Decatur Namesake, Part 2

Photo Courtesy Naval Art Collection, Naval History and Heritage Command Commodore Stephen Decatur, legendary late 18th and early 19th century naval officer
Photo Courtesy Naval Art Collection, Naval History and Heritage Command Commodore Stephen Decatur, legendary late 18th and early 19th century naval officer

DECATUR -- Part two of the Stephen Decatur story details his involvement in the first and second Barbary War, his leadership during the War of 1812 and his untimely death at the young age of 41.

On Feb. 16, 1804, Stephen Decatur was promoted to captain by President Thomas Jefferson. At age 25, Decatur was the youngest man to be promoted to that rank. Shortly after receiving his promotion, Decatur was given his first command aboard the USS Constitution (the only ship of its kind still in service with the U.S. Navy today). The Constitution, under Decatur's command, set sail for Tripoli on Sept. 10, 1804, to join Commodore James Barron's squadron on blockade duty in Tripoli. Decatur was in Tripoli only a few days before setting sail to Malta for refitting. While the Constitution was in port, Decatur was given temporary command of the USS Argus. He served as her captain until Sept. 24, when he once again took command of the Constitution and continued on blockade duty until Nov. 6, when he turned over his command to Commodore John Rogers and was given command of the smaller USS Congress.

Decatur returned to Norfolk, Va., in the Spring of 1806. There he was given command of the construction of a small squadron of gunboats at the naval yard in Norfolk. While stationed there, he met Susan Wheeler, the wealthy daughter of the mayor of Norfolk. After a short courtship, Decatur and Wheeler were married on March 8, 1806. Before their marriage, Decatur vowed to continue his service to the Navy, a fact Wheeler accepted.

After the gunboats were complete, Decatur was reassigned to Newport, R.I., where he once again supervised the construction of eight more gunboats, four in Newport and four in Connecticut. Once completed, Decatur took command of this new squadron of gunboats until early 1807 when he returned to Norfolk to assume command of the naval yards at Gosport, Va.

During his command at Gosport, Decatur was contacted by the British consul and asked to return sailors from the HMS Melampus who jumped ship to join the American Navy. Decatur refused to intervene in the affair and continued his duties at Gosport. The consul's request eventually made it to Commodore Barron, who was in command of the USS Chesapeake, the ship to which the three sailors were assigned. After setting sail from Washington to the Mediterranean, the Chesapeake was pursued and eventually fired upon by the HMS Leopard. Barron's ship was boarded by the British and the three sailors captured and returned to the Leopard. Once the news of Barron's actions on the Chesapeake reached Decatur, he was outraged, calling Barron "unprepared." These words and other actions taken by Decatur during a later court-martial of Barron would come back to haunt him several years later.

Decatur was appointed to command the Chesapeake on June 26, 1807. He commanded that ship until May, 1810, when he was given command of the United States. When the War of 1812 began on June 18, 1812, the United States was assigned to patrol the upper eastern seaboard. But soon he and his squadron, comprised of the Congress and Argus, would set sail for a much broader mission.

Decatur embarked eastward on patrol in the mid-Atlantic aboard the United States, now Decatur's flagship. About 500 miles south of the Azores, on Oct. 25, a lookout spotted a sail 12 miles away. As the ship closed in on the United States, Decatur recognized it as the British frigate, HMS Macedonian, a ship that was tied up along side of the United States for several months at Norfolk in 1810. The ship was small, with only 38 short-range guns, compared to Decatur's 44 long-range guns. The United States engaged the Macedonian, taking out her mast and the ability to maneuver. Decatur, who was wounded at the time, quickly captured the ship and claimed her as a prize for the United States. After two weeks of repair work, Decatur sailed the United States with the Macedonian close behind to a hero's welcome back home.

Commodore Decatur transferred his flag to the 44 gun frigate, USS President, in May of 1814. A few months later, Secretary of the Navy, William Jones, ordered Decatur to take his new squadron, made up of the Hornet, Peacock and Tom Bowline, to sail to the East Indies. Great Britain, however, held a tight blockade on New York harbor. On Jan. 14, 1815, Decatur and his flagship, President, tried to run the blockade, but an error by a pilot boat captain ran the President aground.

Decatur managed to maneuver the President enough to dislodge her and set sail along the Long Island coast for open water. However, his flagship sustained damage to the hull and was running much slower then she normally sailed. This gave the HMS Endymion a chance to overtake and eventually fire upon Decatur's ship, forcing him to surrender the President. The Endymion had also sustained severe damage at the hands of American ship. While she attempted to make repairs, Decatur tried to escape but was soon recaptured by the British frigate, Pomone. Decatur surrendered, a second time, to Captain John Hayes aboard the HMS Majestic. In keeping with naval tradition, Decatur surrendered his sword to Hayes, who promptly returned it to Decatur in honor of his heroic actions during the battle. Decatur and his crew were sent to a British prisoner of war camp in Bermuda until February of 1815.

Upon his return to the United States, Decatur was given command of the USS Guerriere and orders to sail to the Mediterranean during the Second Barbary war. He arrived at Gibraltar on June 14. He was transporting William Shaler, who was the consul general for the Barbary States. When Decatur learned that notorious Algerian pirate, Rais Hammida, had passed Gibraltar only days earlier, Decatur dispatched Shaler on another ship back to the United States and set sail in pursuit of Hammida. On June 17, the Guerriere intercepted the Algerian frigate, Mashouda, Hammida's flagship. After two broadsides shot by the Guerriere, the Mashouda was captured. Among the dead was Hammida himself. This gave Decatur sufficient leveraging power over the Algerians to cause them to declare an end to tribute payments and ship attacks. Decatur secured peace using what would later be described as "gunboat diplomacy."

Decatur returned a hero once again. Since a vacancy on the board of Navy commissioners was open, Secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Crowninshield, offered Decatur the position and Decatur accepted. He served on the commission from 1816 to 1820, when he was killed during a duel with one of his old rivals.

In 1820, James Barron returned to America from Copenhagen in hopes of being reinstated as a captain in the Navy. Again, Decatur opposed his reinstatement. Enraged, Barron challenged Decatur to a duel (at the time, this was an honorable way to clear one's reputation). Decatur reluctantly agreed. He told his second (a man acting on behalf of the duelists) that he intended to wound Barron. The two met on the morning of March 22, at 9 a.m., at Bladensburg, Md. A few days earlier, as the duel grew closer, Barron went to Decatur to talk of reconciliation; but the two seconds, who where later accused of conspiring against Decatur, would not allow the meeting and the duel proceeded as planned. Decatur and Barron stood eight paces from each other and, after the count of one, fired. Both men were hit. Barron in the lower abdomen and Decatur in the pelvic area, severing the main arteries in his leg. Barron would survive his wound, but Decatur would later succumb.

Decatur was taken to his home in Washington, D.C., where, at 10:30 p.m., Stephen Decatur, a man that fought in the Quasi War, First and Second Barbary wars, and the War of 1812, died of his wounds. He was 41 and in the prime of his naval career when he died.

Stephen Decatur played a major role in development of the early American navy. His exploits as a captain and commodore proved the worth of a strong navy in defense of freedom around the world.

General News on 09/16/2015