14 Naval War of 1812 



The British ships now began a blockade of the 

 port. On Feb. 27th, the Phoebe being hove to 

 close off the port, and the Cherub a league to lee 

 ward, the former fired a weather gun; the Essex 

 interpreting this as a challenge, took the crew of 

 the Essex Junior aboard and went out to attack the 

 British frigate. But the latter did not await the 

 combat ; she bore up, set her studding-sails, and ran 

 down to the Cherub. The American officers were 

 intensely irritated over this, and American writers 

 have sneered much at "a British 36 refusing combat 

 with an American 32." But the armaments of 

 the two frigates were so wholly dissimilar that it 

 is hard to make comparison. When the fight really 

 took place, the Essex was so crippled and the water 

 so smooth that the British ships fought at their own 

 distance; and as they had long guns to oppose to 

 Porter's carronades, this really made the Cherub 

 more nearly suited to contend with the Essex than 

 the latter was. to fight the Phoebe. But when the 

 Essex in fairly heavy weather, with the crew of 

 the Essex Junior aboard, was to windward, the 

 circumstances were very different; she carried as 

 many men and guns as the Phoebe, and in close 

 combat, or in a hand-to-hand struggle, could prob 

 ably have taken her. Still, Hilyar's conduct in 

 avoiding Captain Porter except when the Cherub 

 was in company was certainly over-cautious, and 



