sailors assigned to shovel it from the decks. Visi bility was worse than bad and, shortly after cleari ng the narrows at the harbor entrance, without the ability to get any bearings from shore, USS President ra n agro und. Through his skillful shiphandling, Decatur go t his fri gate off the hard, but the grounding had damaged her rudder, causing the big ship to sail sluggishly. As he felt his way along the south coast of Long Island, his crew sighted shapes looming out of the swirling snow to weather. His once superbly capable ship co uld not outrun them. H e tried everything he could think of to evade, but with shallow water to leewa rd, dreadful visibility, a barely manageable ship, and three British warships bearing down on him, he chose the on ly option open to him- fight. HMS Endymion (40 guns), Pomone (38 guns), and Tenedos (38 guns) were close enough to engage, and so they did, with devastating res ults. After giving them a good fi ght, but wi th predictable results agai nst such overwhelming strength, Decatur had little choice but to strike; Presidentwas badly wounded and a fifth of her crew was dead or hurt. But before he surrendered his ship, he at least disabled Endymion with his highly accurate gunnery. President, for this commission, mounted 52 guns, both 24-pounder long guns and 32-pounder carronades, but without her usual superior sa iling ability and facing the combined weight of metal of over a hundred guns, she succumbed and was captured. Of note here is that once the British realized whom they had captured , they immediately released Decatur and his officers on parole. His reputation for the kind and humane treatment of HMS Macedonian's crew and officers, when he captured that ship in October of 181 2, was cited as the reason . Less than a month later, on 11 February, the Treaty of G hent finally arrived in New York, having been signed by both sides on 24 December, more than three weeks before D ecatu r surrendered his ship. The treaty had been signed in the Flemish city of G hent on Christmas Eve, 1814. Once the representatives from England and the U nited States reached an agreeme nt, copies were sent to London and New York SEA HISTORY 150, SPRING 20 15
''A Hundred Years Peace," The Signature of the Treaty of Ghent between Great Britain & the United Stares of America-24 December 1814, by Sir Amedee Forestier (1854-1930). fo r ratification by the warring governments. The King of England signed his copy on 30 D ecember, bu t with a winter Atlantic crossing to accomplish, the American copy did not reach our shores until nearly six weeks later. The treaty was carried to Was hington C ity on fast horses and reached the Senate quickly; it was ratified on 16 Feb ruary, putting an end to the expensive and frustrating war. In recognition of the fa r-flung nature of the war, one article (Article II) set forth the effective dates of the ratified treaty in different geographic areas, ranging from twelve days following ratification on the Atlantic coast of North A m erica to thirty days in the Atlantic Ocean north of the Equator (including the British Isles), and sixty days for the waters south of the Equator. This article spoke directly to the raking of prizes and w hether or not they wo uld be adjudicated lega l upon ar rival at
a neutral port. What else did it provide? The broad view was simply a return to the status quo ante beLlum-the way things were just before war was declared. Peace wo uld resume between the two countries and all their territories without exception, and all hostilities both on land and sea wo uld cease. Territory captured (by the British, including Castine, Maine, which had been occupied by the British for nearly a year!) was restored without delay to the rightful owners, alon g with forts and property, both private and public. Included in "personal" property were the slaves liberated by the British during their rampages in the C hesapeake Bay area. While the treaty was silent on the subject, American merchants wo uld now be able to trade aro und the world with whomever they wished and do it without fea r of their seamen bei ng pressed at sea into the Royal Navy. What many people ask, given
Although the scourge of impressment was just one of the factors that drove the Americans to declare war in June of 1812, ''Free Trade and Sailors' Rights" became a rallying cry that fired up the citizenry to support it.
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