The boys of 1812 and other naval heroes (1887) (14762871544)

Identifier: boysof1812othern00sole (find matches)
Title: The boys of 1812 and other naval heroes
Year: 1887 (1880s)
Authors: Soley, James Russell, 1850-1911
Subjects: United States. Navy
Publisher: Boston, Estes and Lauriat
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation



Text Appearing Before Image:
day of the battle between the • United States and the Macedonian, the Constitution, now commanded by Captain Bainbridge, was making her final preparations at Boston to set sail on a cruise. On the next day, the 26th of October,all was ready; and the frigate, whose name was already endeared to Americans by the victory over the Guerriere, started forth to win for herself fresh renown. The sloop Hornet, under Capt. James Lawrence, sailed in company with the Constitution, and the two ships shaped their course for the coast of Brazil, where the Essex, under Captain Porter, was to meet them. From this point, if no mishap occurred, they were to sail as a flying squadron for a cruise in the Pacific. As it turned out, the junction was never made, and the proposed plan was not carried out; but perhaps it was just as well in the end, for even if they had been together it would have been hard for them to accomplish more than they did separately, as we shall see by following the adventures that befell them.
Text Appearing After Image:
Title: The ships were steering to the eastward on parallel courses i^iiL! 1 DECATUR AND BAINBRIDGE. 191 Soon after reaching their first cruising-ground the • Constitution and Hornet put into San Salvador, where they found the sloop-of-war Bonne Citoyenne lying in the harbor. The English sloop could not be induced to come out and fight, although Bainbridge promised not to interfere ; so leaving the Hornet to blockade her. the ■ Constitution sailed away ona cruise. She had been out only three days, when, c^n the 29th of December, being then about ten leagues from the coast of Brazil, at nine in the morning she sighted two vessels to the northeast. These were the British 38-gun frigate Java, under Capt. Henry Lambert, and an American merchantman, a prize of the Java. The Constitution stood for the strangers;but at eleven she tacked to the southward and eastward to draw the Java away from the coast, and also to separate her from the prize, which in the distance Captain Bainbridge. mistook fora ship-of-war. This course was kept up for some time, the Java, whi