recitcombatanglais

We are on 1 June 1813, early in the afternoon. Lawrence is confident in his ship. Shannon and Chesapeake are on paper of the same strength, though the American ship which has a 440 men’s crew is more important. Just before the engagement, the American crew gives three cheers.

HMS Shannon carries 276 officers, seamen and marines of her proper complement; eight recaptured seamen; 22 Irish labourers who has been 48 hours in the ship, and of whom only four could speak English, and 24 boys, of whom about 13 were under 12 years of age.

Vaisseaux	HMS Shannon	USS Chesapeake
Periods of service	1806-1859	1800-1813(USN) 1813-1815 (RN)
Displacement	954 tons	1244 tons
Lenght	45.7 m	46 m
Width	11.9 m	12.5 m
Crew	330 men	440 men
Armament	28 * 18 pounder guns 4 * 9 pounder guns 2 * 12 pounder carronades 18 * 32 pounder carronades	28 * 18 pounder guns 20 * 32 pounder carronades

American frigate is flying three American ensigns and a large white flag at the foremast inscribed 'Free Trade and Sailor's Rights'

Shannon is flying a rusty blue ensign and her dilapidated outside appearance after a long period at sea suggests that she will be an easy opponent

The two ships are sailing on several miles to the coast where the Shannon slows down to wait for his opponent. Lawrence has a brief opportunity to escape, but he does not benefit from, and instead keep close the wind to place his ship on the board of his opponent.

Both vessels are to contact 5: 30 p.m. in the afternoon 20 miles east of Boston between Cape Ann and Cape Cod’s lighthouse.

Just before 6 P.M., as the two ships are no more than 35 meters from each other, a first broadside is exchanged.

On the Chesapeake, the fourth officer Mr Ballard is mortally wounded, the sail master is killed and Captain Lawrence is shot in the arm, but orders to continue the approach to address the broadside.

A second and a third broadside are exchanged and at this time among the Americans injured is the first lieutenant who is descended.

The Chesapeake fall on board Shannon, lying athwart her starboard bow, trapped by one of Shannon’s anchors.

Much of the crew of the Chesapeake is already killed or wounded, and two thirds of her guns out of state to shoot. At the helm , three men are successively killed by the fire from a 9-pound gun that Broke has installed on the officers’ deck for this purpose. Moreover, the foresail was unrigged, making the ship not manoeuvring. When the anchor is taken in one of the Shannon’s rear ports, this allows the latter to rake the Chesapeake.

When the smoke clear, Captain Broke think it was time to board. Lawrence give the same order to his men. But the English are the fastest.

Captain Lawrence, is mortally wounded by a bullet in the chest, but before being lowered down, he gives a final order "Press onward, my fellow warriors!" "Do not give up the ship!".

Mr Stevens, the boatswain attempts to lash the two ships together to prevent the Chesapeake from disengaging and escaping, and lost an arm as he did so.

At 6.00, a small group of twenty men rush on board the Chesapeake, led by Broke, with the Commissioner, Mr G. Aldham, and the clerk, Mr John Dunn. Aldham and Dunn are killed on the gangway, but the rest of the group arrives on the Chesapeake. Normally they shall have been quickly repulsed, but on the Chesapeake, there is no more really an officer able to take things in hand. At the cry of aboard Lieutenant Cox rush on deck, but just as his captain fall, and have to take him down. The main deck is deserted, ravaged by the broadsides of the Shannon. The American gunners are sheltered on the lower deck, and the only man to face is the chaplain, Mr. Livermore, who comes forward and fires his pistol. Captain Broke suddenly stops him of sabre. He will die of his injuries. At the head of his boarding party, Captain Broke rush to the quarterdeck.

Broke and his men quickly advance forward along the deck, while more British reinforcements leapt aboard.He will later write in his log "the enemy fought desperately, but in the disorder."

On the tops, the fight has now ceased. English Snipers have first eliminated U.S. snipers in the rigging and then shoot sailors down on the deck. Some of them conducted by midshipman William Smith, who commands on the fore-top take the American top through the rigging and kill all the Americans there. For his part, Mr Cosnaham who command the main-top, advance on the main yard-arm, from which he can fire down on the Chesapeake, killing three men.

Captain Broke himself lead a charge against a group of American sailors who are trying to rally on the forecastle. After four minutes of fierce fighting, the Americans call for quarter, but finding themselves superior in numbers to the British, they rally and counter attack. In the lower deck, the second Lieutenant George Budd rallies the American crew and tries to go up the deck to defend the ship, but only a few men follow him and he is with them defending the ship until injured his turn. Lieutenant Ludlow, although already wounded, too rush on deck, where he receives a fatal sabre . U.S. Marines continue to bravely resist, but on 44 soldiers, 10 are already dead and 20 injured.

That's when three American sailors come down the rigging and fall upon Captain Broke. Taken by surprise, he kills the first, but the second hit him with a musket, while the third slices open his skull with his sabre, knocking him to the deck. Before he could finish Broke off, he was cut down by William Windham, and the Shannon’s crew rally to defend their captain and attack the forecastle, killing the remaining Americans.

Broke hand command of the Shannon to Lieutenant Wallis. He is moreover able to save the life of a young american midshipman who has slid down a rope from the fore-top and implores protection.

The British lieutenant Watt, just back up, after being wounded, hail the Shannon that she fires to the mizzen top of the Chesapeake. He then asks an English flag, and after descending the American brand, he is reading to hoist the English flag, but having tangled ropes, he is obliged to go down the British colors. At this moment the two ships away slightly from each other. Shannon’s Man seeing the American flag rise first, fire again to the mizzen mast, and kill their own officer and four or five of their peers.

The Shannon is then at approximately 100 yards on the port side. The English frigate’s boat arrives with a new contingent of about 60 men.

A musket shot come from the hold where are refugee the Americans kills a young Marine, William Young. On this, Lieutenant Falkiner makes pointing four or five musket down, ready to shoot. Captain Broke asks Falkiner to summon Americans to surrender if want to get quarters, what he does. Americans reply "we do", and any hostility stops.

Fifteen minutes after the start of the battle, the Chesapeake is in English hands.

The English had 23 killed and 57 wounded. From the U.S. on a crew of 381 men, there are 47 killed, the fourth lieutenant, the master, a Lieutenant of Marines, and three Midshipmen, and 97 wounded, including the captain and first officer (mortally), the second and third lieutenant, five Midshipmen and boatswain (fatally).

Shortly, after the frigate is secured, Broke finds him disappears due to blood loss and is brought back on the Shannon to be treated for by the ship's surgeon.