Battle of Valparaíso facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Valparaíso
Part of the War of 1812
Capture of the Essex by Abel Bowen, 1838
Date 28 March 1814 Location off Valparaíso, Chile Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	United States
Commanders and leaders
James Hillyar	David Porter
Strength
1 frigate (36 guns) 1 sloop-of-war (18 guns)	1 frigate (36 guns) 1 sloop-of-war (20 guns)
Casualties and losses
1 frigate damaged 1 sloop-of-war damaged 5 killed 10 wounded Total: 15	1 frigate captured 1 sloop-of-war captured 58 killed 156 captured (60 wounded) Total: 214

Battle of Valparaíso

The Battle of Valparaíso, also known as the Capture of USS Essex, was a naval battle during the War of 1812. It happened near Valparaíso, Chile, on March 28, 1814. The battle was between the American frigate USS Essex and the sloop USS Essex Junior from the United States Navy. They fought against the British frigate HMS Phoebe and sloop HMS Cherub from the Royal Navy. The British ships won the battle, and the American ships were captured.

The Journey to Battle

Captain Porter's Pacific Adventure

Captain David Porter of the USS Essex had an idea to sail to the Pacific Ocean. He wanted to explore and maybe even start new settlements. When the War of 1812 began, Porter sailed the Essex with a special flag. It said "Free Trade and Sailors rights."

Porter sailed around Cape Horn, which is the southern tip of South America. He knew that the British had many whaling ships in the Pacific. These ships were catching whales for oil and other products. He planned to capture these British ships.

He arrived in Valparaíso, Chile, in March 1813. The local government welcomed him. He used this chance to get food, water, and supplies for his ship. After eight days, he sailed north. He captured a Peruvian privateer (a private ship allowed to attack enemy ships). He also took back an American whaling ship.

Between April and September, he captured 12 British whaling ships near the Galápagos Islands. These captured ships gave him more supplies and food. He even armed some of them to help him capture more ships. Porter claimed he caused a lot of damage to British trade. However, only one of his captured ships, the Atlantic (which he renamed Essex Junior), made it back to the United States.

By September 1813, the Essex needed big repairs. Porter also heard that British warships were looking for him. He decided to repair his ship far away, in the Marquesas Islands. He even tried to claim one of the islands for the United States, naming it Madison Island. But the U.S. government did not approve this.

Porter then sailed back to Valparaíso in January 1814. He hoped to find a British frigate there for a fight.

The British Hunt for Essex

The British Navy knew about Captain Porter's movements. They had a network of ships that shared information. Captain Heywood of HMS Nereus reported that Essex was in Valparaíso. The British were worried about their valuable trade ships carrying silver from South America.

At first, the British couldn't send many ships to chase Essex. They needed their warships to protect their trade routes. But then, HMS Phoebe and HMS Cherub joined the British fleet. Captain James Hillyar of Phoebe was given a secret mission: find and capture or destroy the Essex.

Hillyar was told to keep his mission quiet. He also had to be careful not to break the rules of neutrality in Spanish colonies like Chile. This meant he couldn't just attack Essex while it was safe in a neutral port.

The British also learned that the political situation in Chile was changing. This made it harder for Porter to get help there. News of a British victory over an American ship (HMS Shannon defeating USS Chesapeake) also reached Valparaíso. This made the British look stronger.

Hillyar's ships, Phoebe and Cherub, sailed around Cape Horn. They got separated from one of their supply ships. Hillyar heard that Essex had been seen in different places. He didn't know exactly where to find her.

Finally, in 1814, Hillyar learned that Essex was in Valparaíso. He knew he had to act fast and not let Essex escape.

Comparing the Warships

Even though the USS Essex and HMS Phoebe were similar in size, the British ships had a big advantage. The Phoebe had long guns, which could shoot much farther. The Essex mainly used carronades, which were powerful but had a shorter range. The HMS Cherub was also much stronger than the USS Essex Junior.

Comparison of Combatant Vessels

The Battle Unfolds

The Blockade at Valparaíso

On February 3, 1814, the British frigate Phoebe (36 guns) and the sloop Cherub (18 guns) arrived at Valparaíso. Captain Hillyar knew that Captain Porter couldn't stay in Valparaíso forever. He also knew that the Chilean government now favored the British.

Porter had hoped for a fair fight, two ships against two. But now he was trapped. Hillyar sailed Phoebe very close to Essex in the harbor. The Essex was ready for battle, with special anchors to grab Phoebe. Seeing this, Hillyar pulled back.

Hillyar wanted Essex to fire first. If Essex fired, it would break Chile's neutrality rules. But Porter didn't fire. He missed a chance to escape while Phoebe was in the port. The Phoebe was faster than Essex, so escaping would have been hard anyway.

The next day, Porter raised his "Free Trade and Sailors' Rights" flag. Hillyar countered with a British flag that said, "God and Country, British Sailors' Best Rights. Traitors Offend Both." This was a battle of ideas about why the war was being fought.

Porter and Hillyar agreed to exchange prisoners. During this exchange, Hillyar learned a key piece of information: Essex only had short-range carronades. This was a big advantage for the British.

On February 14, Phoebe and Cherub left the harbor. They stayed just outside the range of Chile's coastal guns. This way, they could still get supplies without breaking neutrality.

Porter tried to make the British look bad to the Chileans. He burned one of his captured ships, Hector, in the harbor. This broke Chile's neutrality. The Chilean governor was angry. He told Hillyar he would ignore it if Essex was captured in the harbor. But Hillyar didn't attack in the harbor, fearing a bigger diplomatic problem.

On February 27, Essex and Essex Junior tried to sail out. Porter fired two shots at Phoebe, but Hillyar didn't fire back. The American ships returned to port.

Porter even challenged Hillyar to a one-on-one duel between their ships. Hillyar refused. He had already proven himself in other battles and didn't need to take such a risk. He knew Phoebe was faster and more powerful at long range.

British reinforcements were on their way to the Pacific. Porter knew he had to escape before more powerful British ships arrived. Hillyar was warned that Porter would try to escape on March 23. He was ready.

The Final Fight

On March 27, Porter tried to trick Hillyar. He sent his purser (a ship's officer in charge of money and supplies) ashore. He wanted Hillyar to think he wasn't planning to leave. That night, Porter sent a boat out with blue lights and rockets. He hoped Hillyar would follow the lights, allowing Essex to escape at dawn. But Hillyar realized it was a trick. He moved his ships to a better position, ready for Porter's escape.

The next morning, March 28, 1814, Porter saw Phoebe and Cherub waiting. The wind picked up. At 2:45 pm, Porter lowered some of his ship's masts and yards. Soon after, one of Essex's anchor cables broke. Essex then tried to make a run for the open sea. Hillyar immediately chased after her.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind (a squall) hit Essex. Her main-topmast broke off. Two men were lost with the mast. With his mast broken, Porter knew he couldn't escape. He turned Essex and cut away the broken parts. He couldn't sail back into the port. He dropped anchor in a small bay, hidden from the nearest Chilean fort.

Essex flew three flags: "FREE TRADE AND SAILORS RIGHTS," "GOD OUR COUNTRY AND LIBERTY. TYRANTS OFFEND THEM," and the United States colors.

Hillyar believed Essex was now in international waters, outside the range of Chilean guns. At 4:10 pm, Hillyar signaled Cherub to get ready for battle. He sailed Phoebe to attack Essex from behind. The battle began at 4:20 pm. Phoebe fired at Essex's back and side. Cherub fired at Essex's front.

Essex's long 12-pounder guns fired back. They hit Cherub hard, forcing her to move closer to Phoebe. Porter tried to turn Essex to use his carronades, but the ropes were shot away. Even so, Essex's 32-pounder carronades were very effective when they hit Phoebe. Phoebe's first officer was badly wounded.

Hillyar had to move Phoebe farther away. This allowed him to use his long-range 18-pounder guns, which Essex's carronades couldn't reach. Essex had damaged Phoebe's sails and rigging. But once Phoebe was out of carronade range, Hillyar's crew quickly repaired their ship.

Hillyar attacked again, keeping his distance. Phoebe's long 18-pounders continued to hit Essex. Essex's carronades were useless at this range.

When the wind picked up, Porter cut his anchor cable. He tried to sail towards Phoebe to board her (get on her deck to fight hand-to-hand). But Hillyar quickly sailed away, avoiding the boarding attempt. Essex's rigging was shredded, making her hard to control. Phoebe kept firing, hitting Essex and her crew. Many of Essex's guns were broken. A small pile of gunpowder exploded near Essex's main hatch. The crew's spirits began to drop.

Porter wanted to run Essex ashore and blow her up. But the wind died down again, and there was no hope of reaching shore. Many crew members were too badly wounded to abandon ship. Still, about 60 or 70 Americans jumped into boats or swam to shore. Most were picked up by British boats. About 40 made it to land.

At 6:20 pm, Porter lowered his flags, meaning he surrendered. It took the British ten minutes to realize Essex had given up because of all the flags Porter had flying. A boat was sent to take control of the captured ship.

Porter was very upset by the defeat and the many casualties. He cried as he offered his sword to Hillyar. The next morning, he was calmer. He began to explain the battle to avoid being blamed for losing his ship.

The Essex Junior was not attacked during the battle. The British thought she was too weak to be a threat.

Battle Injuries and Damage

The British ship Phoebe had 4 sailors killed and 7 wounded. The Cherub had 1 killed and 3 wounded. The American ship Essex suffered much more. She had 58 sailors dead and 65 wounded.

Phoebe had some holes below the water line and damaged rigging. But Essex was hit over 200 times. Her back was smashed, she had a hole in her side, her steering wheel and rudder were damaged, all three masts were hurt, and 15 of her guns were broken. Her upper parts and rigging were also severely damaged.

What Happened Next

Memorial in Dissidents Cemetery in Valparaíso

After the battle, Captain David Porter wrote a report. He claimed the British had broken neutrality rules and acted unfairly. He said the loss of Essex was due to bad luck and that his ship had only short-range guns. He also claimed the United States had the right to get Essex back.

However, most of Porter's claims were not true. The British had not broken neutrality or acted unfairly. The main reasons for the loss were that Essex had only short-range guns and lost her top-mast. Porter could have avoided the battle by not returning to Valparaíso.

Captain Hillyar, on the other hand, praised Porter for fighting bravely until he had no other choice. Hillyar found that Essex had enough supplies for a six-month trip. He moved all the ships to Valparaíso. The American prisoners were transferred to a Spanish prison ship.

On April 2, 1814, Hillyar repaired the holes in Phoebe. On April 13, two more British frigates, Tagus and Nereus, arrived. On April 26, the prisoners were moved to Essex Junior and sent away.

News of Hillyar's victory reached London in August. The captured Essex served in the Royal Navy as HMS Essex until 1837. The Essex Junior was bought back by the United States for $25,000.

On her way back to the United States, carrying prisoners, Essex Junior met another British ship. Captain Porter escaped from Essex Junior by boat during this encounter. American coastal forts mistakenly fired on Essex Junior when she approached.

Porter was seen as a hero in the United States. He continued to claim that he had caused millions of dollars in damage to the British. However, only one of his captured ships ever reached the United States. Also, by 1814, Britain had many warships available because their war with Napoleon had ended. So, the four ships sent to Valparaíso were not a big loss for them. Still, Porter's journey was considered the most successful by any American frigate captain during the war.

There is a memorial for the American sailors who died in the battle at the Dissidents Cemetery in Valparaíso.