James Lawrence
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James Lawrence (October 1, 1781 – June 4, 1813) was an American naval hero. During the War of 1812, he commanded the USS Chesapeake in a single-ship action against the HMS Shannon (commanded by Philip Broke). He is probably best known today for his dying command "Don't give up the ship!", which is still a popular naval battle cry.
Lawrence was born in Burlington, New Jersey, the son of John and Martha (Tallman) Lawrence. His mother died when he was an infant and his Loyalist father fled to Canada during the American Revolution, leaving his half-sister to care for him. Though he studied law, he entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1798.
During the Quasi-War with France, he served in the ship USS Ganges and frigate USS Adams in the Caribbean. He was commissioned a lieutenant on April 6, 1802 and served aboard USS Enterprise in the Mediterranean, taking part in a successful attack on enemy craft on 2 June 1803.
In February 1804, he was second in command during the expedition to destroy the captured frigate USS Philadelphia. Later in the conflict he commanded Enterprise and a gunboat in battles with the Tripolitans. He was also First Lieutenant of the frigate Adams and, in 1805, commanded the small Gunboat Number 6 during a voyage across the Atlantic to Italy.
Subsequently, Lieutenant Lawrence commanded the warships USS Vixen, USS Wasp and USS Argus. In 1810, he also took part in trials of an experimental spar torpedo. Promoted to the rank of Master Commandant in November 1810, he took command of the sloop of war USS Hornet a year later and sailed her to Europe on a diplomatic mission. From the beginning of the War of 1812, Lawrence and Hornet cruised actively, capturing the privateer Dolphin in July 1812. Later in the year Hornet blockaded the British sloop HMS Bonne Citoyenne at Bahia, Brazil, and on 24 February 1813 captured HMS Peacock.
Upon his return to the United States in March, Lawrence learned of his promotion to Captain. Two months later he took command of the frigate USS Chesapeake, then preparing for sea at Boston, Massachusetts. She left port on 1 June 1813 and immediately engaged the blockading Royal Navy frigate HMS Shannon in a fierce battle. Although slightly smaller, accurate gunfire from the British ship disabled Chesapeake within a first few minutes. Captain Lawrence, mortally wounded by small arms fire, ordered "Don't give up the ship" as he was carried below. However, his crew was overwhelmed by a British boarding party shortly afterwards. James Lawrence died of his wounds on 4 June 1813, while Chesapeake was being taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, by her captors.
He was buried with military honors in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but reinterred at Trinity Church in New York City. He left behind a wife and daughter.
Legacy
Several places are named for Captain Lawrence, notably Lawrence County, Missouri, Lawrence County, Ohio, Lawrence County, Kentucky, Lawrence County, Alabama, Lawrence County, Tennessee and Lawrenceville, Georgia; both Lawrence Township, New Jersey and its Lawrenceville neighborhood are named for Lawrence, and there is a Captain James Lawrence Elementary School in his birthplace of Burlington, New Jersey.In addition, the U.S. Navy has named five ships USS Lawrence.
- The first USS Lawrence was a brig which acted as Commodore Oliver Perry's flagship during the Battle of Lake Erie until she was destroyed in that action.
- The second USS Lawrence was also a brig, serving from 1843-1846.
- The third USS Lawrence (DD-8) was a 400-ton destroyer, commissioned in 1903 and serving until 1920.
- The fourth USS Lawrence (DD-250) was a Clemson-class destroyer, serving from 1921 to 1945
- The fifth USS Lawrence (DDG-4) was a Charles F. Adams-class destroyer. Commissioned in 1962, she served until 1994.
References
- Albert Gleaves. James Lawrence, Captain, United States Navy, Commander of the 'Chesapeake'. 1904.
- Peter Padfield. Broke and the Shannon. 1968.
- H.F. Pullen. The Shannon and the Chesapeake. 1970.
External links
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