4 Naval War of 1812 



bars, the hulls were coated with ice, and many, both 

 of men and officers, were frost-bitten and crippled. 

 But no stress of weather could long keep the stub 

 born and hardy British from their posts. With 

 ceaseless vigilance they traversed continually the al 

 lotted cruising grounds, capturing the privateers, 

 harrying the coasters, and keeping the more power 

 ful ships confined to port; "no American frigate 

 could proceed singly to sea without imminent risk 

 of being crushed by the superior force of the nu 

 merous British squadrons." 1 But the sloops of 

 war, commanded by officers as skilful as they were 

 daring, and manned by as hardy seamen as ever 

 sailed salt water, could often slip out; generally on 

 some dark night, when a heavy gale was blowing, 

 they would make the attempt under storm canvas, 

 and with almost invariable success. The harder the 

 weather, the better was their chance; once clear 

 of the coast the greatest danger ceased, though 

 throughout the cruise the most untiring vigilance 

 was needed. The new sloops that I have mentioned 

 as being built proved themselves the best possible 

 vessels for this kind of work ; they were fast enough 

 to escape from most cruisers of superior force, and 

 were overmatches for any British flush-decked ship, 

 that is, for anything below the rank of the frigate- 

 built corvettes of the Cyane's class. The danger 



1 Captain Broke's letter of challenge to Captain Lawrence. 



