THE WAR OF 1812

the early U.S. Navy was involved in two other conflicts—the Quasi War and the Barbary States War. Quasi War The Quasi War with France, 1798 - 1801, was entirely a naval war. It followed worsening diplomatic relations with France, including a refusal by the French Secretary of Foreign Affairs to receive U.S. representatives unless a bribe was paid and a loan granted. The famous expression “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute” originated at this time. The Quasi War was the baptism of fire for the United States Navy under the new Constitution. Barbary States War The U.S. Navy was sent to the Mediterranean to deal with the Barbary States, who were forcing other nations to pay ransom for safe passage through the Mediterranean Sea. During the campaign, Lieutenant Stephen Decatur and 84 seamen slipped into the harbor at Tripoli on February 16, 1804, and burned the captured frigate USS Philadelphia (fig. 5-3). Not a single American Sailor was lost. Britain’s Admiral Lord Nelson described the raid as “one of the most bold and daring acts of the age.” THE WAR OF 1812 The War of 1812 was brought on, in part, because the British were impressing (forcing Americans to serve in the British Navy) American seamen. England impressed American seamen to make its presence felt and demonstrate its power on the American continent. On August 19, 1812, Captain Isaac Hull aboard the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate Guerriere (fig. 5-4), and the USS Constitution earned its nickname “Old Ironsides.” The victory convinced Congress and President Madison that a stronger Navy was needed to win the war and protect the country. Almost a year after Hull’s important victory, another famous event in our naval history occurred. On September 10, 1813, Captain Oliver Hazard Perry defeated a British squadron on Lake Erie and wrote his dispatch, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” Perry’s win cut British supply lines on the Great Lakes, gained control of Lake Erie, and strengthened the American claim to the Northwest Territory. 5-7 Student Notes: Figure 5-3.—Lieutenant Stephen Decatur and 84 seamen slipped into Tripoli Harbor and burned the captured American frigate USS Philadelphia.