The British Raid on Essex: The Forgotten Battle of the War of 1812

Chapter Eight. The End Game

ChaPtEr Eight The End Game [A] field piece was moved from one of the first positions, and about sun-set placed on a point in Saybrook, higher up the river, so as to reach the schooner. — a gEntlEman from lymE AsLieutenantBull’sguncrewrushedtheirteamnorththeBritishweremaking preparations to resume their escape. When Coote had made his decision to stay where they were until darkness it had meant that when they did head for the mouth of the river they would not be in the schooner. Coote realized that trying to get a ship out of the river after dark was an unachievable ambition. As demonstrated by the grounding of the Young Anaconda, tacking back and forth in the narrow channel had proven extremely problematic, even in daylight . After dark it would be impossible. So as they had waited out the day, their plan was to get everyone back into the barges at sunset, torch the Eagle, and proceed downriveras they had come, in their small flotilla of ships’ boats. By the time Bull and his crew reached the river adjacent the enemy position the British were already moving men and equipment from the schooner to the boats and perpetrations were being made to set it afire. It would be their final act of destruction in what had already proven to be a very destructive day. The sun set at 6:22, and there would be no moon until 10:13. But not until nautical twilight, with the sun well below the horizon at 7:20 would the total blackness of the overcast night descend on the river. Coote was ready for it, timing his departure to have full darkness as they ran the gauntlet. As they were putting torches to the schooner and transferring into their boats for the final run down the river they were fired upon by musketry and at least one cannon from a stand of trees close abreast them. At 7 o’clock the Eagle was set on fire, and the Boats formed in regular order . . . here a brisk fire was opened from the Wood which had partially annoyed us during the day, but where they had prudently concealed their Cannon ’till darkness (which) rendered it impossible for us to get possession of them. Coote. 102 } The British Raid on Essex Three days later Parry recalled, “[As] soon as it was dark, and we were just on the point of leaving her, they commenced a heavy fire of field-pieces and musketry from the woods, close abreast us.” Lieutenant Bull and his team had gotten into position and unleashed their six pounder from the nearby shore at point-blank range. Glover who had been confined aboard the schooner had just gotten into the Maidstone’s barge when a three and a half-inch round shot ripped into the boat killing two marines right next to him. A seaman was hit in the head with a musket ball. Nearly twenty hours after it had all begun, the Americans had finally struck back with lethal force. Five and a half miles to the south, off the mouth of the river, HMS Maidstone reached the Borer and Sylph at 7 p.m. and anchored nearby. Her log recorded hearing the “report of muskets and great guns.” Every officer and seaman aboard the three British warships were now fully aware that Captain Coote’s battle to escape the river had begun. Royal Marines Thomas Smith and Joseph Griffin were dead; Seaman WilAmerican gun crew of the State Corps of Artillery with six-pound field piece. This is the type of weapon used by Lieutenant Bull and his crew who finally hit the British in the river. (Courtesy of Victor Mays.) The End Game { 103 liam Pyley was wounded. The iron and lead continued to fly as the American gun crew reloaded and fired again as rapidly as they could. The men who had been maintaining their harassment fire throughout the afternoon now joined in with everything they had. For the British, there were no more options . Coote ordered his men to pull away from the burning schooner as fast as possible and get out of range. Bull and his crew continued to reload and fire but it was getting dark and thus difficult to sponge the barrel, reload and keep pulling the improvised, red-hot brand from the coals to touch off the powder. After the fourth or fifth round someone got...