Every Man Will Do His Duty (63 page)

Meanwhile, as we saw in the battle between the
Macedonian
and the
United States,
the Royal Navy had bigger fish to fry. Although the
Constitutions
and
United States
’s victories at sea were setbacks for the Royal Navy, her defeated captains could at least take consolation in the fact that in both cases these heavy frigates were damaged enough that they were forced to return to home waters for refitting. The
Macedonian
thus prevented the
United States
from molesting the East India convoy. The
Java
forced the
Constitution
and her consort, the sloop
Hornet,
to abandon their plans to cruise in the Pacific, where they could have created much havoc among the British whalers and merchants.

While it lost some high-profile battles, the Royal Navy effectively limited the amount of damage the upstart United States Navy could inflict. But one warship escaped the Royal Navy’s long arms, at least for a while. Commanded by Captain David Porter, the small but powerful frigate
Essex,
which had been ordered to the Pacific along with the
Constitution
and
Hornet,
carried on with her mission.

¹
In modern-day Venezuela.

C
OMMANDING THE FRIGATE
Essex, armed with forty 32-pounder carronades and six long 12-pounders, Captain David Porter rounded the Horn in early 1813, becoming the first warship of the U.S. Navy to cruise in the Pacific. (A thirteen-year-old midshipman and the captain’s adopted son, the future admiral David Farragut, was also on board.) Arriving at Valparaiso on March 14, 1813, Porter is momentarily the most powerful force in the South Pacific. Still, the shifting politics of the Spanish American states and the inevitable arrival of British warships make his position tenuous.

ONTHE MORNING
of the 25th, at daylight, we discovered a sail to the northeast, which we gave chase and soon came up with. She proved to be the American whale-ship
Charles,
Captain Gardner, belonging to Nantucket, about four months from Lima, where she had been sent for adjudication by a privateer belonging to that port, and was liberated after paying costs. Captain Gardner informed me, that, two days before, he had been in company with the American whale-ships
Walker
and
Barclay,
near the port of Coquimbo; that he had been chased and fired at by a Spanish and an English ship; and that he saw them take possession of both the
Walker
and
Barclay.
I consequently crowded all sail, in company with the
Charles,
for Coquimbo, with an expectation of falling in with them. At eight o’clock descried a sail to the northward, to which I gave chase, and at meridian we
were near enough to discover her to be a ship of war, disguised as a whaler, with whale-boats on her quarters. She shortly afterwards hoisted the Spanish flag, when we showed English colours, and fired a gun to leeward, which she shortly returned, and run down for us. The
Charles,
agreeably to directions I had previously given Captain Gardner, hoisted an English jack over the American ensign; the Spaniard, when at the distance of a mile, fired a shot at us which passed our bow. I immediately, from her appearance and the description I had received of her, knew her to be one of the picaroons that had been for a long time harassing our commerce, and felt so exasperated at his firing a shot, that I was almost tempted to pour a broadside into him; but reflecting that we were under British colours and that the insult was not intended for the American flag, I contented myself with firing a few shot over him to bring him down. Shortly afterwards, a boat was lowered down from her, and sent to the
Essex:
but perceiving her crew to be armed, I directed her to return immediately to the ship, with orders for her to run down under our lee, and for her commander to repair on board with his papers, and to apologize for firing a shot at us. She soon returned with the second lieutenant, who brought her commission and stated that the captain was too unwell to leave his ship.

She proved to be the Peruvian privateer
Nereyda,
of fifteen guns. The lieutenant informed me that they were cruising for American vessels and had captured the
Barclay
and
Walker
in the port of Coquimbo, but that the British letter of marque
Nimrod,
Captain Perry, had driven their people from on board the
Walker
and taken possession of her; that they were in search of the
Nimrod,
to endeavour to recover their prize; that seeing us, with the
Charles
in company, they had supposed us to be the vessels they were in search of, and this had been the cause of their firing a shot. He stated that the Peruvians were the allies of Great Britain; that he had always respected the British flag; and that his sole object was the capture of American vessels; that he had been out four months and had only met the aforesaid vessels; and that the crew of the
Barclay,
and the captain and part of the crew of the
Walker,
were now detained as prisoners on board the
Nereyda.

I informed him that I wished to see the captain of the
Walker
and one of the prisoners from the
Barclay;
and informed him that if his captain was too unwell to come on board, it would be necessary for the first lieutenant to repair on board and make the apology required. On this, he despatched his boat to the
Nereyda,
which returned with Captain West, of the
Walker,
and one of the crew of the
Barclay,
as well as the first lieutenant of the
Nereyda.
On taking Captain West into the cabin and assuring him that he was on board an American frigate, he informed me that he, as well as the rest of the Americans on board the
Nereyda,
amounting to twenty-three, had been
plundered of every thing; that the Spaniards had not assigned any other motives for the capture of the vessels than that they were Americans; that both his ship and the
Barclay
were employed solely in the whale-fishery and not concerned in any mercantile pursuit whatever; that both ships had full cargoes of oil, were about returning to America, and had put into Coquimbo for refreshments; and that the first intelligence they had received of the war was at the time of their capture.

The
Nereyda
was now under the muzzle of our guns, and I directed the American flag to be hoisted, and fired two shot over her, when she struck her colours. I then sent Lieutenant Downes to take possession of her, with directions to send all the Spaniards on board the
Essex;
and as I had reason to expect that the
Nimrod
and the other ships were somewhere in our neighbourhood, I stood in shore with a view of looking into Tongue Bay and Coquimbo, sending Lieutenant M’Knight to take charge of the
Nereyda
for the night. Next morning had all her guns, ammunition and small arms thrown overboard, as well as all her light sails. What surprised us very much was that all the shot of this vessel, round, bar, and star-shot, were made of copper; and I have since been informed that this metal is in such abundance, and so cheap in Peru and Chili, as to be held in very little estimation, there being no comparison between the value of that and iron. Wanting a few nails while at Valparaiso, I found they could not be procured for less than one dollar per pound. But it seemed equally curious that, although copper was in such abundance, and brass guns are so far preferable to iron, yet all the guns of this vessel, except one, were cast of the latter metal, differing in this respect from the customs of every other part of the world. After I had completely dismantled her, leaving her only her topsails and courses to take her back to Callao, which is the port of Lima, I liberated all the Americans from on board of her, sent back all the Spaniards, and directed her commander to proceed to Lima with the following letter to the viceroy.

United States frigate Essex, at sea, March 26, 1813.

Your Excellency,

I have this day met with the ship
Nereyda,
mounting fifteen guns, bearing your excellency’s patent, and sailing under the Spanish flag.

On examination of said ship, I found on board her, as prisoners, the officers and crews of two vessels belonging to the United States of America, employed solely in the whale-fishery of those seas, captured by her, and sent for Lima after being plundered of boats, cordage, provisions, clothing, and various other articles; and was informed by her officers that they were cruising, as the allies of Great Britain, to capture and send in for adjudication all American vessels they should meet with, alleging, at the same time, that they had not your excellency’s authority for such proceedings.

I have, therefore, to preserve the good understanding which should ever exist between the government of the United States and the provinces of Spanish America, determined to prevent in future such vexatious and piratical conduct; and with this view have deprived the
Nereyda
of the means of doing the American commerce any farther injury for the present, and have sent her to Lima in order that her commander may meet with such punishment from your excellency as his offence may deserve.

I have the honour to be, with the highest respect and consideration, your excellency’s obedient humble servant,

(Signed) D. PORTER.

His excellency the viceroy of Peru, Lima.

I then left the
Nereyda
and looked into Tongue Bay; but perceiving no vessels, I stood on for Coquimbo and at sundown arrived within five miles of some small rocks called the Chinques, which lay off the mouth of the bay. I then caused one of the whale-boats to be manned (both of which I had taken from the
Nereyda,
as they belonged to the captured ships) and sent her in with Lieutenant Downes and Captain West to reconnoitre the harbour, lying off and on with the ship until they returned, which was not until eleven o’clock that night. I had fixed on signals, by which Lieutenant Downes was to inform me whether the ships were in the port, as well as such by which the boat could find the
Essex:
the latter were observed from the shore; for immediately after we had made them, several alarm guns were fired from the battery, which consisted, as I was informed, of six guns, without platform or breastwork. The boat had entered the harbour and gone all around it, and had approached so near the shore and battery as to hear the people talking, without being discovered. Finding that the
Nimrod
was not at this place, I thought it probable that she had proceeded with a view of intercepting the
Barclay
on her way to Lima; and this I was the more strongly induced to believe, as the captain of that ship had stated his determination of taking the
Barclay
from the Spaniards, alleging that, as she had not been engaged in any contraband or illicit trade, they had no right to capture her and that the Peruvian government would certainly liberate her on her arrival at Callao, by which means he should be cheated out of a prize. I therefore determined to lose no time in endeavouring to get to the northward, on the coast of Peru, where I hoped to arrive in time not only to frustrate the views of the captain of the
Nimrod,
but to recapture the
Barclay
and the
Walker,
I considered the capture of the
Nimrod
of the greatest importance to our national interests in those seas, and while there was a chance of effecting this object, provided it did not interfere too much with my other views, I thought the pursuit of her should not be abandoned. To Captains Gardner and West I intimated my intentions, advising the former to run into Coquimbo, and there demand for his vessel the protection of government. The latter I advised to proceed with all expedition to St. Jago and lay his claim for damages before the government.

I gave the Americans whom I had liberated from the
Nereyda
their choice, either to remain in the
Essex
or be landed at Coquimbo. Nine of them preferred remaining; the remainder, with Captain West, were put on board the
Charles,
who made sail in for the harbour, and I steered to the northwest with all the sail we could crowd.

Prior to leaving Captains Gardner and West, I requested them to give me a list of all the whale-ships, both English and American, that they could recollect and were certain of being now in this sea. They both agreed that
the Gallipagos was the most likely place to find them, and confirmed in every particular the account given by Captain Worth. The list they gave me was as follows: