278 Naval War of 1812 



was by making the mast act as a rudder, first to 

 keep the ship off the wind until it was dead aft and 

 then to bring her up into it. If this was the case, it 

 deadened her speed, and prevented Dacres from 

 keeping his ship yardarm and yardarm with the foe, 

 though he tried to steady his course with the helm ; 

 but, in this view, it rather delayed Hull's raking than 

 helped him. If Professor Soley's account is right, 

 I hardly know what to make of the statement in one 

 of the American accounts that the Constitution 

 "luffed across the enemy's bow," and of Cooper's 

 statement (in "Putnam's Magazine") that the Guer- 

 riere's bowsprit pressed against the Constitution's 

 "lee or port quarter." 



In the action of the Wasp with the Frolic, I have 

 adopted James' statement of the latter's force ; Pro- 

 fessor Soley follows Captain Jones' letter, which 

 gives the brig three additional guns and 18 pounds 

 more metal in broadside. My reason for following 

 James was that his account of the Frolic's force 

 agrees with the regular armament of her class. Cap- 

 tain Jones give her two carronades on the topgallant 

 forecastle, which must certainly be a mistake; he 

 makes her chase-guns long i2's, but all the other 

 British brigs carried 6's; he also gives her another 

 gun in broadside, which he calls a 12-pounder, and 

 Lieutenant Biddle (in a letter to his father), a 32- 

 pound carronade. His last gun should perhaps be 



