Capture of USS President

The Capture of USS President.

Date	15 January 1815
Location	Outside New York Harbor, New York
Result	British victory

Belligerents

United Kingdom

United States

Commanders and leaders

John Hayes

Stephen Decatur

Strength

4 warships
Unknown number of crew:
Royal Navy
Royal Marines

1 damaged warship
475 crew:
U.S. Navy
U.S. Marines

Casualties and losses

11 killed
14 wounded
1 warship damaged

35 killed
70 wounded
440 captured
1 warship captured

The capture of USS President was one of many actions fought at the end of the War of 1812. After running aground before the engagement, the frigate USS President, now severely damaged, tried to break out of New York Harbor but was intercepted by a British squadron of four warships and forced to surrender. President was part of a small squadron created in New York with the purpose of breaching the British blockade and attacking British shipping. Every ship of the squadron succeeded in doing so but President. The action took place several weeks after the Treaty of Ghent, but there is no evidence to suggest the combatants were aware, and more than a month before it was fully ratified.

At the time of the battle Commodore Stephen Decatur commanded President. In 1812, while in command of the frigate USS United States, he had captured the British frigate HMS Macedonian in a famous action. After his return, the British instituted a strict blockade of the American coast.

In 1813, Decatur tried to break out of New York in United States and USS Macedonian (which had been taken into the United States Navy), but encountered a powerful British squadron which drove him into New London, Connecticut. To lighten the two frigates sufficiently to tow them far enough upriver to be safe from British cutting-out expeditions, they were effectively hulked, or demilitarized.

Decatur tried to break out in United States in early 1814, but turned back when he feared that pro-British local civilians (the so-called Blue light federalists) were burning lights to alert the blockaders. Decatur and the crew of United States were transferred to President, which had been refitted in New York. (The crew of Macedonian were transferred to the Great Lakes.)

...
Wikipedia