On the Ocean 153 



tion). But the case of the Guerriere differed widely. 

 There the American ship made the attack, while the 

 British at first avoided close combat; and, so far 

 from trying to cripple her adversary by a distant 

 cannonade, the Constitution hardly fired a dozen 

 times until within pistol shot. This last point is 

 worth mentioning, because in a work on "Heavy 

 Ordnance," by Captain T. F. Simmons, R.A. (Lon 

 don, 1837), it is stated that the Guerriere received 

 her injuries before the closing, mentioning especially 

 the "thirty shot below the water-line"; whereas, by 

 the official accounts of both commanders, the re 

 verse was the case. Captain Hull, in his letter, and 

 Lieutenant Morris (in his autobiography) say they 

 only fired a few guns before closing; and Captain 

 Dacres, in his letter, and Captain Brenton, in his 

 "History," say that not much injury was received 

 by the Guerriere until about the time the mizzen- 

 mast fell, which was three or four minutes after 

 close action began. 



Lieutenant Allen was put aboard the Macedonian 

 as prize-master; he secured the fore and mainmasts 

 and rigged a jury mizzenmast, converting the vessel 

 into a bark. Commodore Decatur discontinued his 

 cruise to convoy his prize back to America; they 

 reached New London Dec. 4th. Had it not been for 

 the necessity of convoying the Macedonian, the 

 States would have continued her cruise, for the dam 

 age she suffered was of the most trifling character. 



Captain Garden stated (in Marshall's "Naval 

 Biography") that the States measured 1,670 tons, 



