I was reading Peter Berresford Ellis and Seumas Mac A’ Ghobhainn’s book, ‘The Scottish Insurrection of 1820’, for Book 3 of the Dragonseyrie Series, ‘Rebellion and Subterfuge’, and I came across an entry that intrigued me. It mentioned that a Captain James Jones, a former lieutenant in the Royal Marines, was wearing a sword which had belonged to the Captain of USS Chesapeake, Captain James Lawrence. I immediately set out to find out more about this.
USS Chesapeake was a 38- gun wooden hulled, three- masted heavy frigate, in the USA Navy. She launched in December 1799. Captain James Laurence took over command of the Chesapeake in May 1813, a year into the 1812 war between Britain and the USSA.
America declared war on Britain in 1812, for several reasons. One of the factors influencing this declaration was that the UK was busy with France and Napoleon, and as America was wishing to add Canada to its territories, and since Britain would now have less firepower and men available to defend Canada, this would be a good time to try and take it. The Americans were also annoyed that British ships were pressganging American sailors and citizens into serving on its ships, on the pretext that they were British citizens or deserters; although this was actually often the case.
James Lawrence was a well-respected, seasoned Captain, but the ship he took over was not a happy one. Indeed, his crew were said to have been on the verge of mutiny, and he is believed to have paid the prizemoney they had not yet received, for various administrative reasons, out of his own pockets. Other sailors on board had been cobbled together from different ships, and many had overstayed their time serving on board ship and were badly overdue Leave.
Captain Philip Broke on the other hand had captained HMS Shannon since 1806, and his crew were kept very sharp. They ran daily drills, lasting for hours to keep their skills continuing improving and their discipline tight.
USS Chesapeake was just inside Boston harbour, while outside the harbour HMS Shannon was patrolling off the port, trying to blockade the harbour.
In the first year of this war the US army had defeated several British Warships; Captain Broke, of HMS Shannon, wished to redress the balance. On the afternoon of June 1st, 1812, Captain Broke sent out a challenge to the Captain of USS Chesapeake, but Captain Laurence and USS Chesapeake, were already on the way out of the harbour, on their way to meet the HMS Shannon.
They came alongside each other at about 5 pm in the afternoon, and commenced firing at each other, both landing hits on the other ship. Then the drills enforced by Captain Broke began to take effect. Within a few minutes a succession of helmsmen on the Chesapeake were killed, and her wheel was destroyed. Then her foretop sail was shot away, further damaging her manoeuvrability. Captain Brokes gunnery team had destroyed Chesapeake’s steering wheel and the ropes holding the sails. At this point Chesapeake was doomed as the ship was now out of control.
The two ships crashed together, and Captain Brode of the Shannon prepared to board.
Captain Lawrence also tried to rally a boarding party, but now his crews lack of discipline seriously failed him. His bugler took fright and hid. The bugler should have sounded out the captain’s orders to the rest of the ship. Even worse was to come. A single shot from a sniper mortally wounded Captain Lawrence. His response was to go down in USA Navel history and become its moto. His last order, as he his men carried him below deck, was “Don’t give up the Ship,’ then continued, ‘Fight her till she sinks…’
As it was, after the death of their Captain, the demoralised crew of the Chesapeake put up little resistance.
However, there were casualties on HMS Shannon too. Captain Broke, who led the boarding party, was struck on the head with a sword and never fully recovered, and Captain Broke’s 1st lieutenant, Lieutenant Wat was killed by friendly fire, as he was hoisting the British Flag on the Chesapeake, as accidentally, initially it appeared as if the American flag was taking precedence.
Second Lieutenant Provo Wallis took command of HMS Shannon after Broke was injured. He was later rewarded with a promotion to Commander as was the third Lieutenant Charles Falkiner, who sailed the Chesapeake to Nova Scotia, alongside the Shannon
Captain Lawrence died of his wounds and was awarded the posthumous Congressional Gold Medal. He was buried with full military honours, and his close friend Commodore Oliver Perry named his flagship the USS Lawrence. Dozens of geographical locations and landmarks are named in his honour including at least ten US counties, and many cities, towns and schools.
The Royal Navy repaired the Chesapeake and she became HMS Chesapeake, and served in the British Navy until 1819, when she was sold to a Joshua Holmes in Portsmouth, who broke her up and sold her components. A lot of her was sold to a John Prior to build a new watermill. In Hampshire, the Chesapeake Mill is still running to this day as an antiques and vintage goods centre in Wickham, Hampshire
In 2021 it was announced that a USS Chesapeake, Constellation class ship would be constructed, however this was subsequently cancelled due to the Navy’s decision to only build 2 ships of that class.
Captain Broke of HMS Shannon was also treated as a national hero, and he received many awards. He was elevated to a hereditary Baronetcy, becoming Sir Philip Broke, 1st Baronet. He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) and was awarded the Naval Gold Medal. He also got The Naval Sword of Honour and was given the Freedom of the City, of London., and several other honours. In addition to this he was promoted to Rear-Admiral, despite his head injury preventing him for ever taking active service.
There were two other Lieutenant on the ship, both lieutenants of the Royal Marines; Captain James Johns, who led the boarding of the Chesapeake by the marines, and second Lieutenant John Law of the Marines, who is thought to have shot Captain James Lawrence. Both these men got a share of the bounty fort the Chesapeake, and John Law was promoted to Captain. Captain James Johns got enormous public prestige for his role in the battle and a massive amount of prize money
This war lasted until 1815, and neither side significantly benefited on the face of it. Britain kept Canada, but America grew in confidence, and it was the American Indians, who had supported Britain, who perhaps lost out most. However, the British army did burn down the White House, which was only called the White House after this event due to the thick coat of white paint used to cover up the black smoke and other fire damage!
Legend, and the book by Berrisford Ellis and Seumas Mac A Ghobhainn, ‘The Scottish Insurrection of 1820’, John Donaldson, 1988, says that Captain James Johns, took as spoils, as was the then practice, the sword of Captain Lawrence, and that this became a family heir loom.
Captain James Johns would have been on half pay after 1815, after the war with France finished. It is lpossible that he was a volunteer in Samuel Hunter’s Glasgow Sharpshooters, and the other a volunteer in the yeomanry, which was made up of Gentlemen Volunteers, in 1820, at the time of the Scottish Insurrection, and was ordered into active duty alongside regular army forces and local Yeomanry units at this time.
Due to his role in the USS Chesapeake / HMS Shannon battle, Captain James Johns became quite a local celebrity, and his sea service chest was put on display inside the local kirk in his hometown of Inveraray. This chest was sold at auction in October 2009 and purchased by a private collector. The fate of his sword, whether it was his own personal military sword, or the sword of Captain James Lawrence is unknown.
However, after a lot of reading, I wonder if it was perhaps Captain James Jones, an Argyll man, of the Royal Marines, rather than Captain James Johns, of the Royal Marines, of the HMS Shannon incident, who was involved in guarding the banks in Glasgow, in April 1820. Or were both of them there?
Captain James Johns, a very well-known and respected Royal Marine, retiring on half pay, could very well have been a volunteer in Samuel Hunter’s, Glasgow Sharpshooters, which were used to guard the banks. Though records show that he did not retire to
half pay until April 1828, making this more questionable. Captain James Jones, also a Royal Marine, after a successful career in the Napoleonic wars, retired on half pay in 1810, and then served as the Corps Adjutant for the Edinburgh Town guard, where he would have been responsible for policing and maintaining city security. He would have been charged with defending the banks during the Scottish Radical War of 1820, and may have been drafted to Glasgow, as an experienced officer, and given a temporary position, in the Glasgow Yeomanry.