was thirty-two. That number was in the Chesapeake the day she was whipped.
But not to prolong this matter, the spirit of the British writers can best be illustrated by a quotation from Allen’s “Battles of the British Navy,” regarding the five impressed Americans who survived the battle when the Macedonian was captured. These men were invited to sign articles on the United States, and they did so. Not another soul of the captured crew was asked to do so. But Allen says:
“Every temptation, and even threats were used to induce the crew to enter the American service, but the overtures were treated with the disdain they merited.”
And this in the face of the fact that the Macedonian had sailed with eight “prest” American seamen.
As to the prize, she was a long way from her new home and she was almost a wreck. How bad her condition was shall be told by quoting the words of the Yankee-hating James when he says that “with the profusion of stores of every sort which was to be found on board the American frigate, with so many able seamen that could be spared from her numerous crew, and with all the advantages that a fortnight’s calm weather gave, it took the whole of that time to place the prize in a seaworthy state—a clear proof how much the Macedonian had been shattered.”