United States Revenue Cutter Service - The War of 1812

The War of 1812

In wartime, the Revenue-Marine was placed under the command of the United States Navy, and the cutters themselves were often placed into military service. In the War of 1812 against Britain, a Revenue Cutter (USRC Jefferson) made the first American capture of an enemy ship, the brig Patriot, in June 1812.

On 3 August 1812, the boats of the British frigates Maidstone and Spartan captured the 6-gun revenue cutter Commodore Barry in the Little River, Bay of Fundy, together with three privateer schooners, Madison, Olive, and Spence (or Spruce).

Then on 22 August 1812, HMS Barbadoes, under the command of Captain Thomas Huskisson, captured the USRC James Madison after a chase of seven hours. James Madison was pierced for fourteen guns but had only ten mounted, two of which she threw overboard during the chase. She had a crew of 65 men. She was seven days out of Savannah and had made no captures. Huskisson described her thusly: " coppered and copper-fastened, is two years old, and sails remarkably fast."

The small Revenue Cutter Surveyor, with a crew of 16 and an armament of only six 12-pounder (5 kg) carronades, was anchored in the York River (Virginia), on the night of 12 June 1813, when a 90-man boarding party from the frigate HMS Narcissus attacked her. The attack came from such an angle that Surveyor could not use her carronades. However, the Revenue Service seamen, under the command of Captain William S. Travis, each armed with two muskets, held their fire until the British boats were upon them. After a fierce hand-to-hand fight that left five Americans wounded and three British dead and five wounded, the British succeeded in taking Surveyor. Later, Lieutenant Cririe first lieutenant of Narcissus and commander of the boats, returned Captain Travis's sword to him—an unusual gesture of respect—for his "gallant defense" of Surveyor.

On 11 October 1814, the Revenue Cutter Eagle encountered Narcissus, and the Cruizer-class brig-sloop Dispatch, which was guarding the Suzan, a captured American merchant ship. The British badly outgunned Eagle, which was pierced for 10 guns but only had two mounted. Captain Frederick Lee beached Eagle on Long Island to avoid being sunk. Not yet defeated, the Revenue Cutter seamen removed the guns from Eagle, hoisted them up a 160-foot bluff, dragged them into position, and continued firing at Dispatch. The British sent in boats to capture Eagle. When the Americans ran out of cannonballs, they still did not surrender, instead retrieving the cannonballs fired at them by Dispatch and shooting them back at the British. Even after being forced to use the ship's logbook for wadding, the crew of Eagle, together with local militiamen, fought on. Eventually, the British retrieved Eagle and took her away.