Sloop Belt & Frgate President Those Killed And Wounded.



Sloop Belt & Frgate President in battle.



On May 16, 1811, the Belt was cruising of the coast of America, Cape Charles. The Belt saw a strange sail and started for it, at 2:30, they saw it was a frgate, the belt give a signal but got no answer. The officers concluded it was the frgate United States. The Belt give another singnal again no answer, and the frgate United States was now at full sail trying to stay ahead of the belt. Captain Bingham wanted to reach her befor dark and give chase. In the mean time he ready the guns. At about ten to 8 o'clock the Belt came along side of his chase, they were within pistol shot of each other. Captain Bingham called out “ What ship is this”, he got a amswer but couldn't make out was said, he called out again and the answer was a shot in her broadside. Captain Bingham give the order to fire. The battle only lasted fifthteen minutes. After the firing stopped a boat was take from the frgate to the Belt is was only then that Captain Bingham found that it was the Frgate President, under the command of Rodgers.

This of course this is a short of what happen as Captain Bingham told it at the British inquiry.  But there is always two sides of the story.  On August 30, 1811, a court of inquiry was held on the President in the harbar of New York.  In the inquiry the statement were the same as those of Captain Bingham but in reverse.  In the testimonies given they all said they saw a sail behind them but don't know what ship it was and being in full sail kept going.  Then around 7 o'clock they were in hard winds and lowered sail.  Then around 7 o'clock they saw the Belt coming down on them fast Rodgers gave the order to hold.  In the mean time he had his gunns at the ready.  When the Belt came along side Rodgers called out "What ship is this", the answer was hard to hear and not all was made out, so he called out again.  This time the answer was a shot in his broadside, Rodgers give the order to fire.  After about fifthteen minutes the firing stop.  Rodgers took a boat over to the Belt and it was then he found out what ship it was.  Rodgers asked if her colors had been down Bingham said no.

Of couse there's no real way to tell who was right or wrong but both sides took the saide of thier  commanders.  I read a lot of the official reports and I take neither side in some ways they both were in the wrong.  I looked at some site on the Belt and there is talk about her rating was she a ship or a sloop a sloop being a man-of-war.  I don't know about her rating but in the reports of both sides she was called a sloop.  The Belt carried 20 gunns but in fact she was to hold 24, she lost four gunns because the way the hammocks had to be hung.
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Sloop Belt's wounded and died.

Killed.

1. Mr. Samuel Woodward---Midshipman.
2. Charles Bennett---Captain, Foretop.
3. Jacob Greavey---Carpenter crew.
4. William Sheppard---Gunner's mate.
5. George Wilson---Able seaman.
6. James Grey---Ordinary seaman.
7. Robert Hardwood---Ordinary seaman
8. John Pardoe---Private marine.

Dangerously wounded.

9. Daniel Kilham---Lieutenant marine, died ten hours after action.
10. Robert Coody---Ordinary seaman, died twenty hours after action.
11. John Randall---Able seaman, died twenty hours after action.
12. Nicholas Manager---Gunner's crew, died twenty hours after action.

Severely wounded.

13. Mr. J. McQueen---Acting master.
14. James Dunn---Captain Maintop.
15. James Lawrence---Able seaman.
16. John Richards---Able seaman.
17. Thomas Ives---Able seaman.
18. Michael Skinners---Lieutenant marines.
19. William Fern---Boy.
20. David Dowd---Marine.
21. William Harold---Marine.

Slighty wounded.

22. Mr. James Franklin---Boatwain.
23. Mr. Benjamin Angel---Carpenter.
24. Peter Mccashell---Ordinary seaman.
25. William Western---Boy.
26. Edward Graham---Able seaman.
27. George Delany---Able seaman.
28. George Roberts---Boy.
29. George Shoard---Marine.
30. Daniel Long---Marine.

This author could not find a list of those killed or wounded on the Frgate President, if there was any, but I do have a list of some of the men that were on the President at the time of the action.

1. Charles Ludlow---Acting captain with rank of master commander.

2. John Orde Creighton---First Lieutenant.

3. Henry Caldwell---Captain, commandant of marines.

4. Raymond Henry Perry---Junior Lieutenant and signal officer.

5. Andrew L. B. Madison---Lieutenant of marines.

6. Jacob Mull---Sailing master.

7. Joseph Smith---Midshipman and acting master mate.

8. Henry Denison---Acting chaplain.

9. Michael Roberts---Boatswain.

10. Richard Carson--Midshipman.

11. Matthew C. Perry---Midshipman.

12. Silas Duncan---Midshipman.

13. John H. Clack---Midshipman.

14. Thomas Gamble---Second Lieutenant.

15. Alexander James Dallas---Third Lieutenant.

16. John M. Funk---Fourth Lieutenant.

17. Peter Gamble---Midshipman.

18. Edward Babbit---Midshipman, quartered gun deck.

19. Philp Dickerson Spencer---Midshipman quartered in third division gun deck.

20. Breasted Barns---Carpenter quartered gun deck.

21. John Niess---Captain, first gunn First division gun deck.

22. Eliphalet Carr, Captain, gun No. 2, First division gun deck.

23. John Jones---Gunn No. 3, First division gun deck and Sail-trimmer.

24. James Veitch---Gun No. 4, First division gun deck.

25. Trophemus Davis---Gun No. 5, First division gun deck.

26. John Layfield---Gun No. 6, Second division gun deck.

27. Benjamin Brown---Gun No. 7, Second division gun deck.

28. Edward Fitzgerald---Captain gun No. 8, Second division gun deck.

29. James Cornwell---Captain gun No. 9, Second division gun deck.

30. John Fitch---Captain gun No. 10, Second division gun deck.

31. Richard Thompson---Gun No. 11, Third division gun deck.

32. John Mason---Captain gun No. 12, Third division gun deck.

33. David Lawson---gun No. 14, Third division gun deck.

34. James Lee---gun No. 15, Third division gun deck.

35. James Thompson---gun No. 13, Third division gun deck.

36. Edward Walker---gun No. 1, Fourth division forecastle.

37. Moses Dunbar---Captain gun No. 2, Fourth division forecastle.

38. George Simomons---Second captain gun No. 3, Fourth division forecastle.

39. John McCormick---Second captain gun No. 4, Fourth division forecastle.

40. William Campbell---Captain gun No. 1, quarter deck.

41. Thompson Taylor---Captain gun No. 2, quarter deck.

42. Philip Warner---Captain gun No. 3, quarter deck.

43. Samuel Brown---Captain gun No. 4, quarter deck.

44. Richard Caffol---Second captain gun No. 5, quarter deck.

45. Edward Peterson---Captain gun No. 6, quarter deck.

46. John Anderson---Captain gun No. 7, quarter deck.

47. James Welch---Captain gun No. 8, quarter deck.

48. Silas H. Stringham---Midshipman.

49. James H. Ludlow---Midshipman.

50. David Gelston Ingraham---Midshipman.