COURTESY Tll E /\IARINERS' MUSEUM
"USS United States versus HMS Macedonian " As first lieutenant of the US frigate United States (depicted in the foreground) when they captured HMS Macedon ian, William H enry A llen was p ut on board the new p rize to sail her back to N ew York. (Painting by Arthur N Disney, Sr.)
miscreants with an equally sharply-worded denial of their existence. Whereupon Leopard rounded up and fired three broadsides inro rhe American warship. With his battery useless, Baron surrendered to the British ship. An armed search party boarded, mustered the American crew, found rheir four sailors, and departed, leaving rhe cruelly-wounded frigate wallowing in rhe swells of rhe Atlantic-her crew and officers humiliated. Henry Allen's role in this event made him a legend , advanced his professional reputation tremendously and gained for him enormous honor; using a hot coal from the galley camboose, he had fired the only shot fired by Chesapeake immediately prior to Baron's surrender. This act won him a multitude of career opportunities with the likes of John Rodgers, James Lawrence, and others-each members of the court martial board that tried and convicted Baron, Gordon, the Marine captain, and the ship's gunner. Allen declined each one, preferring to stay with Stephen Decatur, rhe hero of rhe Tripoli War (Barbary Wars) who now commanded Chesapeake. Decatur maintained a tight ship and employed Allen in training his crew to a high level of excellence in gunnery. Nei-
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ther man ever forgot rhe dreadful and humiliating events of that June day in 1807. When Stephen Decatur was given command of US frigate United States in February of 1809, he req uesred Henry Allen as his first lieutenant. Lieutenant Allen became responsible for bringing rhe heavy 44-gun frigate out of ordinary in rhe Washington Navy Yard. War with England was looming; the repercussions of rhe Chesapeake/Leopard incident had only been serried with England some four years after rhe event and the taste was still bitter in many American mouths. American sailors were still being pressed into the Royal Navy without regard for their citizenship, and the US Navy was still held in some contempt by England. Decatur took his big frigate to sea in Commodore Rodgers' squadron within days of the declaration of war. An uneventfu l cruise saw rhem back in Boston in August where Rodgers, Decatur, and Bainbridge were each assigned squadrons comprised of the cream of rhe fleet. Rodgers and Decatur returned to sea in October. Under Decatur's command, United States and US brig Argus headed sourheasr while Rodgers sailed due east. After a few days, Decatur detached the brig and cruised independently, his pref-
erence. Several days later, some 550 miles south of the Azores, he spotted, engaged, and captured the British frigate Macedonian in a 11/ 2 hour barde. After repairing his prize to a seaworthy stare (ir took two weeks), he sem her to Newport under the command of Lr. Allen. This was another feather in Allen's cap and one which led directly to his command of the US BrigArgus. Stephen Decatur served as an important mentor for Henry Allen who served as his first lieutenant on USS United States.
SEA HISTORY 11 0, SPRING 2005