Defense of the cutter Eagle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Defense of the cutter Eagle
Part of the War of 1812
Defense of the Cutter Eagle, a painting by the Works Progress Administration
Date October 10–13, 1814 Location Long Island, United States 40°58′39″N 72°35′46″W / 40.97750°N 72.59611°W / 40.97750; -72.59611 Result British victory
Belligerents
United States	United Kingdom
Commanders and leaders
Frederick Lee John Davis	Royal Navy J.R. Lumley
Units involved
United States Revenue Marine USRC Eagle Connecticut State Militia Detached troops Irregular forces Villagers of Wading River Long Island Sea Fencibles (unconfirmed)	Royal Navy HMS Narcissus HMS Dispatch Liverpool Packet
Casualties and losses
1 injured USRC Eagle captured	1 injured
1 cow

The defense of the cutter Eagle was a brave fight during the War of 1812. It happened near Long Island from October 10 to 13, 1814. The battle was between the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and the American Revenue Marine.

The American ship, USRC Eagle, got stuck on the beach early in the fight. Even though their ship was stranded, the crew kept fighting. They used cannons they saved from the Eagle to shoot at the British ships from the shore.

The Eagle's crew managed to fix their ship and get it back into the water. But they could not make the British ships leave. The Eagle was beached again. After three days of fighting and running out of ammunition, the crew could not stop the Royal Navy from taking their ship. The British then sailed the Eagle past the shore to celebrate their win.

No one died in this battle on either side. However, a cow grazing nearby was hit by a British cannonball and died. The USRC Eagle and two British ships, HMS Narcissus and HMS Dispatch, are famous in the song "Semper Paratus". This is the official march of the U.S. Coast Guard, which is the modern version of the Revenue Marine.

What Was the Defense of the Cutter Eagle?

This battle was a four-day fight during the War of 1812. It showed the courage of a small American crew against the powerful British Royal Navy. The American ship, USRC Eagle, was a cutter. This is a type of small, fast ship.

Why Did This Battle Happen?

The War of 1812 was a conflict between the United States and Great Britain. At the start of the war, the U.S. Navy was very small. The Revenue Marine also had ships. Their main job was to collect taxes, but they also helped defend the country.

The Revenue Marine ships often did not have enough supplies. The government department they reported to thought fighting the war was not their main job. They believed the Navy should pay for any extra war supplies.

In 1813, the British closed New York Harbor and Long Island Sound. They used a blockade to stop almost all ships from leaving. This made it very hard for American ships to travel. By 1814, American ports were mostly empty. The U.S. was cut off from the rest of the world.

The Eagle and Her Crew

The American cutter Eagle was a schooner. It weighed 130 tons and had six cannons. Normally, 25 sailors were on board. The Eagle's home port was New Haven, Connecticut. Captain Frederick Lee was her commander.

The Battle Begins

On October 9, 1814, an American ship called Susan left New York. It was going to New Haven, Connecticut. The Susan stayed close to the coast to avoid the British blockade. The next morning, another ship came near. It raised British flags and told the Susan to surrender. The Susan gave up right away.

This British ship was the Liverpool Packet. It was a privateer, which is a private ship allowed to attack enemy ships. It was working with a larger British warship, HMS Pomone. Another ship saw the Susan being captured. It quickly sailed to shore to warn everyone.

Chase and Beaching

When Captain Lee heard about the Susan, he ordered the Eagle to go to sea. He wanted to find and rescue the American ship. Several volunteers from the Connecticut State Militia joined the Eagle's crew. Captain John Davis was their senior officer.

Five hours passed, and it was getting dark when the Eagle left New Haven. The next morning, the Eagle found itself too close to a British ship. This was HMS Dispatch, an 18-gun brig. The Dispatch launched smaller boats, trying to board the Eagle.

The Eagle fired at the British boats and tried to get away. But the wind was not strong enough for the Eagle to outrun the larger British ships.

Fighting from Shore

Around 8:15 a.m., Captain Lee steered the Eagle toward Negro Head on Long Island. He intentionally ran the ship onto the beach. His plan was to get the Eagle into water so shallow that the larger Dispatch could not follow.

However, the Dispatch and its boats kept coming. At 9:00 a.m., the British ship stopped and began firing at the stranded American cutter. To protect the ship, Lee ordered his crew to take the Eagle's cannons off the ship. They pulled the cannons to the top of a nearby cliff. From there, they started firing back at the Dispatch. They hoped to make the British ship leave.

Civilian volunteers from Wading River, New York joined the Eagle's crew in the fight.

A Brave Stand

For the next day, HMS Dispatch and the Eagles crew kept shooting at each other. One story says that when the Eagles crew ran out of cannonballs, they picked up the British cannonballs that had landed near them and fired them back!

Another report from the New York Evening Post said:

When the crew of the cutter had used all their large shot and ammunition, they tore up the log book to make cartridges and returned the enemy's small shot which lodged in the hull.

This shows how determined and resourceful the American crew was.

The Final Day

On October 12, the Dispatch left the battle to find more ships. Meanwhile, the Connecticut State Militia soldiers ran out of gunpowder for their muskets. They decided they could not help anymore and left to find a ship back to Connecticut.

This break in the fighting gave Captain Lee a chance to fix the damaged Eagle and get her back into the water. But as soon as the ship was floating, it met the Dispatch again. This time, the Dispatch had returned with the Liverpool Packet and a 32-gun frigate, HMS Narcissus.

Again, the Eagle retreated and was beached. Her crew moved to the shore. They fired muskets at British boats trying to attach ropes to the Eagle. By noon on October 13, the Royal Navy had managed to pull the Eagle away. They sailed past Negro Head to celebrate their victory. This was to show they had won against the brave defenders of the Eagle.

Ships in the Battle

American Ships

British Ships

What Happened After the Battle?

Only two people were injured in the battle, one on each side. No one died. Sadly, a calf (young cow) grazing nearby was hit by a 32-pound (15 kg) cannonball from HMS Dispatch and died.

Even though the United States lost the ship, Captain Frederick Lee and the Eagle's crew were praised in American newspapers. They were seen as heroes for their brave fight.

Lee returned to military service as the captain of a new cutter, also named Eagle. After he retired, he was elected to the Connecticut General Assembly, which is like a state parliament.

The Eagle's Legacy

Honoring the Eagle

A mural at Hamilton Hall (pictured) at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy shows the defense of the cutter Eagle.

The "Defense of the Cutter Eagle" is shown in a large painting. This painting is part of a mural at Hamilton Hall. Hamilton Hall is at the United States Coast Guard Academy. The mural shows battles fought by the Revenue Marine and the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard ordered two paintings of this battle. Neither painting is completely accurate. For example, the mural shows the land around Negro Head in a way that is not real. The other painting does not show the Connecticut soldiers who helped fight.

The Eagle Today

The U.S. Coast Guard flagship USCGC Eagle keeps the Eagle name alive on the Coast Guard register.

In 2014, people celebrated 200 years since the War of 1812. The Hallockville Museum Farm in Riverhead, New York, held a reenactment of the battle.

Today, there is a ship called USCGC Eagle. It is a large sailing ship called a barque. This ship keeps the name Eagle alive in the Coast Guard. It was once a German ship named Horst Wessel.

A Song of Heroes

Three of the ships from this battle are mentioned in the Coast Guard's march, "Semper Paratus". These are the Eagle, Narcissus, and Dispatch. They are among six famous ships celebrated in the song's second verse:

Surveyor and Narcissus,
The Eagle and Dispatch,
The Hudson and the Tampa,
These names are hard to match;
From Barrow's shores to Paraguay,
Great Lakes or Ocean's wave,
The Coast Guard fights through storms and winds
To punish or to save.