12th of March 1815

On the 12th, at 6 h. 30 m. a.m., Sir George Collier went on shore to communicate with the governor, in consequence of the damage done to the houses of the town by the shot from the Acasta and Newcastle. At 11 a.m. Sir George returned ; and shortly afterwards the British squadron, accompanied by the prize, got under way, and steered for the West Indies. We must now pay a visit to the Constitution.

The moment he saw how the Acasta was weathering him, and that he had no chance of escape by bearing up, as the Newcastle would inevitably intercept him, Captain Stewart considered the Constitution as within an hour or two of becoming a British prize. The American officers now questioned the British officers as to the manner in which the commodore of the chasing squadron would treat them ; and ; in short, began making, in regard to their clothes and other personal effects, such arrangements as they thought necessary, in the change they were about to undergo from freemen to captives. All this while Captains Douglas and Falcon and the late officers of the Levant and Cyane were blessing their stars at the good fortune that awaited them, although, as we can readily conceive, their delicacy forbade them from making a display of it before Captain Stewart and his officers. When the Cyane tacked, and the three British ships still continued in chase of the Constitution, not a doubt could remain that the English commodore, whoever he might be, was determined to have her. The Levant tacks ; and (can it be possible?) all three British ships tack after her. Here is a change ! The joy of Captain Stewart and his officers was now as extravagant as their fears had been well grounded. But what were now the feelings of Captains Douglas and Falcon and the other British officers ? What were they indeed! " The British officers on board, " says the Constitution's officer, " who had expressed the utmost confidence that the Constitution would be taken in an hour, felt the greatest vexation and disappointment, which they expressed in very emphatic terms." * From the following passage in the same account, it would appear that some one of the British officers, to save as much as possible the credit of the service to which he belonged, pretended to understand the purport of a signal that was hoisted by the Newcastle, and of which we shall speak presently. Thus: " After the other ships tacked, the Newcastle made a signal that her foretopsail yard was sprung, and tacked also. " In less than three quarters of an hour after the Newcastle had tacked from her, the Constitution was becalmed or nearly so. As soon as a breeze sprang up, Captain Stewart steered towards the coast of Brazil, and through the West Indies home ; and, early in the month of May, lucky Old Ironsides," as now she well might be called, anchored in Boston.

The three British ships, on being first discovered by the Constitution, were taken by the American officers for what, in reality, they were: the Leander and Newcastle for " ships of the line," or two-deckers, and the Acasta for a frigate. But the Cyane, according to her log, made out all three ships to be frigates, even before the Constitution cut her cables and made sail. Yet, on board the Leander, the Constitution, of 1533, the Cyane of 539, and the Levant, a flush ship, of 464 tons, all put on the appearance of "frigates." Hence, when the Cyane tacked, " Sir George directed the Acasta's signal to be made to tack after her, but countermanded the order, on observing that she would gain the anchorage before the Acasta could close with her." * It was, therefore, the respect which the British commanding officer paid to the neutrality of the Portuguese port, that permitted the Cyane to go unpursued. But, in less than an hour, a second enemy's " frigate," the Levant, tacks, and the neutrality of the port does not save her from being pursued, or from being cannonaded, " with her jib-boom over the battery," by two of the three British ships that had tacked after her. How does Captain M'Dougall reconcile this ?

It appears, now, that it was not Sir George's intention that all three British ships should have tacked after the Levant. The signal was ordered to be for the Acasta alone to tack ; but, according to the published letter of Mr. Thomas Collier, " the midshipman, Mr. Morrison, whose duty it was to make the signal, did, by mistake, hoist the general signal, " or, according to another statement, and one which bears the signature of the Leander's late first lieutenant, " in making the signal, the Acasta's distinguishing pendants got foul, and, before they could be cleared, the Newcastle mistook it for a general signal. It is a point, we conceive, of very little consequence how the mistake arose. The fact is that, of all the three ships, the Acasta was the last that should have been ordered to tack after the Levant, even admitting that ship to have been the " Constitution, President, Macedonian, or Congress, " simply because the Acasta was " weathering, " " getting into the wake of, " and the likeliest of any of the three to overtake and bring to action, the " Guerrière.'' On the other hand, that the Leander herself, if any ship did, was the most proper to have gone in pursuit of the supposed Constitution, President, Macedonian, or Congress, is clear; first, because she was " falling to leeward " of the supposed Guerrière, and next, because she was the nearest of any of her squadron to the ship that, to the Leander at least, put on so fatal a disguise. Had we seen no other statement than is to be found in the three British ships' logs, we should consider that the Leander really did tack first ; for thus says her log : "Tacked ship to cut off ship from anchorage, and made signal for ditto."

Capt. Sir George Collier

Sir George Collier was remarkable for the kindness with which he treated his officers, and for the, in this instance, most unfortunate, deference he was in the habit of paying to their opinions on points of service. By whose suggestion he tacked, let his late first lieutenant's own words determine : " When the Acasta had filled on the starboard tack, I observed to Sir George, that, if the ships standing in shore were really frigates, which it was impossible to ascertain, owing to the haziness of the weather, they would be more than a match for the Acasta. He replied It is true, Kerr can do wonders, but not impossibilities ; and I believe I must go round, as, when the ship that tacked first hears the Acasta engaged, she will naturally come to her consort's assistance." Captain M'Dougall here says " it was impossible to ascertain " whether or not a low flush ship, of 464 tons, sailing for more than an hour, at the distance certainly not of more than five miles, upon the weather beam of the Leander, and consequently with her whole broadside exposed to view, and every port, one might suppose, as easy to be counted, as the ports of the Leander herself were by the British and American officers on board the Levant, was a "frigate ;" and such a frigate as, with another like her, it would be "impossible" for the Acasta to cope with. Lieutenant Henry Richmond, who was a midshipman on board the Leander, appears to have sanctioned Mr. Thomas Collier in saying, that " all on board " the Leander fully believed that the Constitution, Cyane, and Levant were three American frigates. The only answer we shall give to this will be to subjoin the names of the five lieutenants, who belonged to the Leander at the time. 1st. John M'Dougall, 2d. William Edward Fiott, 3d. Robert Graham Dunlop, 4th. George William St.-John Mildmay, and 5th. Richard Weld. We believe it is not yet admitted by Captains Kerr and Lord George Stuart, that the Acasta was the first ship that tacked, or that the weather, at the time the Constitution was left to go her ways, was not sufficiently clear for the water-lines of all the ships to be seen.

Excerpt from "Naval history of Great Britain - Vol. VI" by William James

11th March 1815

On the 11th of March, at 0 h. 15 m. p.m., when, as already stated, they first discovered the Constitution, Cyane, Levant, and cartel brig, the three British ships were standing close hauled on the starboard tack, with a moderate breeze from the north-east by north ; and the ships in Porto-Praya then bore from the Leander, the leewardmost ship of her squadron, northeast by north distant seven miles. In less than 10 minutes after she had discovered the approach of the British ships, the Constitution cut her cables and stood out of Porto-Praya on the larboard tack, followed by the Levant and Cyane. At 1 p.m., just as the Constitution had got upon the Leander's weather beam, the three British ships tacked in chase. At this time the strange squadron was about four miles in the wind's eye of the Acasta, the Acasta about one mile upon the weather quarter of the Newcastle, and the Newcastle about two miles ahead of the Leander. At this time, also, the Acasta made out the strangers to be " one large frigate and two sloops." The Newcastle has merely noted down in her log, that one ship was larger than the others ; and the Leander, in her log, describes all three of the ships as " apparently frigates." But the Leander's first lieutenant on the occasion, the present Captain John M'Dougall, has subsequently stated as follows: " Weather very thick and hazy ; took the two stern-most ships for frigates, the headmost, from appearance, a much larger ship, for the Guerrière; who, we understood, had long 32-pounders on her main deck." *

At 1 h. 30 m. p.m. Captain Stewart found that the Constitution sailed about equal with the ships on her lee quarter, but that the Acasta, by luffing up, was gaining her wake and rather dropping astern. It was at the same time observed, that the Cyane was dropping astern and to leeward, and would soon be overtaken by the Acasta. At 1 h. 40 m., therefore, Captain Stewart made the signal for the Cyane to tack ; expecting that the British commodore would detach a ship in pursuit of her, and that she would succeed in reaching the anchorage of Porto-Praya before the detached ship could come up with her ; or, if no ship chased, that she would be able to double the rear of the British squadron and escape before the wind. The Cyane, just when bearing from the Leander north-north-east distant four miles, tacked accordingly ; but no British ship tacked after her, Sir George rightly judging that she would reach the neutral port before either of the British ships could get within shot of her. The Cyane shortly afterwards bore away, and was seen no more. At 1 h. 45 in. the Leander hoisted her colours and fired a gun to windward; and then telegraphed that, in case of parting company, the Isle of Mayo was to be the rendezvous. Both the Leander's consorts also hoisted their colours, and the Newcastle scaled her guns. The Constitution's log notices the circumstance thus: " The ship on our lee quarter firing broadsides by divisions, her shot falling short of us." An officer of the Constitution, in a letter to a friend, says : " The shot fell short from 100 to 200 yards. " † This would, indeed, have brought the ships near together ; but the American officer must have greatly underrated the distance. For our part, we cannot see the necessity of scaling the guns at all : not only was the concussion calculated to check the ship's way, but it was very likely to calm the breeze, already beginning to slacken as the day drew towards its close.

At 2 h. 30 m. p.m., the Constitution having dropped the Levant considerably, the situation of the latter, in reference to the Acasta, became as critical as that of the Cyane had been. Captain Stewart accordingly made the Levant's signal to tack ; and the Levant did immediately tack. At this time, says the Acasta, " the frigate had gained on us, but we had gained on the sloop." One of the Constitution's officers gives a different statement from that in the Acasta's log. He says:

"The Acasta sailed faster than the Constitution,

and was gaining on her."

At all events the Acasta, although she might drop a little astern, was weathering upon the Constitution, and had now brought her to bear upon her weather cat-head. The instant the Levant tacked, the Leander made a signal, the nature of which we shall discuss presently ; and, in obedience to that signal, the Acasta " tacked in chase of the sloop." In a minute or two afterwards, according to statements that have appeared in print, the Leander and Newcastle successively did the same. When the Newcastle tacked, the Constitution was five or six miles to windward of her, and, " in the prevailing haze, nearly out of sight " from the deck of the Leander ; from whom the Newcastle then bore south-east by east, and the Acasta north-east.

At 2 h. 50 m. p.m., which was just 14 minutes after she had tacked, the Newcastle lost sight of the Constitution, owing to the increased haziness of the weather as the former approached the land, and the opposite course steered by the latter. The Levant, shortly after she had tacked, bore away for Porto-Praya road, and at about 3 h. 15 m. p.m. received from the Leander in passing an ineffectual fire. " At 4 h. 30 m.," says the Newcastle log, "saw her (Levant) anchor. Acasta fired a broadside. At 4 h. 56 m. tacked and fired our larboard broadside." An American account says: "The Levant ran into port, so as to run her jib-boom over the battery. The Acasta and Newcastle came in, and, although her colours were hauled down, fired at her a number of times. They were obliged to hoist and lower their colours twice ; yet not a gun was fired from the Levant. Lieutenant Ballard, who commanded, had ordered his men to lie on the deck, by which they all escaped injury, although considerable damage was done to the town. It seemed unnecessary for two heavy frigates to fire into one sloop of war, who neither did nor could make any resistance." † When the Leander opened her fire she discovered, clearly enough, the force of the ship in pursuit of which the squadron had tacked. Sir George then made the signal for the Acasta to take possession of her. The Acasta did so ; and, by 5 p.m., all three British ships had anchored in Porto-Praya road.

To be continued...

Excerpt from "Naval history of Great Britain - Vol. VI" by William James

8th of March 1815

On the 8th of March the Constitution, having in company, along with her two prizes, a merchant brig of which she intended to make a cartel, anchored off the isle of Mayo, one of the Cape de Verds ; and on the next day got under way, and anchored, a few hours afterwards, in the harbour of Porto-Praya, island of Saint-Jago. While on his way to these islands, Captain Stewart had caused the Cyane to be painted so as to resemble a 36-gun frigate. The object of this was to aggrandize his exploit, in the wondering eyes of the gaping citizens of Boston ; not one in a hundred of whom, he knew, would trouble themselves to inquire any further on the subject. The American captain would doubtless have played of the same deceptio visûs upon the Levant, had he not been aware, that no efforts of the painter could make a low flush ship of 464 tons resemble a frigate. On the 11th, at 15 minutes past noon, just as Captain Stewart had sent his master to bring the cartel brig under the stern of the Constitution, in order that the prisoners might be removed to her, three strange a ships were discovered through the haze, standing into the harbour. These were the British 50-gun ships Leander and Newcastle, Captains Sir George Ralph Collier, K. C. B. and Lord George Stuart, and 18-pounder 40-gun frigate Acasta, Captain Alexander Robert Kerr. We will now step back for a moment, and endeavour to show what had brought these three ships to a spot so distant from the station on which they had hitherto been cruising, the north-eastern coast of the United States.

On the 19th of December the Leander sailed from Halifax bound off Boston, and on the 24th fell in with the Newcastle and Acasta. By their captains, it appears, Sir George was informed, that the Constitution had sailed from Boston, and the Congress from Portsmouth, New-Hampshire, and that the President was to join those ships " from the Delaware." Unfortunately, although it had been stated over and over again in the Halifax papers, neither of the three captains appears to have been aware, that the Congress had, some months before, been dismantled and laid up at Portsmouth, and that the President was not lying in the " Delaware, " but in New York. On turning to the Newcastle's log, to see who it was that had been playing off such a hoax on Lord George, we find that, on the 22d, while the Newcastle and Acasta were lying at anchor in Cape Cod bay, the 18-gun brig-sloop Arab, Captain, Henry Jane, joined company, "with intelligence that the Constitution had sailed from Boston on the 17th instant." Not another word is there. This, however, was quite enough to hasten the two ships in getting under way, and to make their captains wish. no doubt, that they had kept under way in front of the port which they had been ordered to watch.

This story about the sailing of the American squadron, whether derived, in the first instance, from fishermen, cattle-dealers, or any other of the cunning New-England folk, was credited by Sir George Collier ; and away went the Leander, Newcastle, and Acasta, in search of the Constitution and the "two other heavy frigates" that had sailed "in her company." the 4th of January, when off the Western Isles, the three ships fell in with a brig-prize belonging to the American privateer Perry; and, having chased under American colours, were taken for an American squadron. The consequence was, that the prize-master of the brig voluntarily came on board the Leander, and pretended to take that ship for the President, the Newcastle for the Constitution, and the Acasta, not for the Congress, but for the Macedonian. In short, the fellow would have said or sworn anything, that he thought would ingratiate himself with his hearers. Mr. Marshall says, "Nothing could have happened better" than this farcical interview with the American privateer's-man. On the contrary, looking to the serious impression it appears to have made onboard the Leander, we should rather say, nothing could have happened worse.

 To be continued...

Excerpt from "Naval history of Great Britain - Vol. VI" by William James

Captain Edward Fellowes

EDWARD FELLOWES, Esq.

This officer, a son of the late William Fellowes, of Ramsey Abbey, Esq., M. P. for the town of Andover, and brother of William Henry Fellowes, Esq. the present representative of the county of Huntingdon, was a Lieutenant in 1793, commanded the Albicore sloop in 1795, and obtained post rank in the Tourterelle, of 26 guns, Dec. 7, in the same year. He was present at the reduction of St. Lucia, by Sir Hugh C. Christian and Sir Ralph Abercromby; and soon after that event removed into the Alarm frigate. On the 23d Nov. 1796, he captured the Spanish corvette El Galgo, of 18 guns, off Grenada. This vessel had on board specie to the amount of 80,355 dollars.

In Feb. 1797, the Alarm formed part of the squadron under the orders of Rear-Admiral Harvey, at the conquest of Trinidad +; she was subsequently employed on the Jamaica station, where Captain Fellowes cruized with very great activity and considerable success, taking, among other prizes, a Spanish brig of war, pierced for 18 guns, with a cargo of sugar; and the Felice schooner, of 14 guns and 80 men.

Our officer's next appointment was to the Acasta, a frigate of the largest class, in which he captured the Spanish ship la Juno, of 8 guns, pierced for 16, laden with cocoa and indigo; an armed polacre, with a cargo of brandy, wine, and dry goods; a French schooner, laden with coffee; two French row-boats, schooner rigged; two Spanish doggers; a xebec, of 16 guns, with a cargo similar to that of the polacre, and a number of unarmed merchant vessels laden with coffee, sugar, plantains, fustick, corn, stock, &c.; and destroyed la Victoire French privateer, of 10 guns and 60 men, under the batteries of Aguader.

Captain Fellowes returned to England with the homeward bound trade under his protection, in Sept. 1801 ; and continued to command the Acasta until the following spring. In the summer of 1805 he was appointed to the Apollo, a new frigate; and in 1806, we find him employed under the orders of Sir W. Sidney Smith, in co-operation with the British army on the shores of Calabria. Major-General Stuart, in his official account of the battle of Maida, made the most grateful mention of Captain Fellowes's "solicitude for the success of the campaign; his promptitude in sending on shore supplies for the troops; his anxiety to assist the wounded; and the tenderness with which he treated them."

Our officer subsequently commanded the Conqueror, of 74 guns, on the Mediterranean station, from whence he returned to England in 1812; since which time his health has not allowed him to be in active service. He was advanced to the rank of Rear-Admiral, June 4, 1814. His lady is the eldest daughter of the late R. Benyon, Esq., M. P. for Peterborough.

Residence.—29, Gloucester Place, Portman Square, London.

From: "Royal Naval Biography; Or, Memoirs of the Services of All the Flag-officers, Superannuated Rear-admirals, Retired-captains, Post-captains, and Commanders, Whose Names Appeared on the Admiralty List of Sea Officers at the Commencement of the Present Year, Or who Have Since Been Promoted; Illustrated by a Series of Historical and Explanatory Notes ... With Copious Addenda: Memoirs of all the flag-officers of His Majesty's fleet now living" 

by: John Marshall

Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, 1823

pg 703

Meet Captain Kerr

ALEXANDER ROBERT KERR, Esq.

A Companion of the Most Honorable Military Order of the Bath.

Son of Lieutenant Robert Kerr, R. N. who died at the Royal Hospital, Greenwich, in 1805.

The subject of this memoir entered the naval service as a Midshipman on board the Endymion 44, commanded by Captain (now Lord) Gambier, in Nov. 1781; and served in that ship, the Nemesis, Alarm, and Boreas frigates; Rattler sloop of war, Orion 74, Narcissus 20, and Boyne 98; under Captains Edward Tyrrel Smith, Charles Cotton, Horatio Nelson, James Wallace, Sir Hyde Parker, Philip d'Auvergne, John Salusbury, Paul Minchin, and George Bowyer; on the Leeward Islands, North American, Jamaica, and Channel stations; till his promotion to the rank of Lieutenant, at the conclusion of the Spanish armament. His first commission bears date, Nov. 22, 1790.

In April 1791, Mr. Kerr was appointed senior Lieutenant of the Narcissus, then commanded by Captain Minchin, with whom he continued until paid off in Oct. following. Previous to the commencement of the French revolutionary war, we find him joining the Boston 32, Captain George W. A. Courtenay, in which ship he lost the sight of his right eye by splinters, and received a grape-shot wound in the shoulder, whilst engaged with l'Ambuscade, a republican frigate of superior force, near New York, Aug. 1, 1793. The following account of that action, and of the circumstances which led to it, has been forwarded to us, by an officer who belonged to the Boston, since the publication of the memoir in which we first noticed it.

"We sailed from Newfoundland in consequence of a letter addressed to Captain Courtenay, by the late Sir Rupert George, then commanding the Hussar, at Halifax,, stating that l'Ambuscade French frigate had arrived on the coast of America, and that there was not a British man of War on that station, of sufficient force to protect our commerce; the Hussar being about to depart for the West Indies, with a fleet of transports under her convoy.

'After calling off Halifax harbour to procure pilots, the Boston proceeded towards Sandy Hook, where she arrived on the 26th July, 1793f. Two days afterwards she captured a French schooner privateer of 5 guns and 34 men.

"This prize was manned as a tender, and placed under the command of Mr; Hayes, acting Lieutenant, who was sent into New York, with despatches for the British Consul, apprising him, on the authority of the prisoners, that a French squadron lad arrived in the Chesapeake, from Port-au-Prince, St. Domingo, and that the enemy might shortly be expected to appear off the Hook. Mr. Hayes was likewise directed to reconnoitre l'Ambuscade, to obtain information respecting the strength of her crew, to ascertain, if possible, when she would be ready for sea, and above all to endeavour to get some volunteers for the Boston, she being short of complement, and six of her men unable to leave their hammocks.

"Mr. Hayes parted company with the Boston, at 4-30 P. M. on the 28th July, taking with him our purser, one midshipman, a pilot, and eight men. On the 30th, two officers and thirteen men, belonging to l'Ambuseade, were taken prisoners in the way you have mentioned at p. 674, of your late publication.

"On his arrival at the entrance of the North River, (July 29th, 4 P. M.) Mr. Hayes observed l'Ambuseade at anchor off the town of New York, with top-gallant-masts pointed, and her crew in the act of bending sails. On his nearer approach he clearly ascertained that she mounted 26 long guns on the main-deck, 8 on the quarter-deck, and 2 on the forecastle.

"Soon after the tender had anchored, she was boarded by a French officer, supposed to have been Mons. Bompard himself, who asked her commander if he had seen an English frigate off the Hook; upon which Mr. Hayes informed him that he had the honor to be one of her lieutenants, that he had lately left her there, that she had come from Newfoundland, purposely to meet l'Ambuseade; that her officers would be happy to see the French frigate outside the Hook, and that if Mons. Bompard had the smallest inclination to meet Captain Courtenay, he might depend on finding him about 3 or 4 leagues from the above mentioned point. To this the Frenchman replied that the Boston should certainly be favored with a meeting, and that l'Ambuseade would sail the next morning: he then took leave of Mr. Hayes, and returned on board his frigatet.

"The Boston's real character was first discovered by the master of an American revenue cruiser, who was heard to say, as he passed almost touching her, that * that ship, and those boats (alluding to two which were towing astern), never came from a French port.' In consequence of this remark, and by the desire of his gallant commander, Lieutenant Kerr went out on the bowsprit, and hailing the vessel, said 'this is the Boston frigate, Captain Courtenay; if l'Ambuseade will come out we shall be glad to sec her.' 'I dare say you will,' answered the American; 'I shall be happy to see you meet, and I will take care to let her know it.' This was the only challenge given by Captain Courtenay's directions.

"Finding from the report of 1'Ambuscade's officers, that Mons. Bompard was getting ready to sail, and that he would soon be at sea, Captain Courtenay immediately despatched a midshipman (the late Captain Daniel Oliver Guion) in a fishing boat to recall the tender ;but on that gentleman approaching New York he met Mr. Hayes and his party coming down the river in a small hired vessel, the French Consul having taken measures to cause the schooner's detention, and thereby prevented him from fulfilling the principal object of his mission.

"On the same day, July 30, Captain Courtenay gave chase to a 6trange vessel off the Long Island shore; and on the 31st, when returning to the spot where he expected to meet with his tender, he was himself pursued for several hours by the above mentioned squadron, consisting of two 74gun ships, five frigates, and several corvettes. In the mean time, Mr. Hayes had pushed out to sea, but not finding the Boston, and observing VAmbuscade under weigh, he was obliged to tack and stand in shore again, by which means alone he could possibly hope to save his people from being captured.

"The Boston resumed her station, off Sandy Hook, just before midnight; and on the first of August, between 2 and 3 A. M., a large ship was seen to windward; at day-light she was discovered to be a frigate, distant about 3 miles.

"The stranger now hoisted a blue flag, with a white cross at the mizen peak, and both ships set their courses, jibs, and spankers ; but kept three reefs in their top-sails, the wind blowing strong, with a smooth sea. In less than an hour the Boston fore-reached on the other frigate, tacked, and passed to leeward off her. At 5 o'clock, being then on her lee-quarter, we again hove in stays, when she hauled her courses up, wore round, hoisted French colours, and steered for our larboard or weather bow. The Boston's first fire did but little execution, and it was quickly returned by the enemy's ship, as she ranged close past us to windward, backing her main-top-sail on the starboard tack.

"Having thus commenced the action, Captain Courtenay directed the helm to be put down, intending to tack under 1'Ambuscade's stern; unfortunately, however, our cross-jack-yard had been shot away, which caused us to miss stays, and we were consequently obliged to wear short round in order to close with her. From this time, 5-10 A. M., the Boston's maintop-sail was kept to the mast, and we continued warmly engaged for an hour and three-quarters, during which period the enemy made three attempts to board us, and the colours of each ship were repeatedly shot away.

"After being in action more than an hour, the Boston's main-top-mast fell on the lee-quarter of the main-yard, and caused it to top an end; the enemy's cross-jack-yard was also gone, and her fore-top-sail-yard was lying on the cap.

"About a quarter of an hour before the firing ceased, an unlucky shot struck the foremost hammock stauncheon on the quarter-deck, which occasioned the death of Captain Courtenay, and the marine officer, who were then walking together. At this time the first and second Lieutenants were below getting their wounds dressed•; but the senior, Mr. John Edwards, who had been much hurt by a splinter striking him on the head, was no sooner informed of his Captain's fall than he went upon deck and assumed the command.

• Lieutenant Kerr, "with the temporary loss of sight in one, and with total blindness in, the other, of his eyes."—James's Nav. Hist, 2nd., edit. vol. i, p. 145.

•• The Boston had hitherto maintained a position close under the enemy's lee; but was now fore-reaching, and falling to leeward for want of after-sail, the gaff being shot away, and the mizen-stay-sail literally cut to pieces, no less than 25 large shot, besides an immense number of musketballs, having passed through it. The main-top-sail was hanging over the lee-gangway, so that it was absolutely necessary to clear the wreck before the larboard guns could be fired with safety; and when about to wear, for the purpose of bringing them to bear on I'Ambuscade, several strange sail suddenly appeared to windward. This alone induced Lieutenant Edwards to put before the wind, and Mons. Bompard, although encouraged by the sight of his supposed countrymen, did not make any attempt to follow the Boston until she had increased her distance to about 2 miles. The last shot fired by either party was at about 7 A. M.•

"The Boston's damages, in addition to those I have mentioned, were as follow:—the cap of the bowsprit shot away ; fore-top-mast, and fore and main-yards badly wounded; mizen-mast wounded and sprung; the whole of the mizen-rigging on both sides, and the standing and spring, stays shot away; only two main shrouds on one side, and one on the other left standing; the, fore-rigging much injured; the main-spring-stay and both bob-stays cut in two ; every brace and bowline gone ; the ship hulled, in many places, and two of the main-deck-guns dismounted. The loss we sustained has been correctly stated by youf, and that it was not greater is truly astonishing, as the musket-balls afterwards picked up on our quarterdeck alone amounted to an almost incredible number.

"Our opponent mounted 26 long twelves, 10 long sixes, and 2 heavy carronades; the Boston had the same number of long twelves, but only 6 sixes, and not a single carronade, either 'monkey-tailed,' or of any other description. Lieutenant Hayes, Mr. Guion, &c. having been prevented from joining the ship, the total number of effective officers, men, and boys on board in the action was only 189; and a few of these were necessarily stationed as sentries over the 49 French prisoners. L'Ambuscade, notwithstanding the absence of two officers and a boat's crew, had many mea above her established complement; indeed it was afterwards strongly reported that the numerical strength of her crew, including American volunteers, exceeded 400; but this is a point that I will not pretend to determine. That she had an unusually large proportion of small-arm-men cannot be disputed.

"After losing sight of L'Ambuscade, we steered for the Delaware, in order to repair our damages; but when about to enter that river the next morning, a pilot-boat informed us that two French frigates had gone in at day-light; it was therefore thought prudent to haul off and steer for Newfoundland, where we arrived in safety on the 19th of the same month. I should here mention, that a letter, written purposely to deceive the enemy, was addressed to the British Consul at Philadelphia, stating that we were going to refit at Jamaica, which letter was carried to the French frigates according to our expectation."

The official letter respecting this hard-fought action, written by Lieutenant Edwards, was never published, probably because he mentioned in it, that a number of men, on seeing Captain Courtenay fall, had run from the Boston's quarterdeck guns, and seated themselves round the fore-brace-bitts, from whence he could not immediately get them back to their quarters. We know that such were the reasons assigned by Lieutenant Edwards for his own precipitate conduct in ordering the body of his gallant Captain to be thrown overboard without surgical examination; and although it might have been impolitic to publish such facts at the commencement of the French revolutionary war, we see no reason why they should be concealed at this distant period.

The Boston returned to England in 1795, under the command of Captain (now Sir James N.) Morris; and we subsequently find Mr. Kerr serving on board the Repulse of 64 guns. About April, 1796, he was appointed first Lieutenant of the Clyde 46, commanded by the present Commissioner Cunningham, whose high opinion of him was thus publicly expressed in a letter to Lord Keith, reporting the capture of la Vestale French frigate, Aug. 20, 1799:

"The Clyde's officers and men conducted themselves much to my satisfaction; and I received that support from Lieutenant Kerr which I was prepared to expect by his animated conduct in former critical and more trying situations."

Mr. James, in his second edition, after giving an account of the Clyde's action, says, w since the capture of the Reunion by the Crescent, and of the Unite" by the Revolutionnaire*, it had not been customary to knight the Captains of 18-pounder frigates for their success over the 12-pounder frigates of the enemy. Hence Captain Cunningham was not so rewarded; but the Clyde's first Lieutenant, Alexander Robert Kerr, was made a Commander f." Our contemporary "must excuse us" for reminding him that la Vestale was captured on the 20th Aug. 1799, and that Lieutenant Kerr was not promoted until April 29, 1802. The manner in which the Clyde was employed during the six years that Mr. Kerr served under Captain Cunningham, and her well-managed escape from the mutinous fleet at the Nore, have been described in our memoir of the latter officer, Vol. II. Part I, p. TJ. et seq.

From June, 1802, till February, 1806, Captain Kerr commanded the Diligence and Combatant sloops of war, both employed watching the enemy's flotilla at Boulogne. In the latter vessel he assisted at the capture of a lugger privateer, near Cape Grisnez. His post commission is dated Jan. 22d, 1806.

We now lose sight of Captain Kerr until Aug. 1808, between which period and the month of June 1809, he was successively appointed, pro temp,, to the Tigre, Valiant, and Revenge, third rates, employed off Brest, l'Orient, and Rochefort.

The Revenge was the only two-decker of Lord Gambier's fleet that sustained any loss in Aix Roads on the memorable 12th April, 1809. By reference to his lordship's official letter, which is inserted at p. 818 of our first volume, it will be seen that she then formed part of the advanced squadron under the orders of Captain (now Rear-Admiral) John Bligh, by whom it is stated that she anchored about three cables' length within Lord Cochrane's ship, and drew the fire of the batteries of Isle d'Aix from the frigates and smaller vessels to herself. This statement was made at the trial of Lord Gambier, on which occasion the following questions were put to Captain Bligh:

1st, " What number of guns appeared to command the anchorage of Aix Reads from the batteries of the island?" 

A. " When at anchor in the road of Aix, I counted 50 guns; there may have been more, but I am certain there were not less." 

2nd, " Did the enemy throw shells from the island ?" 

A. " They did." 

3rd, "What is your opinion of the position taken by Captain Kerr, of the Revenge; was it judicious ?" 

A. "/ think it impossible a ship could be better placed than the Revenge; and indeed the general conduct of the Revenge on that day reflects the highest credit on the Zealand bravery of her Captain."

From the evidence given by Captain Kerr at the same trial, we find that the Revenge's bowsprit was very much injured, great part of the running rigging and sails were cut to pieces, five planks of the quarter-deck cut through, and one of the beams was entirely carried away. She had also a number of large shot in different parts of the hull; and her loss consisted of 3 men killed and 15 wounded, 2 of whom mortally. On the following day, when returning to Basque Roads, she was struck between wind and water, under the main-chains, by a shot from Isle d'Aix, the shells from Oleron at the same time passing over her.

Captain Kerr's next appointment was to the Ganymede of 26 guns, but he does not appear to have ever sailed in that ship. The Unicorn 32, to which frigate he was removed in Aug. 1809, captured, whilst under his command, le Gascon French privateer, of 16 guns and 113 men; and l'Esperance (formerly H. M. 22-gun ship Laurel) armed en flute, with a valuable cargo "of East India produce.

In April, 1811, Captain Kerr assumed the command of a most desirable frigate, the Acasta, mounting 48 guns, with a complement of 300 men. During his continuance in her he captured the American brig privateer Curlew, of 16 guns (pierced for 20) and 172 men; Highflyer, schooner privateer, 5 guns and 75 men ; Herald letter of marque, 10 guns (pierced for 18) and 60 men, from Bourdeaux, bound to Baltimore *; and several unarmed merchantmen. He abo assisted at the capture of the Snapper schooner privateer, of 10 guns and 90 men; and the Porcupine letter of marque, with a valuable cargo, from Bayonne bound to Boston; likewise at the recapture of a British 20>-gun ship, and many trading vessels, which had been taken by the Constitution and other American cruisers.

The Acasta returned to England in July, 1815; and Captain Kerr was about the same time nominated a C. B. as a reward for his long and arduous services. The following letter was addressed by him to the author of this work, shortly after the publication of Sir George Collier's memoir:

"Great King Street, Edinburgh, Oct. 6, 1825,

"Sir,—I have just seen in the fourth part of your Naval Biography, a note attached to the memoir of the late Sir George Collier, which induces me to explain why I did not make a signal to the Leander of the force of the American squadron off Porto Praya, on the 11th Mar. 1815.

"Perhaps you are not aware that, at the time the Acasta's log states the force of the enemy, the Leander was nearly as close to them as the Acasta; and as the water-lines of the enemy's ships were distinctly seen from her, I could not suppose that any difference of opinion could possibly exist respecting their force. I therefore considered the senior officer fully able to judge for himself, and that it would be presumption in me to make that signal, or to suppose they could not make out the force of the enemy on board the Leander as clearly as we did in the Acasta. 

I am, &c.

(Signed) "A. R. Kerr."

"To Lieut. John Marshall, R. N."

ANSWER.

"London, Oct. 10th, 1825. 

"Sir,—I have been favoured with your letter of the 6th inst., and I shall feel much pleasure in giving publicity to the explanation therein contained; but I must confess that nothing less than such an avowal, coming from an officer of high reputation and indisputable veracity, could possibly have staggered my belief as to the state of the weather, and the position of the Acasta, on the unfortunate 11th Mar. 1815. The former, judging from the documents which were sent to me soon after a late melancholy event, I certainly supposed to be so very thick and hazy, as to render it impossible for the Leander to make out, what you appear to have so promptly and correctly done, the real force of the enemy; particularly as it is stated by Captain M'Dougall, whose letter I have incorporated with the memoir of his lamented friend, that the Levant was not discovered to be only " a corvette or 20-gun ship" until the Leander's fire was opened upon her: and the log of the senior British officer describes that as having been done only ten minutes previous to the enemy rounding the eastern point of Porto Praya bay, when on her return to the anchorage she had so lately left; and not more than twenty minutes before the Leander was obliged to shorten sail in consequence of finding herself close to the rocks off Quail island. 

The following extract from the log of the Leander will corroborate what I have just written:

"3-15 P. M., opened our fire on the chace, who hoisted American colours,—saw the land a-head.'

"' 3-25,' {ten minutes after gaining- sightof the land)'' saw chace rounding the easternmost point of the harbour.'

"' 3-35,' (only ten minutes later) ' up main-sail, being close to the rocks off Quail island.'

"From an entry in the Newcastle's log, the only one that mentions how the British ships bore from each other when they had all tacked to the eastward, at 1 P. M., I could do no otherwise than suppose that you were more than a mile nearer to the enemy than Sir George Collier was, and nearly in a line between him and them •. You have been kind enough to undeceive me, and I return you my best thanks for doing so. I am, &c. 

(Signed) "John Marshal!."

"To Captain Alex. R. Kerr, R. N. C. B."

The subject of this memoir married, in Jan. 1805, Charlotte, youngest daughter of Dr. Charles Maule, formerly a physician in India, and by that lady he has seven children. His eldest son is a Midshipman, R. N.

Agent.—A. C. Marsh, Esq. >

Text taken from: "Royal Naval Biography; Or, Memoirs of the Services of All the Flag-officers, Superannuated Rear-admirals, Retired-captains, Post-captains, and Commanders, Whose Names Appeared on the Admiralty List of Sea Officers at the Commencement of the Present Year, Or who Have Since Been Promoted; Illustrated by a Series of Historical and Explanatory Notes ... With Copious Addenda:"

by John Marshall

Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and Green, 1827

A Wounded Knee

Our patient in this video is Robert Evans, who came all the way from England to participate in the 200th of the Battle of New Orleans In January of 2015. Evans has a special connection to that particular battle, his 6x great grandfather, William Paterson, served and was wounded at New Orleans. Evans decided that he wanted to participate in the British Hospital and recreate one of the particular injuries that his ancestor Patterson received.

Colonel William Paterson joined the British Army in 1786 as an Ensign in the 57th Foot – shortly after transferring to the 21st Fusiliers and serving with them for the rest of his military career. He saw a great deal of action, including the capture of Martinique in 1794; the Irish Rebellion in 1802; and the capture of various French-held possessions in the Mediterranean from 1810 to 1813. 

From 1813 until 1815 he served with the British Army in America, commanding a Brigade during the Chesapeake campaign (which involved significant command at both the battles of Bladensburg and Baltimore) and leading his old regiment, the 21st, during the assault on Line Jackson at New Orleans. During this battle he was wounded twice: in the shoulder by grape shot and in the knee by a rifle ball.

Happily he survived, and went on to be knighted in 1831 and made a Lieutenant-General in 1837. He died in 1849, at the age of 82.   

Special thanks to Mr. Evans who let us participate in this very special recreation!

"Give 'em wot for Lt. Evans!"

The Matter of James Tring

230.   JAMES TRING was indicted for feloniouly stealing, on the 23rd of December, a stone bottle, and a gallon of gin, value 10s. the property of   James Small .

  JAMES SMALL . I am a baker , and live at Holloway, near Islington. I lost a stone bottle containing a gallon of gin, and half a pound of tea, on the evening of the 23rd of December, about half past six o'clock I keep a cart, and these things were in it; I was going home with my cart, and these things were taken out  opposite the Leaping Bar in St. John-street . I am quite sure the things were safe when I went into the Leaping Bar; but when I came out, they were gone; I saw the prisoner in the cart, and when I came out, he had the gin in his possession, and he was in the hands of Thompson, the constable.

  WILLIAM THOMPSON . I am a patrole. I was present in St. John-street, when this occured, and saw Mr. Small there. I saw the prisoner in company with another or two that evening, lurking about St. John-street; he was dressed in a jacket, white corderoy breeches, and topped boots. I saw Small leave his cart once or twice; I watched him up to the Leaping Bar. The prisoner was following the cart, with his companions. Small stopped at the Leaping Bar, and went in, and I saw almost immediately the prisoner lay hold of the cask, and shoved it off the side where it stood; the other two were near the cart; they were dressed in long coats, and the prisoner had a long coat over his jacket. I saw him jump on the shafts of the cart;he had got a parcel; but I could not see what it was. He jumped off the shafts of the cart, and smashed the bottle with the gin in a thousand pieces. I laid hold of him, and picked up half a pound of tea from the middle of the road. The other two came up at first; but found I was too strong for them, and I took the prisoner into custody.

The prisoner put in a written defence, which stated that he had been in his Majesty's sea service twelve years; stated the several ships on board of which he had served, and amongst others, the Acasta Frigate, Captain  Carr , on which he had served last, and the actions in which he had been engaged; that he only was discharged the 23rd of last month, had spent all his money, and was very much in liquor when this happened, and he did not know what he was about.

CAPTAIN ALEXANDER ROBERT CARR (misspelled from 'Kerr'), of the Acasta, gave the prisoner a very good character.

GUILTY .

As Captain Carr promised to recommend him immediately to another ship, and was confident he would do his duty as a seaman, the prisoner was fined a shilling , and delivered into the care of Captain Carr .

Second Middlesex jury, before Mr. Common Serjeant.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 7.0, 21 February 2014), January 1816, trial of JAMES TRING (t18160110-65).

 

A Tooth Drawing

Acasta Head Money

The captors of an enemy Ship of War, national warship, privateer or letter of marque, were entitled to a bounty known as HEAD MONEY; this allowed that £5 would be paid for every member of the enemy crew whose was aboard the prize at the commencement of the action.

The three documents here comprise the HEAD MONEY papers for the capture of the American Privateer Prince of Neufchatel during the War of 1812.

Before a claim could be placed for Head Money the vessel in question had to be condemned in an Admiralty Prize Court, a sworn statement had to be taken from the surviving members of the captured crew as to the number of men aboard.

Having obtained these documents the Prize Agent, acting for the captors, could forward his claim, as shown below.

The State of the Case of Messrs. Wm. Marsh & Rd. Creed and Mr. Edmd. Lockyer jointly and severally Thos. Collier Esq. and Messrs. James Sykes and James Sykes jun. claiming payment of Bounty Money of £5 per Head for one hundred and thirteen Men belonging to the Prince of Neufchatel American Ship of War, which was taken on the 28th. December 1814 by H Ma. Ships Leander, Newcastle and Acasta commanded by Sir Geo. Collier, Alex. Rob. Kerr and the Right Honourable George Stuart 

They have produced

• Proof of Condemnation of the said American Ship of War The Prince of Neufchatel in the High Court of Admiralty.
• A Certificate of the number of Men above mentioned, grounded on Affidavits made before a master Extraordinary in the High Court of Chancery
• Letters of Attorney from the Commanders Officers and Companies of the Ships appointing them their Agents
• Lists of the said Ship's Companies certified as usual.

The Vouchers produced, being conformable to what are required by Act of Parliament, let a Bill be made out for the Head Money claimed.

[The supporting documents are the extract of the sentence of condemnation, given below, followed by the sworn statements from the officers of the Prince of Neufchatel as to the number of crew she carried.]

Extracted from the Registry of His Majesty's High Court of Admiralty of England. 

On Friday the forth day of march in the Year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifteen before the Right Honourable Sir William Scott, Knight, Doctor of Laws, Lieutenant of the High Court of Admiralty of England, and in the same Court Official Principal and Commissary General and Special and President Judge thereof, and also to hear and determine all and all manner of Causes and Complaints as to Ships and Goods seized and taken as Prize specially constituted and appointed in the Common Hall of Doctors Commons London present James Farquhar one of the Deputy Registrars

PRINCE of NEUFCHATEL
Nicholas Millin Commander 

Our Sovereign Lord the King against the said Ship her Tackle Apparel & Furniture and the Arms Stores and Ammunition therein taken by His Majesty's Ship Leander, Sir George Collier Bart, Commander in Company with His Majesty's Ship Newcastle and Frigate Acasta and brought to Penzance and against all persons in general.

In pain of Parties cited thrice called and not appearing Bishop [Acting for the Crown] gave the usual Allegation which in like pain the Judge at his Petition admitted and assigned the Cause for Sentence on the first and second assignations immediately, and having heard the Proofs read, on Motion of His Majesty's Advocate by Interlocutory Decree pronounced the said Ship her Tackle Apparel & Furniture, Arms Stores and Ammunition to have belonged at the time of the Capture & Seizure thereof to Enemies of the Crown of Great Britain and as such or otherwise subject and liable to Confiscation, and condemned the same as good and lawful Prize taken by His Majesty's Ship Leander Sir George Collier Knight Commander in Company with His Majesty's Ship Newcastle and Frigate Acasta
And moreover pronounced the said Ship to have been a Ship of War in the Service of the Enemy, and that there were alive and on board the same at the commencement of the Engagement in which the same was taken one hundred and thirteen men.

Statement by the Officers of the Prince of Neufchatel as to the number of crew.

These are to certify the Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy, or whom else it may concern that there came and personally appeared before me

• Nicholas Millin late Commander
• William Stutson late first Lieutenant
• John Martin late second Lieutenant

on board of and belonging to an American Privateer called the Prince of Neufchatel, and Jointely and severally made Oath and said that: 

the said American Privateer was taken and seized about five o' clock in the Evening of the twenty eight day of December one thousand eight hundred and fourteen by his Britannic Majesty's Ship Leander, commanded by Captain Sir George Ralph Collier Bart in sight of his Majesty's Ships of War Newcastle, commanded by Captain A. R. Kerr, And that they the said Deponents had since been brought into the Port of Plymouth, being the first Port they were brought into after being taken,

- And that he the said Deponent Nicholas Millen, with William Stutson late first Lieutenant and John Martin late second Lieutenant taken as aforesaid And the three Deponents further said that they were actually alive on board of and belonging to the said American Privateer at the Time She was taken as aforesaid one hundred and thirteen men including the Deponents.

Nichs Millin
Wm Stutson
John Martin

Sworn at Asburton in the County of Devon the twenty eighth day of February one thousand eight hundred and fifteen.

Reference: Head Money Vouchers: ADM 43/67 from The National Archives, Kew

Acasta vs Porcupine

17 June 1813,

Valiant was in company with Acasta when they came upon Wasp in pursuit of an American brig off Cape Sable. The three British ships continued the chase for another 100 miles before they finally were able to capture the brig. She was the letter of marque Porcupine, of more than 300 tons, and was carrying a valuable cargo of brandy and silks from Bayonne to Boston. In his letter to the Admiralty of 7 September, a copy of which was printed in the London Gazette, Captain Robert Dudley Oliver of Valiant described Porcupine as being only eight months old and an uncommonly fast sailer. After the capture, Wasp, which had recaptured a prize that the privateer Young Teazer had taken, sailed in search of the privateer. 

HMS Valiant was a 74-gun third rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 24 January 1807 at Blackwall Yard.

From the London Gazette.

Recent Captures

Jas. Apple waves across at a recently captured schooner.

American schooner Prudence, captured by the Acasta, arrived at Halifax in July.

American sloop Diana, captured by the Acasta, arrived at Halifax same date.

From The London Gazette 
Publication date:14 March 1815 
Issue:16993
Page:481

Captain Philip Beaver

PORTRAIT OF CAPTAIN PHILIP BEAVER R.N
(1766 - 1813) in naval full dress uniform, looking to the left.
Oil on canvas. Size 30 x 25  by John Opie

Philip Beaver (28 February 1766 – 5 April 1813) was an officer of the Royal Navy, serving during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. He played a varied and active role in several notable engagements, and served under a number of the most notable figures of the Navy of the age. 

Beaver was promoted to captain on 10 January 1801. He received the prestigious appointment to command the flagship, and took an active role in the operations on the coast of Egypt from 1800 to 1801. He quickly tired of the monotony of maintaining a blockade and obtained permission to take the frigate HMS Déterminée to Constantinople with dispatches. The Sultan wanted to acknowledge Beaver's services, and offered him a large sum of money, which Beaver refused. He did however accept a diamond box for himself and a gold box for each of the lieutenants. Beaver was also rewarded with the Order of the Crescent.

The Peace of Amiens temporarily ended the war with France, and Beaver and the Déterminée were ordered home. The Déterminée was paid off at Portsmouth on 19 May 1802, and Beaver was put in charge of the sea fencibles of Essex in July 1803. He was highly successful in these duties, and three years later returned to sea, having been appointed to command the 40-gun frigate HMS Acasta. He sailed her to the West Indies, remaining there until after the capture of Martinique in February 1809. He returned to England and after a few months, was appointed to command the 38-gun HMS Nisus, departing aboard her for the East Indies on 22 June 1810. He arrived on the station and joined the squadron under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir Albemarle Bertie. Beaver played a distinguished part in the capture of Mauritius in November 1810. Beaver and the Nisus then moved to a squadron under Rear-Admiral Robert Stopford and took part in the conquest of Java in August and September 1811. He spent nearly a year in Mozambique and off the coast of Madagascar, and received orders by the end of 1812 to return to England.

The Nisus was making her return voyage, when she put into Table Bay towards the end of March 1813. Beaver had complained of a slight indisposition previously, but became seized by a violent inflammation of the bowels. He spent a few days in excruciating pain, before dying on 5 April 1813. He had been a highly efficient and professional officer, and had attracted the patronage of highly placed and influential senior officers. He was widely read, and had read the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica during one cruise. In common with many officers of the period, he was a strict disciplinarian, but was never charged with tyranny. His early death and the bankruptcy of his agent placed his family in financial difficulties, with his widow having to provide for six children. She became a matron of Greenwich Hospital school.

Acasta vs Lydia & Rhoda

17 January 1813: ship Lydia, from Rhode Island sailing to Norfolk taken by the Poictiers in company with Acasta and Maidstone; and, also in January: schooner Rhoda taken by the Poictiers and Acasta.

from: Bulletins of the campaign [compiled from the London gazette]. page 138

Acasta & Poictiers take the Highflyer

His Majesty's Ship Poictiers, at Sea, 

January 9, 1813. 

SIR,

I BEG leave to acquaint you, that His Majesty's ship under my command, in company with the Acasta, captured this day the American schooner privateer Highflyer, mounting five guns, and having on board a complement of seventy-two men : she was on her return from the West Indies, where she had made several captures, is a particularly fine vessel, coppered and copper fastened, and sails remarkably fast.

I have the honour to be, &c.
(Signed) J.P. BERESFORD, Captain
Admiral Sir J. B. Warren, Bart and K.B.
&c. &c. &c.

Taken from: "Bulletins of the campaign [compiled from the London gazette]." page 129 

U.S. Privateer- High Flyer
Class- Schooner
Guns-6
Men-85
Commanded by- Capt. Jeremiah Grant
Out of- Baltimore
Enemy's-
Ships- 2
Brigs- 4
Schrs- 1
Sloops &c.- 1
Cargo, and estimated value- Nails, R, S, &c.

During the War with Great Britain, from 1812 to 1815.
3 armed, and one a packet, See Table of Actions. Was captured by the Poictiers, 74, February, 1813.

Source:
George Foster Emmons, The navy of the United States, from the commencement, 1775 to 1853; with a brief history of each vessel’s service and fate ... Comp. by Lieut. George F. Emmons ... under the authority of the Navy Dept. To which is added a list of private armed vessels, fitted out under the American flag ... also a list of the revenue and coast survey vessels, and principal ocean steamers, belonging to citizens of the United States in 1850. ( Washington: Gideon & Co., 1853.) pages 180, 181