View source for Sinking of HMS Peacock

{{Short description|1813 battle in the War of 1812}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Sinking of HMS ''Peacock''}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=USS ''Hornet'' vs HMS ''Peacock''
|partof=the [[War of 1812]]
|image=File:USS Hornet und HMS Peacock.jpg
|image_size=300
|caption=USS ''Hornet'' captures HMS ''Peacock'', February 1813
|date=24 February 1813
|place=Mouth of the [[Demerara River]], [[Guyana|Guiana]]
|result=American Victory
|combatant1={{flagicon|United States|1795}} [[United States]]
|combatant2={{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
|commander1=[[James Lawrence]]
|commander2=William Peake{{KIA}}
|strength1=Sloop-of-war {{USS|Hornet|1805, brig|2}}<br>165 [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] and [[United States Navy|Sailors]]<ref>Pullen, Hugh Francis. The Shannon and the Chesapeake (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1970){{full citation needed|date=January 2019}}</ref><ref>Lambert 2012{{page needed|date=June 2019}}</ref>
|strength2=Brig-sloop {{HMS|Peacock|1806|2}}<br>122 [[Royal Marines|Marines]] and [[Royal Navy|Sailors]]<ref name=Roosevelt94>Roosevelt, p.94</ref>
|casualties1=5 killed ''(3 drowned)'' <br>4 wounded (1 mortally)
|casualties2=''Peacock'' sunk<br>17 killed ''(9 drowned)''<br>33 wounded (3 mortally)
}}
{{Campaignbox War of 1812: Naval}}

The '''sinking of HMS ''Peacock'' ''' was a naval action fought off the mouth of the [[Demerara River]], [[Guyana]] on 24 February 1813, between the [[sloop of war]] {{USS|Hornet|1805, brig|6}} and the {{sclass|Cruizer|brig-sloop}} {{HMS|Peacock|1806|6}}. After an exchange of [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]]s, ''Hornet'' was able to [[raking fire|rake]] ''Peacock'', forcing her to [[striking the colours|strike]]. ''Peacock'' was so badly damaged that she sank shortly after surrendering.

==Prelude==
On 26 October 1812, the [[frigate]] {{USS|Constitution}} and sloop ''Hornet'' sortied from [[Boston, Massachusetts]]. (The frigate {{USS|Essex|1799|6}} was supposed to accompany them but was undergoing repairs. Several rendezvous were assigned for ''Essex'' to meet the other two ships, but the arrangements miscarried.)<ref>Roosevelt, p.67</ref>

On 13 December, the two American ships arrived off [[Salvador, Bahia]] on the coast of [[Brazil]], where they found the British sloop of war {{HMS|Bonne Citoyenne|1796|6}}. Commodore [[William Bainbridge]], commanding ''Constitution'', sent a letter to the captain of ''Bonne Citoyenne'', challenging him to fight ''Hornet''. The British captain refused, as his ship was carrying a valuable cargo of bullion.<ref>Forester, p.91</ref> Bainbridge left ''Hornet'' to blockade ''Bonne Citoyenne'' and cruised to the south, looking for other prizes. Eventually he found and sank the frigate {{HMS|Java|1811|6}}.

Aboard ''Hornet'', Master Commandant [[James Lawrence]] was aware from Portuguese sources that a British [[ship of the line]] was expected. On 24 January 1813, {{HMS|Montagu|1779|6}} appeared and Lawrence retreated into Portuguese territorial waters. After dark, he headed north along the South American coast. On 14 February, ''Hornet'' encountered and captured the British [[Packet (sea transport)|packet brig]] ''Resolution'', which was carrying twenty thousand dollars in gold and silver.<ref name="Forester, p.97">Forester, p.97</ref>

==Battle==
On 24 February, Lawrence pursued a British merchant brig into the mouth of the Demerara River. As evening drew on, Lawrence then noted a British brig-sloop, {{HMS|Espiegle|1812|6}}, at anchor in the river, and another, ''Peacock'', approaching from seaward.

''Hornet'' beat to windward and gained the advantage of the [[Windward and leeward|windward]] position. Lawrence then tacked, and as ''Hornet'' and ''Peacock'' passed each other on opposite tacks they exchanged broadsides at "half pistol shot". Even at this close range, the British fire went high. Some American sailors were killed and wounded at the mastheads. ''Peacock'' suffered heavy damage to the hull.<ref name=Roosevelt94/>

Captain Peake of ''Peacock'' turned downwind to bring his opposite battery to bear, but Lawrence had carried out the same maneuver more rapidly. The starboard bow of ''Hornet'' came up against the stern of ''Peacock'' from where the British could bring no guns to bear, and from this position, ''Hornet{{'}}''s gunners shattered ''Peacock'' in a mere four minutes.<ref name=Roosevelt94/> Peake was killed, and his [[First lieutenant#Royal Navy|First lieutenant]] surrendered and almost immediately made a distress signal.

Although ''Espiegle'' was in sight throughout the engagement, it made no attempt to intervene, and ''Espiegle{{'}}s'' captain later claimed that he was not aware of the action.<ref>Roosevelt, p.95</ref>

==Casualties==
The British lost 5 men killed and 33 wounded (three mortally); the Americans lost only one man killed and four wounded (one mortally), most to ''Peacock''{{'}}s first broadside.{{#tag:ref|''Lloyd's List'' initially reported that Captain Peake and eight of her crew were killed in the action, and 27 were wounded; 19 men, who could not be rescued, went down with her when she sank, though ''Hornet'' rescued the rest. ''Hornet'' herself had lost only one man killed and two wounded.<ref name=Lloyds>''Lloyd's List'' 154 May 1813 [http://www.1812privateers.org/LLOYDS/1813/05-14-1813.jpg] - accessed 13 November 2013.</ref>|group=nb}}

==Aftermath==
Both vessels anchored. (''Peacock{{'}}s'' main mast fell at this point.) An American prize crew went aboard ''Peacock'' and tried to plug the holes below the waterline and throw the guns overboard to lighten the brig, but ''Peacock'' sank suddenly. Three American and nine British sailors were trapped below deck and drowned. ''Peacock'' sank in only {{convert|33|ft|m}} of water, and four British sailors saved themselves by climbing the foremast, the top of which remained above the water. Four others escaped to the shore in a boat in the confusion.

The survivors of ''Peacock'' were taken aboard ''Hornet'', where they joined some other prisoners from captured British merchant vessels. Together with some American sailors from a recaptured prize, ''Hornet'' was now carrying 277 people. ''Hornet'' made for [[Martha's Vineyard]], the nearest point of the American coast known not to be watched by the Royal Navy. Even so, all on board were suffering severely from shortage of water when they arrived<ref name="Forester, p.97"/> on 19 March.<ref name=Lloyds/> The surviving officers of ''Peacock'' nevertheless testified to the generosity of ''Hornet''{{'}}s crew.<ref name=Roosevelt96>Roosevelt, p.96</ref> Eventually, ''Peacock''{{'}}s surviving officers and crew were put on a [[cartel (ship)|cartel]] on which they reached Britain in June.

Although ''Peacock'' was more lightly armed than ''Hornet'', mounting eighteen 24-pounder [[carronade]]s to ''Hornet''{{'}}s eighteen 32-pounder carronades, the overwhelming defeat was more probably due to poor training and lack of practice at the guns. It was said that Captain Peake had concentrated on the appearance of his command rather than its fighting efficiency.<ref>Forester, p.98</ref><ref name=Roosevelt96/>

==Commemoration==
[[File:Amos Doolittle's The Hornet and Peacock, Or, John Bull in Distress.tif|thumb|right|
Amos Doolittle's engraving ''The Hornet and Peacock, Or, [[John Bull]] in Distress'', which is now in the collection of the [[Yale University Art Gallery]].{{sfn|Yale}}
]]
The sinking was rapidly celebrated in the United States in pictures and in song.
Engraver [[Amos Doolittle]] created the etching ''The Hornet and Peacock, Or, [[John Bull]] in Distress'', which was published on 1813-03-27.{{sfn|Yale}}{{sfn|Beardsley|1914|p=146}} It shows a half-bull half-peacock being stung through the neck by a hornet.{{sfn|Beardsley|1914|p=146}} The hornet is saying "Free Trade and Sailor's Rights you old rascal!".{{sfn|Beardsley|1914|p=146}}
His brother, [[Eliakim Doolittle]], at the same time composed a song,{{sfn|Gleason|Becker|1981|p=55}} whose first verse is:
{{poemquote|title=''The Hornet Stung The Peacock''|source={{sfn|Beardsley|1914|p=147}}|text=
Ye Demo's attend and ye Federalists too,
I'll sing you a song that you all know is new,
Concerning a Hornet, true stuff, I'll be bailed,
That tickled the Peacock and lowered his tail,
}}

A political cartoon ''John Bull stung to agony by the Wasp and Hornet'', similarly carrying the slogan ″Huzza for ′Free Trade and Sailor's Rights′" and referring to the victories of ''The Wasp'' as well, was published on 1813-03-01 and is now in the collection of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania amongst others.{{sfn|TUSH}}{{sfn|HSP}}

==Notes==
;Footnotes
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

;Citations
{{reflist}}

== Printed sources ==
* {{cite book|chapter=An Old New Haven Engraver and his Work|title=Papers of the New Haven Colony Historical Society|author1-first=William A.|author1-last=Beardsley|date=1914|location=New Haven|publisher=New Haven Colony Historical Society|pages=132&ndash;150|volume=8}} ({{Internet Archive|id=papersofnewhaven08newh|page=146|name=An Old New Haven Engraver and his Work}})
*Forester, C.S. (1970)[1957] ''The Age of Fighting Sail''. (New English Library). {{ISBN|0-939218-06-2}}
* {{cite book|title=Music Literature Outlines|volume=3|author1-first=Harold|author1-last=Gleason|author1-link=Harold Gleason|author2-first=Warren|author2-last=Becker|edition=2nd|publisher=Frangipani Press|year=1981}}
* {{cite web|ref={{harvid|HSP}}|publisher=Historical Society of Pennsylvania|title=John Bull Stung to Agony by Insects political cartoon, 1813|url=https://digitallibrary.hsp.org/index.php/Detail/objects/12391}}
* {{Cite book|last = Lambert | first = Andrew | authorlink = Andrew Lambert | title = The Challenge - Britain Against America in the War of 1812| year = 2012| publisher =Faber and Faber| isbn= 978-0-571-27319-5}}
*Roosevelt, Theodore: ''The Naval War of 1812'', Modern Library, New York, {{ISBN|0-375-75419-9}}
* {{cite web|ref={{harvid|TUSH}}|url=http://www.teachushistory.org/node/397|title=John Bull Stung to Agony by the Wasp and Hornet|work=TeachUSHistory}}
* {{cite web|ref={{harvid|Yale}}|url=https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/11442|publisher=Yale University Art Gallery|title=The Hornet and Peacock, Or, John Bull in Distress|id=1955.44.20}}

== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927034552/http://www.mywarof1812.com/battles/130224.htm The War of 1812: USS Hornet vs. HMS Peacock]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050914213200/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/events/war1812/atsea/hnt-peck.htm Naval Historical Center: USS Hornet sinks HMS Peacock, 24 February 1813]

{{Battles of the War of 1812}}
{{1813 shipwrecks}}
{{coord|6.85|-58.17|display=title}}

[[Category:Naval battles of the War of 1812|Peacock]]
[[Category:1813 in South America]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1813]]
[[Category:19th-century history of the Royal Navy]]
[[Category:February 1813]]
[[Category:Battles in 1813]]