Beschreibung:

CONSTITUTION, U.S. FRIGATE]. MARSHALL, JOHN, Captain, Royal Navy. Autograph letter signed to William Phillips in London; "Mercury Cartel, Land's End...," l0 April 1813. 10 pages, 4to, minor soiling at folds. A BRITISH SAILOR'S FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT OF THE CAPTURE OF H.M.S. "JAVA" BY THE U.S. "CONSTITUTION" A remarkable participant's account of one of the more celebrated naval actions of the War of 1812. Marshall, en route back to England after his capture, gives a long account of fight between his ship, the H.M.S. Java and the U.S. Constitution , commanded by William Bainbridge on 29 December 1812. The Java , bound for the East Indies and carrying the English Governor of Bombay, encountered the American vessel off Brazil. The Constitution attacked immediately and a furious engagement ensued. Bainbridge was wounded by musket-fire and again hurt when the steering wheel was shattered by a shot, but remained on the quarter-deck throughout the action. After a six-hour attempt to outrun their enemy, Marshall reports, "we brought the Constitution to action.... We came up with, & received her broadside....having closed to rather more than a Pistol Shot, we opened our Fire....Our rigging and sails were much cut by his Shots. We now mutually manoeuvered...both ships keeping up a heavy fire....We soon perceived the superiority of the Enemy's fire by the fatal effects produced....finding all our Rigging cut to pieces, the head of the Bowsprit shot away, our Foremast tottering....It now only remained for us to defend the British flag with honor...We thus continued the Action till about four o'Clock...receiving the most galling raking fire....We were reduced to an unmanageable log, lying in the trough of the sea, seldom getting half of our guns to bear...Captain Lambert was...mortally wounded...." Marshall and the acting captain, Chads, decide upon surrender, and he describes "the condition of our Ship when surrendered. Our three masts & Canopies were gone, the greater part of our Guns covered, and consequently rendered useless...23 killed and 101 Wounded. Our ship often on fire & a considerable quantity of water in the hold from shot holes, with the Hull dreadfully shattered....." Marshall criticizes the American crews' plundering, complains of the hard terms of his official parole: "the Commodore tied us down to return to to America...if...our parole should not meet the President's approval," and then praises Bainbridge's civilized and courteous treatment of his captives: "it is with pleasure I inform you that Commodore Bainbridge conducted himself with honour, & generosity to the Officers...." Marshall comments on "the superiority of he American frigate over ours," and appends a highly interesting description of the Constitution , which "mounts 54 guns, is 1500 tons, has masts, & rigging equal to our 74 gun Ships, with a crew of near 500 able experienced men, no boys on board.....The Constitution, & the American frigates are built of a peculiar, hard, & well seasoned Oak. The Java, & all our Frigates are built of fir. It is a fact that in many instances, our Shot would not pierce the Constitution's side, or timbers....while her Shot were not only going thru both our Sides, but drove large portions of our timbers in with them..." Included with the lot is a copy of the rare printed "Minutes" of the Admiralty Court-martial, held 23 April l813 in Portsmouth harbor, recording verbatim testimony from the ship's officers regarding the Java's capture, folio, 18 pages, with an engraved chart showing the "Track of the Action, December 29th 1812," with the details carefully handcolored in red, yellow and blue. Captain John Marshall's testimony is printed on pages 8-9.