264 Naval War of 1812 



as she was unfit to cruise, she was made a guardship 

 at Charlestown; for the same reason the Boxer was 

 not purchased into the service. 



On October 4th some volunteers from the New- 

 port flotilla captured, by boarding, the British priva- 

 teer Dart, after a short struggle, in which two of 

 the assailants were wounded and several of the 

 privateersmen, including the first officer, were killed. 



On December 4th, Commodore Rodgers, still in 

 command of the President, sailed again from Provi- 

 dence, Rhode Island. On the 25th, in lat. 19 N. 

 and long. 35 W., the President, during the night, 

 fell in with two frigates, and came so close that the 

 headmost fired at her, when she made off. These 

 were thought to be British, but were in reality the 

 two French 4O-gun frigates Nymphe and Meduse, 

 one month out of Brest. After this little encounter 

 Rodgers headed toward the Barbadoes, and cruised 

 to windward of them. 



On the whole the ocean warfare of 1813 was de- 

 cidedly in favor of the British, except during the 

 first few months. The Hornet's fight with the 

 Peacock was an action similar to those that took 

 place in 1812, and the cruise of Porter was unique 

 in our annals, both for the audacity with which it 

 was planned, and the success with which it was 

 executed. Even later in the year the Argus and the 

 President made bold cruises in sight of the British 

 coasts, the former working great havoc among the 

 merchantmen. But by that time the tide had 



60 Letter of Mr. Joseph Nicholson, Oct. 5, 1813. 



