Date 9 February 1799 | Result American victory | |
 | ||
2 killed
2 wounded 1 frigate captured
29 killed
41 wounded Location Nevis, Saint Kitts and Nevis Similar Quasi‑War, USS Constellation vs La Ven, Action of 1 January 1800, USS Boston vs Berceau, USS Enterprise vs Flamb | ||
USS Constellation vs L'Insurgente, or the Action of 9 February 1799, was a single-ship action fought between frigates of the French Navy and the United States Navy during the Quasi-War, an undeclared war that lasted from 1798 to 1800. The battle resulted in the USS Constellation's capture of L'Insurgente.
Contents
French privateering attacks against American vessels, begun a year prior, caused the conflict between the United States and France. An American squadron under Commodore Thomas Truxtun had been sent to patrol the Caribbean waters between Puerto Rico and Saint Kitts with orders to engage any French forces they found in the area. While Truxtun was sailing independently of his squadron in Constellation, his flagship, he met and engaged L'Insurgente. After chasing the French ship through a storm, Constellation forced L'Insurgente into an engagement that lasted an hour and fourteen minutes before the French frigate surrendered. The French sustained heavy casualties in the action, while the numbers of American dead and wounded were low.
After the action, L'Insurgente was taken to Saint Kitts and commissioned into the United States Navy as USS Insurgent. With this and later victories, American morale soared, and Truxtun returned home to honor and praise from the American government and the public at large.
Background
In 1798, an undeclared war between the United States and France began due to French privateering attacks against American vessels. These attacks were sanctioned due to the failure of the United States to repay its considerable debts to France, incurred during the American War of Independence. In response to the attacks, the United States government decided to go on the offensive by sending four naval squadrons to the Caribbean with orders to seize armed French vessels and prevent privateers from attacking American ships. One of the squadrons, under the command of Commodore Thomas Truxtun, was dispatched to cruise between Puerto Rico and Saint Kitts. Truxtun's squadron consisted of his flagship, the frigate USS Constellation, the 20-gun Baltimore, the brigs Richmond and Norfolk, and the revenue cutter Virginia. Opposing Truxtun were several French vessels based in Guadeloupe, among them a number of privateers as well as two French naval frigates and a smaller, 20-gun corvette. One of the French frigates, the L'Insurgente, sortied from Guadeloupe on 8 February, commanded by Michel-Pierre Barreaut.
The 1,265-ton Constellation was officially classified by the United States Navy as a 36-gun frigate. However during the Quasi-War she carried 38 guns, with twenty-eight 24-pounders on her main deck and ten 12-pounders on her spar deck. Constellation's main armament had a combined throwing weight of 396 pounds (180 kg). The 950-ton L'Insurgente, rated a 32-gun Sémillante-class frigate, was carrying 40 guns, with twenty-four 12-pounders, two 18-pounders, eight 6-pounders, four 32-pounder carronades, and two 24-pounder carronades. L'Insurgente had a combined throwing weight of 282 pounds (128 kg). Thus, although Barreaut's vessel was carrying two more guns, Truxtun's frigate had a heavier weight of shot. The French frigate's crew of 409 men outnumbered the American ship's crew of 309, giving the Frenchmen the advantage if the battle came to a boarding action, but in a gunnery duel the Americans held an edge.
Battle
At noon on 9 February, while cruising independently, Truxtun's men sighted a frigate off the coast of Nevis. Upon approach it was evident that the vessel was flying American colors, and Constellation attempted to move closer to investigate. The frigate was the French L'Insurgente under Michel-Pierre Barreaut. Approaching L'Insurgente, Truxtun signaled her to discern her nationality, first displaying British signals followed by the American signals. L'Insurgente replaced the American colors with the French and fired a gun, the purpose of which was unclear. Truxtun claimed L'Insurgente's shot was fired to windward to signal a fight, while Barreaut claimed he ordered the shot fired to leeward to signal that he wished to communicate. Regardless, Barreaut mistook the Constellation for a British warship and fled toward the Dutch islands of Saba and Sint Eustatius to escape, while Truxtun gave chase. By 1:30 p.m. both ships had sailed into a gale. In the storm L'Insurgente was damaged and lost her main topmast. Constellation came through unscathed and continued to close on Barreaut.
As the two ships closed Truxtun's ship held the weather gauge, the position upwind from his opponent which allowed him to close or break off. However the heavy winds caused Constellation to heel so much that her leeward gunports had to remain closed. Truxtun decided to cede the weather gauge to the French by sailing past L'Insurgente's to reach her leeward side. From there Constellation could bring more of her guns to bear. With Constellation approaching his frigate fast, Barreaut tried to communicate with the Americans. The American frigate ignored the French hail, closing to within fifty yards of L'Insurgente before opening up with a broadside. Loaded with double shot, the opening American salvo struck the French frigate's quarterdeck. Barreaut's vessel replied with her own broadside that damaged Constellation's fore topmast. Midshipman David Porter, stationed in the rigging of Constellation's damaged mast, managed to relieve pressure from it and prevented its collapse. L'Insurgente attempted to close on the American frigate to board her, but Constellation held the weather gage and had less damage to her rigging, enabling her to avoid Barreaut's attempt to draw alongside.
Constellation sailed ahead of L'Insurgente and crossed her bow, raking her with a broadside as she moved past. Constellation sailed over to gain L'Insurgente's starboard side, and the two ships settled in to exchanging broadsides. The French frigate was hulled multiple times, disabling the French vessel's 18-pounder guns while Constellation suffered damage to her rigging. Constellation again sailed ahead of L'Insurgente, reversing course to cross her bow and rake her a second time. Attempts by Barreaut's crew to repair L'Insurgente's rigging were fruitless. Once more Constellation maneuvered to reach L'Insurgente's leeward side. As Constellation crossed the frigate's bow again to rake her a third time, the French ship struck, having sustained too much damage. The engagement had lasted 74 minutes.
Aftermath
The end of the action signaled the first victory over an enemy warship for the newly formed United States Navy. After Barreaut had struck his colors, Truxtun sent a boat over to board, identify, and take possession of the French vessel. It was only upon boarding L'Insurgente that the Americans learned the identity of their opponents. The storm and the battle had caused immense damage to the French frigate. In comparison, Constellation had suffered moderate damage to her rigging, but was otherwise still intact. French casualties included 29 killed and 41 wounded, while the Americans suffered two dead and two wounded. One American died shortly after the action ended, of wounds received from French fire; another was executed for cowardice by Constellation's Lieutenant Andrew Sterett after the man deserted his gun at the start of the action.
Constellation began taking on prisoners of war from L'Insurgente, but by nightfall the two ships had become separated in a storm. Left aboard L'Insurgente were Constellation's First Lieutenant John Rodgers, Midshipman David Porter, and 11 enlisted men, along with 170 French prisoners. The Americans were forced to sail the vessel short-handed while guarding the French prisoners. As the prisoners outnumbered their captors and no gear to secure them could be found aboard, the Frenchmen were driven into L'Insurgente's lower holds. Finally, after three nights, L'Insurgente was brought in to Saint Kitts where Constellation was waiting for her. While at the American naval depot at Saint Kitts, Constellation's troublesome 24-pounder guns were removed and replaced with 18-pounder cannons. At the American prize court in Norfolk, Virginia, L'Insurgente was condemned to be sold as a war prize, with the proceeds distributed to the crew of Constellation. Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert managed to negotiate the prize award down from $120,000 to $84,000 before purchasing L'Insurgente and commissioning her in the United States Navy as the USS Insurgent.
For his victory over L'Insurgente, Truxtun received honors both at home and abroad. When accounts of the action reached London, Truxtun was fêted by the merchants there who sent him a piece of silver plate to commemorate his victory. In the United States, morale soared upon hearing of the first American victory over the French. Truxtun was cited by Stoddert for his excellent conduct during the action, and songs and poems such as Brave Yankee Boys were later written about the event. In contrast, when Barreaut returned to France he was accused of failing to put up sufficient resistance in the engagement and was given a court-martial. Despite the accusations, he had been praised by Truxtun after the action for his bravery and was acquitted during the court-martial. The French were infuriated upon hearing the results of the action because the two countries were not officially at war; Governor Edme Étienne Borne Desfourneaux of Guadeloupe demanded that Insurgent be returned to French control. Upon learning of the American refusal to repatriate Insurgent, Desfourneaux was outraged and ordered all American vessels and property to be seized, while also declaring that a state of war existed between the United States and Guadeloupe. After continuing their cruise for a few weeks, both Insurgent and Constellation were forced to return to Norfolk by the end of March due to the expiration of the terms of enlistment of their crews. On her next cruise Constellation prevailed in another action against La Vengeance, although her own casualties were heavy this time, and that French frigate escaped L'Insurgente's fate.