Battle of Rappahannock River

Last updated
Battle of Rappahannock River
Part of the War of 1812
Irwin John Bevan - Capture of the Dolphin, 3rd April 1813.jpg
Capture of the Dolphin, 3rd April 1813, by Irwin John Bevan
DateApril 3, 1813
Location
Result British victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United States (1795-1818).svg  United States Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Flag of the United States (1795-1818).svg William Stafford Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg James Polkinghorne
Strength
4 schooners 17 armed boats
Casualties and losses
6 killed
10 wounded
~100 captured
4 schooners captured
2 killed
11 wounded
2 armed boats sunk [1]

The Battle of Rappahannock River [2] was fought in 1813 during the War of 1812. A British Royal Navy force blockading the Rappahannock River in Virginia sent several hundred men in boats to attack four American privateers. Ultimately the British were victorious and the American ships were captured. [3]

Contents

Background

On April 1, 1813, a British squadron consisting of the ships-of-the-line San Domingo and Marlborough, four frigates Acasta, Narcissus, Maidstone and Statira, two brigs, Mohawk and Fantome and one schooner, Highflyer blockaded the Rappahannock from Lynnhaven Bay. They held several American prizes and were out to capture more so the British commanders prepared a cutting out expedition, where small boats attempt to capture larger vessels at anchor. On the following day, the British dispatched seventeen, pinnaces, barges, launches, and other boats with a few carronades to sail around the bay. Each boat carried up to fifty marines and sailors mainly armed with melee weapons. Lieutenant James Polkinghorne was in command of the boats. While abreast of Windmill Point at about 4:00 pm, the expedition sighted five American vessels and chased them all through the night until losing sight as they passed a turn in the river. The British had difficulty in rowing up the Rappahannock so during the descent twelve of the boats fell far behind leaving only five British craft, one 12-pounder and 105 officers and men to make the attack. [4]

Four of the pursued ships were schooners under the command of privateer William Josephus Stafford in the twelve gun Dolphin. The others were Lynx of six guns, Racer of six guns and Arab of seven guns. In all, the American schooners mounted 30 guns with 160 men. [5] Most or all of these vessels were built in Baltimore. Captain Stafford had little alternative but to scuttle the schooners or fight. He decided to offer resistance and anchored his ships in line of battle with portside guns facing the mouth of the Rappahannock where the British would originate. [6]

Battle

The reconstructed Lynx off California being saluted by Lady Washington. Lynx under fire.jpg
The reconstructed Lynx off California being saluted by Lady Washington.
A Baltimore Clipper, very similar to the American vessels captured on the Rappahannock. Clipper Built Privateer Schooner.gif
A Baltimore Clipper, very similar to the American vessels captured on the Rappahannock.

The largest of the American ships was Arab of over 380 tons but with a crew of only forty-five men, she was sternmost in line and was considered to be the most "war like" of the four. Dolphin of 300 tons was headmost and she was Captain Stafford's flagship, carrying ninety-eight men into battle. When the British came within sight of the American line, they first stopped to wait for the wind and the remaining twelve boats to come up so Polkinghorne took the time to rally his men. After a few more minutes the wind was still calm so the lieutenant ordered an attack in order to deny the Americans time to prepare defenses or escape. Polkinghorne sent a boat with the 12-pounder forward to commence an artillery duel with the intention of delaying the Americans but this failed when Stafford's ships all opened fire with a combined broadside. Lieutenant Polkinghorne decided to stop waiting at this point and he led his boats directly for the center two American ships, Racer and Lynx, each of 280 tons and with crews totaling seventy-six men. As the British closed range the Americans fired another broadside so Polkinghorne had his men alter course and head for Arab. When the British boats drew near there were three left, two having been hit and sunk by American fire. [7]

The remaining Britons boarded while shouting various phrases, Arab tacked to try to bring her starboard guns into battle but she was boarded before achieving this and so her commander ran her aground on the riverbank. Racer and Lynx were quickly taken, their crews surrendered as the British climbed on deck, others jumped over the side and escaped capture. When Polkinghorne went for Dolphin, Captain Stafford put up a stubborn fight and it reportedly took fifteen minutes to secure the vessel. Five Americans were wounded before Dolphin struck her colors and ended the battle, though casualties from the other privateers amounted to six killed and five more wounded. By the time the fighting was over the remaining British boats arrived and assisted in taking over 100 prisoners. [8] [9] [10]

Aftermath

Polkinghorne reported that only two of his men were killed and eleven wounded, including himself. [11] American newspaper reports in Niles Register at first claimed that fifty Britons had been killed, [12] later reducing that claim to nineteen dead. [13] A review by British and American historians later put the British losses at two dead and eleven wounded with American losses as sixteen killed and wounded. [14] The battle lasted in between fifteen minutes and two hours according to various accounts. Captain Stafford later returned to Baltimore. He was treated well in captivity partly due to his good treatment towards British prisoners from his captured prizes. Lynx was taken into British service as Mosquidobit and was sold out of the Royal Navy in 1820. A replica of Lynx now spends its time on an educational mission sailing back and forth between the Great Lakes and Florida's Gulf Coast. Racer became Shelburne and Dolphin retained her name as Dolphin. It was difficult for the British to free Arab and though they eventually succeeded, the vessel was apparently badly damaged and was not commissioned for British service. [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

HMS <i>Belvidera</i> (1809) Frigate of the Royal Navy

HMS Belvidera was a Royal Navy 36-gun Apollo-class frigate built in Deptford in 1809. She saw action in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 and continued a busy career at sea into the middle of the 19th century. In 1846 she was reduced to harbour service, in 1860 she became a receiving ship, and she was finally disposed of in 1906.

HMS <i>San Domingo</i> (1809) Ship of the line of the Royal Navy

HMS San Domingo was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 3 March 1809 at Woolwich. She was sold in 1816.

USS <i>Viper</i> (1806)

USS Viper – commissioned as USS Ferret – was a brig serving the United States Navy during the early days of the republic. Viper was assigned to enforce the Embargo Act of 1807 along the U.S. East Coast. During the War of 1812, while cruising in the Caribbean, she was captured by the more heavily armed British warships. She then served the Royal Navy as HMS Mohawk until the Navy sold her in 1814. While in British service she served in several actions that earned her crew the Naval General Service Medal,

Capture of the <i>Young Teazer</i>

Young Teazer was a United States privateer schooner that captured 12 British vessels, five of which made it to American ports. A member of her crew blew her up at Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia during the War of 1812 after a series of British warships chased her and after HMS Hogue trapped her. The schooner became famous for this deadly explosion, which killed most of her crew, and for the folklore about the ghostly "Teazer Light."

HMS Highflyer was originally an American privateer schooner built in 1811. As a privateer she took several British vessels as prizes. The Royal Navy captured her in 1813. She then participated in several raids on the Chesapeake and coastal Virginia before the Americans recaptured her later in 1813.

HMS <i>St Lawrence</i> (1813) British warship

HMS St Lawrence was a 14-gun schooner of the Royal Navy. She had been built in 1808 in St. Michaels, Talbot County, Maryland for Thomas Tennant and sold to Philadelphians in 1810. During the War of 1812 she was the US privateer Atlas. The UK captured her in 1813 and renamed her St Lawrence. The US privateer Chasseur recaptured her in 1815, and then HMS Acasta re-recaptured her.

HMS Anaconda was an 18-gun brig-sloop of the Royal Navy during the War of 1812. She was cruising as an American privateer until sailors from HMS Sceptre captured her in 1813. She served briefly in the Royal Navy during the later stages of the War of 1812, especially at the Battle of New Orleans, before being sold in Jamaica in 1815.

HMS <i>Mosquidobit</i> (1813)

HMS Mosquidobit was the Chesapeake-built six-gun schooner Lynx that the British Royal Navy captured and took into service in 1813. She was sold into commercial service in 1820 and nothing is known of her subsequent fate.

HMS Landrail was a Cuckoo-class schooner built by Thomas Sutton at Ringmore, Teignmouth. Like all her class she carried four 12-pounder carronades and had a crew of 20. She had a relatively uneventful career during the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 until 1814 when she was taken in a notable action, and then retaken. She was sold in approximately 1818.

HMS Shelburne was the American letter of marque schooner Racer, built in Baltimore in 1811 and captured by the British in 1813. She served on the American coast, capturing the American brig Frolic. She also captured some merchantmen and was sold in Britain in 1817.

HMS <i>Dolphin</i> (1813)

HMS Dolphin was the 12-gun American privateer schooner Dolphin that Admiral John Borlase Warren's squadron captured on 13 April 1813 and that the Royal Navy took into service. As HMS Dolphin she participated in boat actions on 29 April and 5 May 1813 for which the Admiralty issued a clasp for the Naval General Service Medal. Her ultimate fate is currently undocumented.

HMS Laura was an Adonis-class schooner of the Royal Navy, launched in 1806 at Bermuda. Laura served during the Napoleonic Wars before a French privateer captured her at the beginning of the War of 1812. She was briefly an American letter of marque before the British recaptured her in 1813. Despite having recaptured her, the British did not return Laura to service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aegean Sea anti-piracy operations of the United States</span> Anti-piracy operations conducted by the United States in the Aegean Sea

Aegean Sea anti-piracy operations began in 1825 when the United States government dispatched a squadron of ships to suppress Greek piracy in the Aegean Sea. The Greek civil wars of 1824–1825 and the decline of the Hellenic Navy made the Aegean quickly become a haven for pirates who sometimes doubled as privateers.

The Capture of HMS Dominica was a notable single-ship action that occurred on 5 August 1813 off the Bermudas during the War of 1812. American privateer Decatur and the Royal Navy warship Dominica engaged in a fierce contest that ended with the capture of the British ship after a long battle.

<i>General Armstrong</i>

General Armstrong was an American brig built for privateering in the Atlantic Ocean theater of the War of 1812. She was named for Brigadier General John Armstrong, Sr., who fought in the American Revolutionary War.

HMS Colibri was the French naval Curieux-class brig Colibri, launched in 1808, that the British captured in 1809 and took into the Royal Navy under her existing name. She spent her time in British service on the North American station based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. During the War of 1812, Colibri served mostly in blockading the American coast and capturing privateers and merchant ships. She foundered in 1813 in Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, but without loss of life.

William Josephus Stafford (1781–1823), also known as William S. Stafford and Jose Guillermo Estifano, was a sea captain and privateer during the War of 1812 and afterward.

HMS Canso was the American letter of marque schooner Lottery, launched in 1811, that a British squadron captured in 1813. The Royal Navy took Lottery into service as HMS Canso and she served during the War of 1812 and briefly thereafter. The navy sold her in 1816.

<i>Comet</i> (1810 schooner) American schooner

Comet, an American schooner, was built in 1810 at Baltimore, Maryland. She was owned by "a group of wealthy Baltimore investors." Under Captain Thomas Boyle, who was a part owner of the schooner, Comet sailed from July 1812 to March 1814 as a privateer, which was a type of ships licensed by the United States during the War of 1812 to harass the British merchant vessels and divest their cargoes.

Lion was launched in 1803 in Turkey, or 1802 in Spain. British owners acquired her in 1809, probably by purchase of a prize. She was a merchantman and letter of marque. She captured an American privateer in a notable single-ship action in 1813, some months before Lion was wrecked in 1813.

References

  1. Theodore Roosevelt, "The War with the United States" in The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, William Laird Clowes ed, London: Sampson, Lowe Marston & Co., Vol. VI (1901) pg. 98
  2. "History of the War of 1812". Archived from the original on 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2010-12-13.
  3. Scott, pg. 78-90
  4. Scott, pg. 78
  5. Roosevelt, pg. 98
  6. Scott, pg. 79
  7. Scott, pg. 79-82
  8. Scott, pg. 82
  9. "No. 16732". The London Gazette . 22 May 1813. p. 995.
  10. Maclay, pg. 467
  11. Scott, pg. 82
  12. Niles Weekly Register Vol. IV, April 10, 1813, pg. 119, cited by editor in Scott, pg. 94
  13. Niles Weekly Register Vol. IV, May 1, 1813, pg. 149, cited by editor in Scott, pg. 94
  14. Roosevelt, pg. 98
  15. Dudley, pg. 339