Bainbridge was used co a hands-on approach to running a ship. (Ir has been reported that during his time as a merchant captain, he put down two separate mutinies with just his fists and his wi ll.) In the Navy, he continually referred to his sailors as "damned rascals" and would not permit a sailor to speak directly to him . To the officers, however, he acted gentlemanly and he seemed more tolerant of his midshipmen. The impressionable fifteen-year-old Henry Allen wrote that Bainbridge " ... appeared to be a fine man, much the gentleman, and is reckoned a good seaman."
William Henry Allen served under Captain William Bainbridge (above) on USS George Washington as a teenaged midshipman. With the unpleasantness with France ended, George Washington was tasked with delivering the tribute to the Dey of Algiers. Essentially a pay ment for protection , the Barbary States' corsairs wo uld not interfere with American merchant shipping in the Mediterranean as long as the money and goods were delivered in a timely fash ion. Most countries found it considerably cheaper to pay the bribes and tributes demanded than to fight an expensive war with the pirates. As further inducement for timely payment, several of the Barbary States already held as prisoners, sailors from captured American merchant traders; Algiers alone held 115 and set their ransom at $52 5,000 . Between the ransom and the tributes, th e American government would enrich the Dey by over $642,000; this was a staggering amount for the nearly-destitute administration, still trying to recover from a protracted War
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for Independence and the Quasi-War with fire power, Bainbridge hove to. The BritFrance. Considering that the US govern- ish hailed, identified themselves, and rement was three years behind in payments sumed their own cruise. It was this type and their ships continued to be attacked, of humiliating treatm ent that surely lit the President Adams chose to pay the tribute embers of resentment that would, in fewer and ransom to allow Am erican traders ac- than a dozen years, burst into the Aames of cess to the profitable Mediterranean Basin. hatred, both in America and in the breast of William Henry Allen. Bainbridge was assigned co deliver it. Henry Allen had already estab li shed Once in Algeria with the tribute suchis own sense of conduct and morality. cessfully delivered, the Dey commandeered Observing those around him , including his Bain bridge's ship to deliver Algerian tribute commanding officer, he set high standards to Constantinople. While Bainbridge clearof conduct for him self and maintained a ly had little choice in acceding to the Dey's strong interest in personal honor, even as a demands-his ship was anchored under the fifteen-year-old midshipman. He took his guns of the Dey's fortress-the humiliating studies seriously and quickly grasped the task further stiffened H enry Allen's resolve elements of navigation, astronomy, and to never be put in a position which would seamanship. Practice at the "great-guns" demean his country or his Navy. Perhaps the sin gle event that defined provided him the opportunity to develop a high level of competence in the arr and Henry Allen's short career in the Navy was the notorious Chesapeake I l.eopard inci science of naval gunnery. An encounter with the English ship- denr. In 1807, Allen was a freshly-minted of-the-line, HMS Dragon, framed what lieutenant on the frigate USS Chesapeake. soo n developed into a strong resentment Commodore James Baron was riding for the British , fueling Henry's deepening the ship to the Mediterranean where he "grudge" against the country which would wou ld take over the US squadron. Masbeco me his own country's enemy and ulti- ter Commandant Charles Gordon was in command and, through a series of cirmately responsible for his death. At first light one morning, about three cumstances, sailed from Hampton Roads weeks out from the Delaware, the look- with an untrained crew, lumbered (poorly outs announced that several large British stowed) ship, and, most significantly, guns warships were in sight. One of them gave that were nowhere near ready to fire. The chase to the lumbering ex-merchantman , 50-gun ship, HMS leopard, confronted firing a gun to leeward after hoisting the the frigate off the Virginia Capes, seeking English ensign. 111e American ship an- some Royal Navy deserters. Commodore swered her gun and hoisted the American Baron replied to a none-roo- politelyAag bur did not heave to as the British had worded request that he heave to and alexpected. In a move that was both as ton- low a boarding parry to search for the ishingly arrogant and highly illegal, On board USS Chesapeake (below), Henry Allen the Royal Navy vessel then fired a got off the only shot against HMS Leopard as the loaded gun at the American warship British forced them to heave to and submit to being to bring her to; the British had no boarded. ft was a defining moment in Allen's Life right to stop the warship of a friendand also earned him accolades from his superiors. ly nation. Bainbridge crowded on sai l to escape and received another offering from HMS Dragon. So far neither shot had struck home, as the ships were too far apart. The chase continu ed for seven hours, but in the end, the inevitable happened-with the American frigate in range, Dragon fired a shot "dose on board of us," as an outraged Henry Allen wrote to his family. Facing overwhelming
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