The Chesapeake Affair
On June 22, 1807, the 36 gun frigate USS Chesapeake left Hampton Roads, Virginia headed for the
Mediterranean Sea under the command of Commodore James Barron. She was loaded for a long voyage and carrying passengers with all their baggage. As she departed, her decks were cluttered with
cargo that had not yet been stowed away.
Shortly after entering international waters off the coast of Norfolk, she encountered HMS Leopard,
a 50 gun British warship blockading French ships that had sought shelter in American waters. As the
Leopard approached, her Captain, Salisbury Pryce Humphreys, hailed the Chesapeake and demanded
to send a boarding party to search for British sailors who had deserted. Commodore Barron refused,
but was surprised when the Leopard opened fire with several broadsides from its guns. Because
of the clutter on her decks obstructing the guns, the Chesapeake was unable to return fire and was
battered unopposed for 20 minutes before surrendering. Three sailors were killed and 18 wounded,
including Commodore Barron. The British refused to accept the ship in surrender, but did send a
boarding party to search for the deserters and removed four men. The Chesapeake returned to port
for repairs and the Leopard departed for Halifax, the North American base for the Royal Navy.
The four men taken from the Chesapeake were Daniel Martin, John Strachan and William Ware,
American citizens who had served in the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Melampus. Jenkin Ratford was
British-born and had run from HMS Halifax. When the Leopard arrived in Halifax, the four were tried
for desertion. The British citizen, Ratford, was sentenced to death and hung. The three Americans
were sentenced to a flogging of 500 lashes each, but the sentence was later commuted. Commodore
Barron was court martialed and found guilty of negligence and poor leadership for not having his ship
ready for battle. He was suspended from naval service for five years.
News of the incident caused a storm of outrage from the United States' government and Americans
across the country. The unexpected attack on a United States ship was widely viewed as an example
of British arrogance and an insult to American honor. President Jefferson issued a special proclamation restricting the access of British ships to American ports. Formal protests were made to the British
government and four years later London offered an apology and agreed to return the three American
seamen, and to pay reparations for damaging the Chesapeake. However, by the time the men were
actually returned to Boston in November 1812, war had already been declared between the United
States and Great Britain.
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/war1812/atsea/ches-sn.htm
Name
Date
The Chesapeake Affair
How well did you read? Answer the following questions.
Where did the USS Chesapeake leave from and where was it going?
Why did HMS Leopard come along side the Chesapeake?
Why couldn’t the Chesapeake fire her guns?
What happened to the four men taken from the Chesapeake?
If you were the Captain of the Chesapeake, what would you have done when the Captain of the Leopard
demanded to board your ship? Why?