Florida State University Libraries 2015 Cut from Different Cloth: The USS Constitution and the American Frigate Fleet Richard Brownlow Byington Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES CUT FROM DIFFERENT CLOTH: THE USS CONSTITUTION AND THE AMERICAN FRIGATE FLEET By RICHARD BROWNLOW BYINGTON A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2015 Richard Byington defended this dissertation on October 9, 2015. The members of the supervisory committee were: Rafe Blaufarb Professor Directing Dissertation Candace Ward University Representative Jonathan Grant Committee Member Maxine Jones Committee Member Nathan Stoltzfus Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii In Loving Memory of Clarice Rippl (1915-2012) iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the guidance and help of several individuals that in one way or another contributed in the preparation and completion of this study. First and foremost I would like to offer my most sincere gratitude to my major professor, Dr. Rafe Blaufarb. Most assuredly, Dr. Blaufarb will never fully comprehend the impact he had on me throughout my academic career. Accepting me into the graduate program at Florida State University opened doors that I presumed would remain closed forever. I would also like to thank my PhD committee members, Drs. Jonathan Grant, Maxine Jones, Nathan Stoltzfus, and Candace Ward for taking the time to read the first draft of my dissertation and give valuable insight into raising the level of my writing. Last but far from least I would like to thank my family for supporting me during my grueling but extremely rewarding seven years in graduate studies at FSU. Making the best of the situation, having a transient husband and father constantly commuting back and forth from Orlando to Tallahassee, represents but a miniscule portion of the patience and perseverance shown by my wife, Stephanie and son, Tanner. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………….……………………………………..vi 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………..1 2. NAVAL AFFAIRS DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION…………………………..7 3. THE NEED FOR A NATIONAL NAVY……………………………………………………32 4. BUILDING…………………………………………………………………………………...45 5. ARMING……………………………………………………………………………………..82 6. MANNING…………………………………………………………………………………...99 7. MANAGING UNITED STATES, CONSTELLATION, AND CONSTITUTION…………140 8. THE RISE OF THE USS CONSTITUTION……..………………….………………………177 CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………………226 REFERENCES ………………………………………………………………………………230 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH…………………………………………………………………...238 v ABSTRACT The historiography of the early American navy and, more definitively, the USS Constitution’s role in American consciousness revolve around the valorous acts associated with the naval engagement between the Constitution and the HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812. The basis for this mass public appeal was presented, disseminated, and perpetuated by historians, journalists, and popular writers. Paralleling historical and popular works, the public perception of the Constitution and the prowess of America’s frigate fleet as a whole subsequently rose to dizzying heights after the War of 1812—based on the evidence emanating from a single naval engagement that lasted just over half an hour. This work seeks to examine how the Constitution ascended to such great military heights when all the odds were against American naval hegemony following the Revolutionary War. By comparing and contrasting naval correspondence, captain’s logs, and ship records associated with America’s original frigate fleet, a better sense of the collective biographies of the six frigates will be achieved; and, in the process, lend greater perspective to the history of the early American Navy. The methodology of this dissertation is to view the American Navy through the lens of the captains, officers, and crew that served on the Constitution. While this study looks to add insight into naval development by comparing and contrasting each of the original six American frigates, the USS Constitution is at the center of the investigation. This is a case study that utilizes the Constitution as a means to view and balance the successes and failures of the early American Navy. vi CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION The USS Constitution was, inarguably, the most renowned and famous American warship during the Age of Sail. Serving as the oldest commissioned vessel in the American navy, Constitution’s longevity spoke more about the perseverance of American spirit and ingenuity than its significance in battle. While the Constitution defeated several French and British warships and countless privateers during the Quasi-War, the Barbary Wars, and the War of 1812, none of these victories ultimately determined the course of the war. Naval historian and strategist Alfred Mahan placed Constitution’s role in perspective when he referred to the presence of Boston’s super-frigate appearing “like a bright gleam in the darkness” during “the gloomiest hour of the War of 1812.”1 Mahan went on to say that, speaking of American writers and historians, “Your Memorialists further represent that in the American mind an historical interest attaches to the Constitution such as attaches to no other ship in maritime annals, except possibly the Santa Maria and the Mayflower.”2 The USS Constitution is a floating, active piece of American military history that was almost forgotten. The Massachusetts Historical Society was the first organization to push towards its memorialization. Noting that the Constitution indeed represented the gold standard of the early American navy, societies, councils, and memorialist organizations began campaigns to save it from decay and historical omission. Members of the Massachusetts Historical Society stressed its significance, noting that just weeks after the Constitution’s most notable victory over the French frigate HMS Guerriere, America’s first decisive victory during the War of 1812, Philadelphia citizens awarded Captain Isaac Hull an ornamental silver urn reflecting the young republic’s gratitude.3 1 Alfed Maha, The Figate Costitutio: Quee Vitoia ad Ou Ciil Wa: A Meoi of Hoae Ga Massachusetts Historical Society, Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society, Second Series 18 (1903), 118. 2 Ibid. 3 Beth Cae Wees, Aiet Roe ia the Eie Caal: The De Witt Clito Vases, Metropolitan Museum Journal 42 (2007), 141. 1 The push to memorialize the Constitution as a part of America’s living and breathing history, beginning with public and private organizations in Massachusetts and Philadelphia, represents but one part of its historiography. That historiography reflects the growth of not only American seamanship and naval prowess, but also the patriotism and budding nationalism that blossomed after the conclusion of the War of 1812. Constitution’s historiography can be divided into three separate phases—each roughly divided by century. The first followed the War of 1812. Literature focusing on the Constitution written in the nineteenth century shows practical and often romantic notions of American exceptionalism and independence. This nationalistic fervor springs from the defense of national sovereignty from the British Empire. Americanists and navalists alike looked to the battle and subsequent capture of Guerriere as the watershed moment when the early American navy and America as a nation reached adulthood.4 Post-1814, free from the subordination of England and the Royal Navy’s grip, American sovereignty was indeed achieved and free to promulgate itself in the form of Manifest Destiny on land and at sea. During the nineteenth century, and up to the first decade of the twentieth century, navalists and journalists alike further promulgated romantic notions of the Constitution. Early literature focusing on the Constitution helped develop popular consciousness amongst the American general public. This supernatural Constitution and its victory over the Guerriere captured the hearts of an American populace in need of heroes. In an era when Americans were trying to find themselves, their nationalism could not be understated. Naval nationalism, especially works that expanded on Mahanian notions of national power being directly linked to maritime power, expanded the general public’s nautical interests. The world’s oceans became a new frontier for imperialism, espoused by works stressing nationalistic efforts at home and overseas. While the early period is wrought with works describing the battle between Constitution and Guerriere, the first real change in the historiography was due to the demobilization of the American army and navy at the conclusion of the War of 1812. 4 Several monographs published after 1814 specifically use the battle between Constitution and Guerriere as a micro-history to help define the early American navy and, consequently, the American experience as a whole. Three Years on Board the Frigate Constitution and Adams, Including the Capture of the Guerriere is one of the first works published in this era. It is one part battle documentary and one part romantic history, looking to base a national consciousness on the strength of the American navy. 2 Historians and writers began