Existing comment:
Chesseur -- "the pride of Baltimore"
Unaware of the disastrous events back home, Chasseur cruised British home waters from the English Channel to the Irish Sea, dogging convoys, outrunning their escorts, and capturing ships under the nose of the British Fleet. On August 28, 1814, Boyle sent the Marquis of Cornwallis to London to release prisoners and to deliver a document to be posted at Lloyd's Coffee House, the center of Britain's marine insurance business.
"I do therefore. . . declare all ports, harbors, bays, creeks, rivers, inlets, outlets and sea coasts of the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland in a state of strict and rigorous blockade."
-- Boyle's Proclamation of Blockade, 1814
Boyle's claim that he had a force sufficient to blockade all of Great Britain was a jibe at the British "paper blockade" of the American coast. But the document had real effects: within days insurance rates soared, Royal Navy ships were diverted to hunt for Chasseur, and merchants throughout Britain, Ireland and Scotland were insisting that the Admiralty do something about
". . . the horde of privateers that have literally swept our seas, blockaded our ports and cut up our trade"
-- The Navy Chronicle, Fall 1814
By the end of August, Boyle headed for home. Chasseur had taken 10 prizes, and was holding 43 prisoners and captured cargo worth $100,000 on board. Boyle had created a stir on Britain's doorstep that would not be soon forgotten. Chasseur arrived in New York on October 24, 1814.
On December 24, 1814, Boyle and Chasseur left New York for the West Indies, unaware that a peace treaty had been signed in Belgium that same day. Cruising in familiar waters, Boyle chased a large convoy, outran British escorts, and captured or destroyed 8 more prizes. On February 26, he sighted a likely prize off Cuba. After 15 minutes of hard fighting, Boyle learned that his prize was St. Lawrence, a Royal Navy schooner of 20 guns. In a report to his owners, Boyle wrote that he would not:
"... have sought a contest with a King's vessel, knowing it was not our object... When I found myself deceived, the honor of the flag left with me was not to be disgraced."
On March 15, 1815, Boyle received the news from a passing ship: the Treaty of Ghent had been ratified -- the war was over. He steered Chasseur toward home, arriving on March 25.
"Chasseur -- ‘the pride of Baltimore' arrived in Baltimore Saturday last and saluted Ft. McHenry. She is perhaps the most beautiful vessel that ever floated on the ocean. . ."
-- Niles Weekly Register, April 15, 1815 |