Battle of Fayal
Battle of Fayal | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Part of the War of 1812 | |||||||
General Armstrong fighting British forces off Fayal | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States | United Kingdom | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Samuel Chester Reid |
Robert Loyd William Matterface † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Land: 3 90 men |
1 Royal Marine infantry | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
2 killed 7 wounded 1 brig scuttled Total: 9 |
36 killed 93 wounded 2 armed boats sunk 2 armed boats captured 1 brig-sloop damaged Total: 129 |
The Battle of Fayal[1] was a naval engagement between the United States and the United Kingdom fought in September 1814 during the War of 1812 in the Portuguese city of Horta, Faial,[a] in the Azores. Three British warships and several boats filled with sailors and marines under assignment for the Louisiana Campaign attacked an American privateer in port. After repulsing two attacks from British troops and sailors, killing one of their commanders, the Americans won a tactical victory and scuttled their ship the following morning to prevent its capture.[2][3]
The battle took place within the Portuguese Empire, a non-belligerent trading partner of the United States during the war. British forces attempted to make a landing after being repulsed by American forces, but the Portuguese governor and American consul resident on Faial prevented this from happening and the Royal Navy ultimately sailed away to continue its assignment against New Orleans.[4]
Background
The
Battle
According to British reports, Lieutenant Faussett was unable to stop his boat in the rough tides and it drifted too close to General Armstrong. The Americans then opened fire with their 9-pound long guns and hit the pinnace. Two men were killed and seven others wounded before the pinnace could retire out of range.[7] Carnation immediately moved in and anchored in front of the American ship to begin negotiations. When discussions failed—and since General Armstrong had fired the first shot in a neutral port—Carnation cut her cable and lowered four boats filled with heavily armed men towards General Armstrong, while Captain Reid maneuvered the ship closer to shore. The first attack occurred at around 8:00 pm. When the Americans observed the incoming boats they maneuvered again to receive them. In the following skirmish, Carnation was kept out of range by enemy fire and the boats were repulsed with a loss estimated by Reid at twenty dead and twenty wounded. One American was killed and another wounded.[8][9]
At about 9:00 pm, twelve boats armed with
In correspondence contained in the Senate Document 29th Congress, 1st session, No. 14,[12] Elias Jose Ribeiro, Governor of Fayal, described the bloodshed in a letter to the United States Ambassador to the Portuguese Court, Thomas Sumter:
The loss of the British was most extraordinary; their consul told me that he knew the list of the killed and wounded to amount to one hundred and sixteen, and it is supposed to have been much greater, for I myself saw three of the twelve boats without one person in them, and as they retreated I saw that one had only two on board, another only five, others only seven or eight. Of the killed were four officers; of the wounded few survived, as they were all wounded dangerously. I only wondered that any escaped to tell the story; for no attack could have been conducted in worse order. [13]
Altogether 36 sailors of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines were killed in action, and another 93 were wounded. The main action lasted over a half hour and only two Americans were killed. Seven were wounded, including Reid who was hit with a musket ball. Reid's men fired nails, knife blades, brass buttons, and other makeshift projectiles from their cannon which reportedly caused severe pain to the surviving British. After being repulsed the British slowly rowed back to their ships and it was 2:00 am on September 27 when they found them. Captain Loyd's response to the defeat was to send the Carnation back to destroy General Armstrong after daylight but when she arrived, American fire caused further damage so Carnation broke off the attack. A little later Carnation appeared again but Captain Reid had already chosen to scuttle his brig by firing one of his
Reid and his crew escaped to shore. The British wanted to land a detachment to search for the Americans but the Portuguese
The above historical retelling and similar accounts of the Battle of Fayal are disputed by scholars. An English eyewitness and numerous official reports from the American embassy and Portuguese records claim the British squadron intended to seize General Armstrong illegally and surreptitiously. It would not have made sense for the British to send fully armed launches to ascertain the identity of General Armstrong. This could have been easily done by contacting their own consulate or the American consulate, or simply sending a peace delegation to the ship when it was in dock.[19]
See also
Notes
Explanatory notes
- ^ Fayal is an antiquated spelling. Today the island's name is usually spelled "Faial" in both Portuguese and English.
Citations
- ^ "American Privateers in the War of 1812 - A Paper".
- ^ James, pp.223-224
- ^ Açores, RTP, Rádio e Televisão de Portugal-RTP. "The Battle of Fayal (1/3) The Bicentennial of the Battle of Fayal, by Katharine F. Baker - Comunidades - RTP Açores - RTP". www.rtp.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-04-08.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ James, p.224
- ^ James, p.223
- ^ Coggeshall, pp.378-379
- ^ James, pg. 224
- ^ James, p. 224
- ^ Coggeshall, pp. 378–379
- ^ James, p.224
- ^ Coggeshall, pp.378-379
- ^ Polk, James K. "S. Doc. 29-14 - Message from the President of the United States, communicating the information called for by a resolution of the Senate, in relation to the claim of the owners of the brig General Armstrong against the government of Portugal. December 16, 1845. Read, referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations, and ordered to be printed". GovInfo.gov. U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
- ^ Polk, p. 12-16
- ^ James, p.224
- ISBN 978-989-671-006-4.
- ^ Coggeshall, pp. 378–379
- ^ James, p. 224
- ^ "American Privateers in the War of 1812 - A Paper".
- ^ Exploit at Fayal; Wallace C. Baker; AMerican Heritage Magazine vol 10 issue 4 June 1959 / The Manhattan and de La Salle Monthly edited by John Savage 1875 vol. II July to Dec. pg 149
References
- Coggeshall, George (1856). History of the American privateers: and letters-of-marque, during our war with England in the years 1812, '13, and '14. Interspersed with several naval battles between American and British ships-of-war. Coggeshall Publishing.
- James, William; Frederick Chamier (1859). The naval history of Great Britain, from the declaration of war by France in 1793, to the accession of George IV. London, England: R. Bently Publishing.
- ISBN 0-375-75419-9.
- Bettencourt, José; Márcia Dutra Pinto, eds. (1859). The Wonderful Battle of the Brig Gen. Armstrong at Faial, 1814: No Bicentário do combate naval corrido na Baía da Horta a 27 Setembro de 1814. Faial, Portugal: OMA-Observatório do Mar dos Açores. )
External links
- American Privateers in The War Of 1812: Examines the myths and facts behind Captain Samuel Reid's sea battle in the Azores and whether Reid's action actually delayed the British squadron and aided General Jackson's defense of New Orleans.