150 Naval War of 1812 



who have treated the conflict as if it were a victory 

 and not a defeat for the Endymion; and in the sec 

 ond place, because I regret to say that I do not 

 think that the facts bear out the assertions, on the 

 part of most American authors, that Commodore 

 Decatur "covered himself with glory" and showed 

 the "utmost heroism." As regards the first point, 

 Captain Hope himself, in his singularly short official 

 letter, does little beyond detail his own loss, and 

 makes no claim to having vanquished his opponent. 

 Almost all the talk about its being a "victory" comes 

 from James; and in recounting this, as well as all 

 the other battles, nearly every subsequent British 

 historian simply gives James's statements over 

 again, occasionally amplifying, but more often alter 

 ing or omitting, the vituperation. The point at issue 

 is simply this: could a frigate which, according to 

 James himself, went out of action with every sail 

 set, take another frigate which for two hours, ac 

 cording to the log of the Pomone, lay motionless 

 and unmanageable on the waters, without a sail? 

 To prove that it could not, of course, needs some 

 not over-scrupulous manipulation of the facts. The 

 intention with which James sets about his work can 

 be gathered from the triumphant conclusion he 

 comes to, that Decatur's name has been "sunk quite 

 as low as that of Bainbridge or Porter," which, com 

 paring small things to great, is somewhat like say- 



