168 Naval War of 1812 



vring, and that it was a night action. The Americans 

 lost 3 men killed, 3 mortally, and 9 severely and 

 slightly, wounded. The corvette, out of her crew 

 of 1 80, had 12 men killed and 26 wounded, several 

 mortally; the sloop, out of 140, had 7 killed and 16 

 wounded. The Constitution had started on her 

 cruise very full-handed, with over 470 men, but sev 

 eral being absent on a prize, she went into battle 

 with about 45O. 62 The prizes had suffered a good 

 deal in their hulls and rigging, and had received 

 some severe wounds in their masts and principal 

 spars. The Cyane carried on her main deck twenty- 

 two 32-pound carronades, and on her spar deck 

 two long I2's and ten 1 8-pound carronades. The 

 Levant carried, all on one deck, eighteen 32-pound 

 carronades and two long 9's, together with a shift 

 ing i2-pounder. Thus, their broadside weight of 

 metal was 763 pounds, with a total of 320 men, of 

 whom 6 1 fell, against the Constitution's 704 pounds 

 and 450 men, of whom 1 5 were lost ; or, nominally, 

 the relative force was 100 to 91, and the relative loss 

 100 to 24. But the British guns were almost ex 

 clusively carronades, which, as already pointed out 

 in the case of the Essex and in the battle off Platts- 

 burg, are no match for long guns. Moreover, the 



68 410 officers and seamen, and 41 marines, by her muster- 

 roll of February 19. (The muster-rolls are preserved in the 

 Treasury Department at Washington.) 



