USS Constitution and the Battle that Earned her Nickname

September 30, 2010 by Ben Edwards · Leave a Comment 

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No trip to Boston’s Freedom Trail is complete without a visit to the Charlestown Navy Yard to tour USS Constitution – one of the first vessels in the United States Navy and the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. Built at Edmund Hartt’s shipyard in Boston and launched in the fall of 1797, the USS Constitution is two hundred four feet in length, has fifty-five guns, and carried a crew of 450 men. Her 24” thick hull was built of live oak sandwiched between two layers of white oak. Live oak, a rare wood, is five times stronger than white oak and made the hull of the ship incredibly strong. She first saw action in the Quasi War with France, and then fought against the Barbary Corsairs – pirates from North Africa who attacked American merchant ships in the Mediterranean Sea. During the War of 1812, Constitution was commanded by Captain Isaac Hull. One of her most famous battles, against the British frigate HMS Guerriere, occurred during this time off the coast of Nova Scotia. At the bottom of this post, is a great primary source – Captain Hull’s official account of that battle as it appeared in a newspaper called the Connecticut Mirror on September 21, 1812.

On the afternoon of August 19, 1812, the crew aboard the Constitution spotted a sail in the distance and started to give chase in an effort to determine the ship’s identity. They soon realized it was the HMS Guerriere – a 38-gun British frigate then armed with 49 guns. Captain James Dacres, commander of the Guerriere, raised three British ensigns to signal he was ready for a fight and Captain Isaac Hull aboard USS Constitution responded by raising four American ensigns to accept the challenge. Both warships began to maneuver for position with the Guerriere firing a number of broadsides from long distance that fell harmlessly into the sea. As the ships drew closer, the gun crews aboard Constitution stood ready, anxiously awaiting orders from Captain Isaac Hull. The Guerriere continued to fire on USS Constitution and this time her guns were well within range. At that moment, some of her 18-pound cannonballs bounced off the hull of the Constitution – thanks to its live oak construction. Seeing this, a seaman aboard USS Constitution cried out “Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!” When the Constitution drew within less than a pistol shot, Captain Hull gave the order to fire a broadside and in only 35 minutes the Guerriere was completely dismasted and had surrendered. After the battle, crewmen aboard the Constitution began calling her “Old Ironsides” and the nickname stuck.

The USS Constitution was undefeated in 33 engagements. Because she was made of wood, the Constitution eventually began to deteriorate, and by 1830 she had become unseaworthy. Rumors spread that she would be scrapped, but a poem “Old Ironsides” by Oliver Wendell Holmes rallied public support and soon Congress appropriated funds to restore her. During the mid 1800s the Constitution, now obsolete in warfare, played a symbolic role for the nation. She sailed around the world in 1844-46. By 1905, the ship was in need of serious repair once again. Congress passed a bill to refurbish the vessel but provided no funds. In 1925, public fundraising efforts began and school children from across the United States donated $148,000 in pennies to save the ship. Congress finally provided additional funds to complete the restoration of “Old Ironsides.”

After her restoration, USS Constitution was towed to many U.S. ports in the Pacific during the years 1931-34. After the journey, she returned to her home port of Boston where she would remain. The ship received a complete overhaul from 1992-97, just in time for her 200th birthday. On July 21, 1997, USS Constitution celebrated that birthday by setting sail for the first time in 116 years! On that historic day, the seamen aboard her hoisted a partial set of six sails on her masts, and the citizens of Boston cheered as their beloved ship sailed once again off the coast of Massachusetts. Today, a three-year $6 million restoration of the Constitution that began in the fall of 2007 is nearing completion. The spar deck has been replaced and the pitch adjusted so water will run off properly. The latest work brings the ship very close to the way it looked during the War of 1812 – and well in time for that War’s 200th anniversary.

Wonderful tours of USS Constitution are given by active duty members of the US Navy and include visits to the spar, gun and berth decks. Hours of operation can be found on the USS Constitution website. During these tours you’ll learn how sailors lived aboard ship, hear tales of her battles and discover fascinating facts about the vessel. Two of the facts I found most interesting related to the mainmast and long guns. The ship’s mainmast is 210 feet high – that’s a mere 13 feet shorter than the Bunker Hill Monument! Her long guns weighed 6,000 pounds each, could fire a 24-pound shot 1,200 yards, and the gun crews consisted of a minimum of 7 men.

While you’re at the Charlestown Navy Yard, be sure to check out the excellent USS Constitution Museum. The Museum offers exhibits, programs and lectures about USS Constitution and America’s proud naval heritage.

Captain Isaac Hull’s Official Account of USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere

The Connecticut Mirror – September 21, 1812

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Complete Transcript of Press Coverage from the Connecticut Mirror September 21, 1812

Classroom exercise:

Compare the above newspaper transcript to Captain Isaac Hull’s original letter in the National Archives. Transcript here. What did the Connecticut Mirror account leave out or have incorrect and what can this teach us?

Filed under: Colonial Newspapers, Primary Sources
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Happy Birthday Mr. President – Honoring John Adams

November 3, 2009 by Ben Edwards · Leave a Comment 

adamsreenactOn Friday October 30, there was a ceremony at United First Parish Church in Quincy, Massachusetts celebrating the 274th birthday of President John Adams. United First Parish Church is also known as The Church of the Presidents because a tomb beneath the church contains the remains of our second president John Adams and his wife Abigail Adams; and their son, our sixth president John Quincy Adams and his wife Louisa Catherine Adams. United First Parish Church is built of granite from the Adams family property donated by John Adams. It was completed in 1828. There is a pew inside where President John Quincy Adams and future generations of the Adams family have sat. View the interior of the church. During the ceremony for John Adams, speeches were given and the crew of USS Constitution was in attendance. On behalf of the President of the United States, sailors from the ship participated in laying the Presidential Wreath sent by the White House on the granite sarcophagus of President John Adams. A similar Presidential Wreath-laying ceremony occurred on July 11, the 242nd birthday of President John Quincy Adams. The tradition of sending flowers/wreaths to mark the birthdays of deceased former presidents was begun in 1967 by President Lyndon Johnson.

The Presidential Wreath on the sarcophagus of President John Adams and the sarcophagus of Abigail Adams to the right (left image).The Adams Tomb with the sarcophaguses of President John Adams, Abigail Adams, President John Quincy Adams and Louisa Catherine Adams (right image).

The Presidential Wreath on the sarcophagus of President John Adams and the sarcophagus of Abigail Adams to the right (left image).The Adams Tomb with the sarcophaguses of President John Adams, Abigail Adams, President John Quincy Adams and Louisa Catherine Adams (right image).

The ceremony had special meaning for the crew of USS Constitution. President Adams had attended the launching ceremony for the ship on September 20, 1797. On that day, USS Constitution moved only a short distance and it wasn’t until a third attempt on October 21, 1797 that the ship finally settled into Boston Harbor. On April 30, 1798, President Adams signed an act establishing the Department of the Navy and on May 18, he nominated Benjamin Stoddert as the first Secretary of the Navy. This primary source document signed by Adams indicates that fact. Because of this, John Adams is sometimes referred to as “the Father of the United States Navy”.

On the same day that I visited the Adams Tomb and saw the Presidential Wreath, I headed out to Peace field – the home where Abigail Adams and her “dearest friend” John celebrated many birthdays together from 1788 until Abigail’s death in 1818. John Adams died on July 4, 1826 — the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. On my trip to Peace field, I unexpectedly ran into the President (pictured in this post). Our conversation took us back to younger days, like his 64th birthday, a mere 210 years ago. You can read the news of how that birthday was reported in this original article from the October 30, 1799 issue of the Columbian Centinel and Massachusetts Federalist. By the time our brief talk ended, I was even more certain of one thing – I really do admire John Adams. Happy Birthday Mr. President.

Update: October 30, 2010

Video: Quincy Celebrates John Adams’ 275th Birthday

Learn More About the Adams Presidential Wreath

Filed under: Primary Sources, Tours
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