that he was the author. He was immediately dragged
away ; but to what fate, his friends neither knew, nor
could be informed. In this state of uncertainty they re-
mained, until relieved by the appearance of Porter. Dur-
ing this confinement. Lieutenant Porter found refuge from
the irksomeness of restraint, in an habitual fondness for
study. In his books, of which he procured a competent
number, he enjoyed an agreeable society, always ready,
and never intrusive or importunate. History, drawing,
the French language, mathematics, and the theory of his
profession, improved, while they amused his mind, and
enabled him to think afterwards that his days of capti^dty
had not been wholly lost, or painful, or unprofitable.
What he thus acquired he was ready to communicate,
and in this manner made others partakers in the allevia-
tions v/hich he had enjoyed.

After the establishment of peace with this regency, the
American captives were set at liberty ; and Lieutenant
Porter with his companions returned to the pursuit of
their several vocations and the performance of their re-
spective duties.

At Syracuse, to which place they took shipping after their
release, a court of inquiry was held on the causes of the
loss of the Philadelphia, which resulted in the honourable
acquittal of the officers of that ship. He was then ap-
pointed to the command of the brig Enterprise, and order-
ed to Tripoli. He availed himself of the latitude of his
orders to visit the ruins of the Roman colony of Leptis
Magna, and here the art of drawing, which he had culti-
vated while in prison at Tripoli, Vv^as called delightfully
and profitably into use. The remnants of ancient mag-
nificence called forth sublime and solemn emotions, aftbrd-
ed sensible evidence of the power and elegance of tlie
wonderful nation with whom it once existed, and confirm-
ed the impressions which the pen of history had created.
The speculations and researches of Porter and his friends
were rewarded with the discovery of neglected specimens



226 GLORY OF AMERICA.

of ancient art. Coins, statues, and massy piiiars, here and
there appeared anions the general desolation to awaken
the fflownis: mind of the traveller ' disturbed, deliofhted.
raised, refined.*" as he wandered over classic sfroundjOr re-
galed amid the fragments of the temple of Jupiter.

Li the 3Iediterranean, Captain Porter found it necessary
on more than one occasion, to \nndicate the honour of his
national flag, and give those Vv'ho might he inclined to
undervalue it to feel that they were wron^ in their esti-
mate of its relative importance. For some insult v\^hich
was offered to the brig in the persoiis of the ofiicers and
crew, Captain Porter had caused the author, an English
sailor, to be flogged at the gangway. The Governor of
Malta, where the brig then lay at anchor, took up the af-
fair v-ith much apparent spirit, and directed the forts to
prevent the Enterprise from departing. Information beingf
given to Captain Porter of this proceeding, he instantly
made sail, and passed the batteries with lighted matches,
and in the attitude of firing upon the town, should any
obstruction be thrown inhisvv^ay: very prudently, no such
measure was attempted.

Aftervx^ards, in passing through the Straits of Gibraltar,
in sight of the town and of the British squadron in the
harbour, he was attacked by twelve Spanish gun-boats.
Although the superiority was manifestly on their side, he
compelled them to retire, leaving an impression, both on
the assailants and on the spectators, advantageous as vv^ell
as honourable to the little navy of his country.

Aifairs in the 3Iediterranean being somewhat composed,
Captain Porter returned after an absence of five years,
and connected himself in marriage with the daughter ot
the Hon. 3Ir. Anderson, member of Congress from Penn-
sylvania.

He was next ordered to command the flotilla on the
New Orleans station. The embargo and non-intercourse
laws were vigorously and faithfully enforced, and, in par-
ticular, a stop was put to the depredations of a French
pirate who had long infested the Mississippi, in an armed
schooner, and seemed to think himself out of the reach ol
the arm of justice. This marauder, Porter captured, and



DAVID PORTER. 227

thus rendered an important service to the commerce of
the southern coast of the United States.

Tiiinking- his heakh in danger from a cUmate little
adapted to his constitution, he was at his request appoint-
ed to command the Essex frigate at Norfolk. In this fri-
gate he sailed from New York on the third of July, IS 12.
War then existing between the United States and Great
Britain, he was attacked by the British sloop of war Alert,
Captain Laugharne. The ship bore dovvm ccniidently
upon the weather quarter of the Essex, gave three cheers,
and commenced action, but in a few minutes surrendered.
She vv^as the first ship of war taken from the enemy ; and
her flag, the first British flag sent to the seat of govern-
ment durino^the late war.

Agreeable to the orders of Commodore Bainbridge, and
to a plan concerted between them, Captain Porter having
repaired his ship, sailed from the Delaware on the 27th of
October, 1812, for the coast of Brazil. Fortune threv/ in
his way his Britannic Majesty's packet, Nocton, having
on board 11,000 pounds sterling, in money. This vessel
he captured, and after taking out her money, sent her to
America.

About this time, circumstances concurred to render
it inexpedient for him to remain longer on that coast.
Commodore Bainbridge, after the capture of the Java,
v/ould, in all probability, be under the necessity of re-
turning to port for repairs : the Hornet had been cap-
tured by the IMontague, and the coast vv^as swarming with
hostile ships, in pursuit of him ; so that co-operation and
assistance were removed from him, at the very time they
were most needed. Under these circumstances, he judged
it prudent to quit a station so hill of peril, and seek ano
ther which aflbrded equal prospect of honour and advan-
tage, with greater safety. Accordingly, he stretched along
the south-east coast of America, intending to reap his har-
vest on the waves of the southern Pacific. He doubled
Cape Horn, in very tempestuous weather ; and arrived at
Valparaiso, on the 14th March, 1813. Having exhausted
his provisions, he replenished his ship at this port. Previ-
ous to this time, the South Americans had felt themselves



228 GLORY OF AMERICA.

at liberty to make prize of the whaling vessels, from North
America, and prisoners of their crews : their apology- was,
that they were the allies of the enemies of the United
States ; and that Spain ^vould probably, in a short time,
make common cause with her ally, and declare war
asfainst her enemy. These reasons appearing to actuate
the Peruvian captain, and likely to continue to influence
his conduct, when future opportunity should present ; but
appearing wholly insufficient in the view of Captain Por-
ter, he resolved to take from the Peruvian the means of
future annoyance, and threw all hir guns and ammunition
into the sea. On board this vessel were twenty-four
Americans, the crews of two whalemen, held prisoners ;
whom Captain Porter liberated, and wrote an account of
his proceedings to the Viceroy, which contained his rea-
sons for so doing. Captain Porter afterwards retook one
of the whalemen as she was entering the harbour of Lima.

The British government probably had not expected so
formidable and so troublesome a visiter, in that part of the
vrorld. At the period of the arrival of the Essex, her
course was without obstruction from the enemiy, and his
commerce exposed to capture, without any protection, and
without the suspicion of danger. Great destruction was
the unavoidable consequence, especially among the
whaling vessels. The Essex junior, of twenty guns, was
one of his prizes; and the command of her afiven to Lieu-
tenant Downes : most of them had valuable carg-oes on
board ; some of them were sent home, some of them were
laid up in Valparaiso, and the rest disposed of in different
ways.

With as many vessels under his command as he could
conv^eniently man, he was in a condition, for a time, to
sweep the Pacific. His prizes furnished him abundantly
v%"ith provisions, clothing, medicine, naval stores, and the
means of making liberal pa\mients to his officers and men.
Great constern.ation prevailed, not only throusfhout this
sea, but penetrated the insurance offices of Great Britain.
Accordingly, ships were despatched in various directions
for the capture of this force. Some were ordered tJ the
eastern as well a^ to the western coast of South America;



DAVID PORTER.



229



and others to cruise in the China seas, and off New Zea-
land, Timor, and New Holland. Porter anticipated such
an event ; and his dispositions were such, that accident
alone could effect the object of his pursuers. His course
was trackless ; sometimes in the open ocean, and some-
times among the uninviting and unfrequented islands of
the South Sea: but never on the coast of the continent.
Distracted by surmises, arising from indistinct and contra-
dictory information, his enemies found themselves, at all
times, eitb'^r too late, or entirely out of their way. Their
difficulties were aggravated by the superior means of in-
formation which he enjoyed, in addition to the advantage
naturally possessed, by the party pursued, over the party
pursuing, the object of the one being to attain a single
given point ; that of the other, to avoid it, among an in-
finite number of others. Lieutenant Downes learned at
Valparaiso, whither he had convoyed the prizes, that Com-
modore Hillyer, in the Phoebe frigate, rated at thirty-six
guns, with two sloops of war, was expected. With the
intention of closing his expedition to this sea, with some-
thino^ more brilliant than the capture of merchantmen and
Vv^halers, Captain Porter proceeded to the island of Nooa-
heevah, one of the Washington group, for repairs. On
the 19th of November, 1813, Captain Porter took formal
possession of this island, in behalf of the United States of
America, by the name of Madison Island. It is situate
between the latitudes of 9 and 10 S., and in long. 140 W.
from Greenwich, and is large, fertile, and populous. The
natives of that part of the island where he landed were
friendly : supplying him abundantly with provisions, and
gladly receiving assistance from him, in a war then carried
on with some neisrhbourinof tribes, whom he reduced to
subjection. Having completely manned his ship, and
supplied her with provisions and stores for four months,
and having secured, under the guns of the battery, the
three prizes which he had brought with him, he sailed for
the coast of Chili, on the 12th December, 1813. From
cruising on the coast, he proceeded to Valparaiso, where
Commodore Hillyer, then in quest of him, afterwards ar-
rived. Of the action which ensued in the month of March
20



230 GLORY OF AMERICA.

afterwards, and of the hopes, feehng^, and expectations of
Commodore Poiter on that occasion, no better account can
be given, than by introducing extracts from his letter on
that subject, to the Secretary of the Navy, dated at sea
July 3, ISli.

Extracts of a letter from Commodore Porter^ to the Se-
cretary of the Navy, dated at sea. July 3, 1814.

" I had done all the injury that could be done to the
British commerce in the Pacific, and still hoped to signalize
my cruise by something more splendid, before leaving that
sea. I thouo:ht it not improbable that Commodore Flillyer
mio;ht have kept his arrival secret, and believing that he
would seek me at Valparaiso, as the most likely place to
find me, I therefore determined to cruise about that place,
and should I fail of meeting him, hoped to be comljensated
by the capture of some merchant ships, said to be expected
from England.

"The'PhcE-be, agreeable to my expectations, came to
seek me at Valparaiso, where I vras anchored with the
Essex ; my armled prize, the Essex Junior, under the com-
mand of Lieutenant Dovvmes, on the look out otf the har-
bour. But, contrary to the course I thought he v^-ould
pursue, Commodore 'Hiliyer brought with Ihmthe Clierub
sloop of vrar, mounting twenty-eight gim.s. eighteen thirty-
two pound carronades, eight twenty-fours, and two long
nines on llie quarter-deck and forecastle, and a comple-
ment of ISO men. The force of the Phcebe is as follows:
thirty long eitrhteen pounders, sixteen thirty-two pound
carronades, one howitzer, and six three pounders in the
tops ; in all fifty-three guns, and a complement of 320 men ;
making: a force of eight^'-one guns, and five hundred men ;
in addftion to whicirthey took on board the crew of an
Eno;lish letter of marque lying in port. Both ship- had
nicked crevrs, and vrere sent into the Pacific, in company
with the Racoon of twenty-two gims, and a slore-ship of
twenty gims, for the express purpose of seeking tlie Essex ;
and Avere prepared with fiags bearing the motto. 'God and
country : British sailors' best rights : traitors offend both.'
This was intended as a reply to my motto, ' free trade



j



i



DAVID PORTER. 231

&.ND sailors' rights/ iiiider the erroneous impression

I that my crew were cliiefly EngKshmen, or to counteract
its effect on their own crews. The force of the Essex was
forty-six guns, forty thirty-two pound carronades, and six
long twelves ; and her crew, which had been much re-
duced by mannnig prizes, amounted only to two hundred
and fifty-five men. The Essex Junior, which was intended
i chiefly as a store-ship, mounted twenty guns, ten eighteen
i pound carronades, and ten short sixes, with only sixty men
on board. In reply to their motto, I wrote at my mizen,
^God, our country, and liherly ; tyrants ojf'eyid tliem^

' On getting their provisions on board, they went off" the
port for the purpose of blockading me, where they cruised
for neyr six weeks ; during which time I endeavoured to
provoke a challenge, and frequently, but ineffectually, to
bring the Phoebe alone to action, first with both my ships,
and afterwards with m^' single ship, with both crews on
board. I was several times under Vv^ay, and ascertained
that I had greatly the advantage in point of sailinof, and
once succeeded in closing within gun-shot of the Phoebe,
and commenced a fire on her, when she ran down for the
Cherub, w^hich was two and a half miles to leeward; this
excited some surprise and expressions of indignation, as
previous to my getting under way, she hove to off the port,
hoisted her motto flag, and fi.red a gun to windward. Com-
modore Hillver seemed determined to avoid a contest with
me on nearly equal terms, and from his extreme prudence
in keeping both his ships ever after constantly within hail
of each other, there Vv^ere no hopes of any advantages to
my country from a longer stay in port. I therefore deter-
mined to put to sea the fi.rst opportunity which should
offer ; and I was the more strongly induced to do so, as I
had gained certain intelligence that the Tagus, rated thir-
ty-eight, and two other frigates, had sailed for that sea in
pursuit of me ; and I had reason to expect the arrival of
the Racoon from the north-west coast of America, where
she had been sent for the purpose of destroying our fur
establishment on the Columbia. A rendezvous was ap-
pointed for the Essex Junior, and every arrangement made
for sailing ; and I intended to let them chase me oft', to



232 GLORY OF AMERICA.

give the Essex Junior an opportunity of escaping. On tlie
28th of ^larchj tlie day after this deterniination was form-
ed, the wind came on to blow fresh from the southward,
when I parted my larboard cable and dragged my star-
board anchor directly out to sea. Not a moment was to be

*

lost in getting sail on the ship. The enemy were close in
With the point forming the west side of the bay ; but on
opening them, I saw a prospect of passing to windward,
when I took in my top-gallant sails, which were set over
sincrle reefed topsails, and braced up for this purpose ; but
on rounding the point, a heavy squall struck the sh^p and
carried away her main topmast, precipitating the men who
were aloft into the sea, who were drowned. Both ships
now gave chase to me, and I endeavoured in my disabled
state to regain the port : but finding I could not recover
the common anchorage, I ran close into a small bay, about
three quarters of a mile to leeward of the battery, on the
east side of the harbour, and let go my anchor wdthin pis-
tol shot of the shore, where I intended to repair my dama-
ges as soon as possible. The enemy continued to approach,
and showed an evident intention of attacking, regardless
of the neutrality of the place where I was anchored ; and
the caution observed in their approach to the attack of the
crippled Essex, was truly ridiculous, as was their display
of their motto flags, and the number of jacks at all their
mast heads. I, with as mnch expedition as circumstances
would admit of, got my ship ready for action, and endea-
voured to o;et a spring on my cable, but had not succeeded
when the enemy, at fifty-four minutes after three, P. M..
made his attack, the Phoebe placing herself under my stern,
and the Cherub on my starboard bow : but, the Cherub
soon findinof her situation a hot one, bore up and ran un-
der my stern also, where both ships kept up a hot raking
fire. I had gfot three lone twelve pounders out of the stern
ports, which were worked with so much bravery and skill,
that in half an hour we so disabled both, as to compel them
to haul off to repair damao;es. In the course of this firing,
I had, by the great exertions of Mr. Edward ]Barnewell, the
acting sailing master, assisted by Mr. Linscott, the boat-
swain, succeeded in getting springs on our cable three dif-



DAVID PORTER. 233

r

ierent times ; but the fire of the enemy was so excessivej
that before we could get our broadside to bear, they were
shot away, aud thus rendered useless to us.

" My ship had received many injuries, and several had
been killed and wounded ; but my brave officers and men,
notwithstandincf the unfavourable circumstances under
Vv'hich we were brought to action, and the powerful force
opposed to us, were no ways discouraged all appeared de-
termined to defend their ship to the last extremity, and to
die in preference to a shameful surrender. Our gaif, Vvdth
the ensign and motto flag at the mizen, had been shot away,

but FREE TRADE AND SAILORs' RIGHTS COUtiuUed tO fly

at the fore. Our ensign was replaced by another ; and to
guard against a similar event, an ensign v^^'as made fast in
the mizen ri^-o^inof, and several iaclvs v/eYe hoisted in dif-
ferent parts of the ship. The enemy soon repaired his
damages for a fresh attack. He now placed himself, with
both his ships, on my starboard quarter, out of the reach
of my carronades, and v/here m.y stern guns could not be
brought to bear ; he there kept up a most galling nre, vrhich
it was out of my power to return, vrhen I savv^ no prospect
of injuring him without getting under way, and becoming
the assailant. My topsail sheets and haulyards were all
shot av^^ay, as well as the jib and fore topmast staysail
haulyards. The only rope not cut was the fiyino; jib haul-
3^ards ; and that being the only sail I could set, I caused it
to be hoisted, my cable to be cut, and ran dov/n on both
ships, with an intention of laying the Phcebe on board.
The firing on both sides was now trem.enclous ; I had let
fall my fore topsail and foresail, but the v^'ant of tacks and
sheets rendered them almost useless to us yet we were
enabled, for a short time, to close with the enemy ; and al-
though our decks were now strewed with dead, and our
cockpit filled with wounded althou2:h our ship had been
several times on fire, and was rendered a perfect wreck,
we were still encouraged to hope to save her, from the cir-
cumstance of the Ghernb, from her crippled state, being
compelled to haul olf. She did not return to close action
again, although she apparently had it in her power to do
so, but kept up a distant firing with her long guns. The
20*



234 GLOUY OF AMERICA.

Plioebe, from our disabled state, was enabled, however, by
edging off. to choose the distance which best suited her
long guns, and kept up a tremendous fire on us, which
mowed down my brave companions by the dozen. Many
of mv orpins had been rendered useless bv the enemv's shot,
and many of them had their whole crews destroyed. We
manned them again from those which were disabled, and
one gun in particular was three times manned fifteen
men were slain at it in the course of the action ! but. strang-e
as It may appear, the captain of it escarped with only a
slight wound.

" Finding that the enemy had it in his povv^er to choose
his di?Kince, I nov\^ gave up all hopes of closing with him,
and, as the wind, for the moment, seem.ed to favour the
design, I determined to endeavour to run her on shore,
land my men, and destroy her. Ever\^ thing seemed to
favour my wishes. We had approached the shore within
musket shot, and I had no doubt of succeeding", when, in
an instant, the wind shifted from the land (as is ver}^ com-
mon in this port in the latter part of the day) and payed
our head down on the Phccbe, where we were agfain ex-
posed to a dreadful raking fire. My ship was now totally
unmanageable : yet. as her head was towards the enemy,
and he to leeward of me, I still hoped to be able to board
him. At this moment Lieutenant Commandant Downes
came on board to receive my orders, under the impression
that I should soon be a prisoner. He could be of no use
to me in the then wretched state of the Essex ; and find-
ing (from the enemy's putting his helm up) that my last
attempt at boarding would not succeed, I directed him, af-
ter he had been about ten nJnutes on board, to return to
his own ship, to be prepared for defending" and destroying
her in case of an attack. He took with him several of my
wounded, leaving- three of his boat's crew on board to make
room for them. The Cherub now had an opportunity- of
distingriishing herself, by keeping up a hot fire on him
during his return. The slaughter on board my ship had
now become horrible, the enemy continuing to rake us,
and we unable to bring a gun to bear. I therefore direct-
ed a hawser to be bent to the sheet anchor, and the an-



DAVID PORTER. 235

chor to be cut from the bows, to bring her head round ;
tliis succeeded. We again got our broadside to bear, and
as the enemy was much crippled, and unable to hold his
own, I have no doubt he would soon have drifted out of
gun-shot, before he discovered we had anchored, had not
the hawser unfortunately parted. My ship had taken fire
several times during the action, but alarmingly so forward
and aft at this moment ; the flames were bursting up each
hatchway, and no hopes were entertained of saving her :
our distance from the shore did not exceed three quarters
of a mile, and I hoped many of my brave crew would be
able to save themselves, should the ship blow up, as I was
informed the fire v.^as near the magazine, and the explo-
sion of a large quantity of powder belov/. served to increase
the horrors of our situation our boats Vv^ere destroyed by
the enemy's shot : I therefore directed those who could
swim to jump overboard, and endeavour to gain the sliore.
Some reached it, some were taken by the enemy, and some
perished in the attempt ; but most preferred sharing; with
me the fate of the ship. We who remained, now turned
our attention wholly to extinguishing the flames ; and v/hen
we had succeeded, vv'ent again to our guns, where the
firing was kept up for some minutes ; but the crew had by
this time become so weakened, that they all declared to me
the impossibilhy of making farther resistance, and entreat-
; ed me to surrender my ship to save m.y wounded, as all
I farther attempts at opposition must prove ineffectual, al-
most every gun being disabled by the destruction of their
crews. I now sent for the officers of divisions, to consult
them ; but what was my surprise, to find only acting Lieu-
tenant Stephen Decatur M'Knight remaining, who con-
firmed the report respecting the condition of the ^uns on
the gun-deck those on the spar-deck were not inli better
state.

'^Lieutenant Wilmer, after fighting most gallantly
throughout the action, had been knocked overboard by a
splinter, while getting the sheet anchor from the bows, and
was drowned. Acting Lieutenant J. G. Coweh had lost
j a leg ; Mr. Edward Barnewell, acting sailing-master, had