Andrew Potter
Teresa Coronado
English 451
29 October 2015
Importance
and Error in the History of Naval Communications
This paper examines the
non-published, archival text of “Constellation” vs “La Vengeance,” as well as
the context in which it was written. This text is historically significant not
only because of the people, vessels, and circumstances involved, but also as an
example of naval communication and interaction. Inspecting the information it
holds in relation to the added contextual information of outside sources is
useful in understanding the customs and shortcomings of naval strategy and
procedure of the early eighteen hundreds, specifically related to those
concerning the recently liberated United States and the recently revolutionized
France.
The text is taken from
letters addressed to the Secretary of the Navy, and is in large part an excerpt
from Thomas Truxton’s personal journal. It records the events of February 1st
– 2nd in the year 1800, when the American frigate Constellation pursued and traded fire
with the French frigate La Vengeance.
This conflict was part of the "Quasi War" (1798-1801), an undeclared
war between America and France, and was largely naval in nature (CONSTELLATION). The war was sparked when
the French demanded that the United States pay off its due financial debt, but
the United States argued that the debt had been owed to the French Crown
pre-revolution, not the newly appointed Republican France. France ultimately
responded by capturing hundreds of American merchant ships for compensation,
causing substantial losses to the United State’s shipping and trading
industries. The United States retaliated with a well-armed, patrolling fleet of
its own, including the USS Constellation (Siggurdsson).
Named after
the former half of the stars and stripes banner, the Constellation is one of
the most well known ships in all of United States naval history. It was the
very first among the initial six vessels commissioned in the United States
Navy, the first to be put to sea, as well as the first to engage, defeat, and apprehend
an enemy vessel. This distinction makes it one of the most important ships in
the history of the United States, as well as a milestone marker for the
country’s development (CONSTELLATION).
The ship
was under the command of Commodore Thomas Truxton, who had been a privateer
during the Revolutionary War. After the war, he received commendation from
President George Washington in acknowledgement of his services, and he later
became recognized as an extremely capable merchantman, navigator, and protector
of vessels and their contents. In 1794, the Constellation was constructed under
his supervision in Baltimore, and he later captained it on its first armored
cruise during the Quasi War. On February 9, 1799, he once again proved his
merit when using the Constellation to defeat the French frigate L'Insurgente
in a crushing victory (The
Quasi-War with France).
The letters
are an example of naval strategies used at the time, made especially valuable
as they are firsthand accounts from a commanding naval officer, explaining the reasoning
and motivations behind his actions. As the
Quasi War conflict began when French vessels started preying on the defenseless
United States merchant ships, they usually avoided combat situations with other
armed vessels, and an initially successful strategy on the part of the United States
was to lure them in with fighter ships posing as merchant ships (The Quasi-War with France). The French were not
without their deceptive tactics as well. When the Constellation first spoted the
La Vengeance, the French ship is sporting English colors as a means of slipping
through without occurrence. Truxton attempted to hail the mysterious ship with
his vessel’s own English flag. It was only after La Vengeance began to flee
from the Constellation with the use of its studdingsails that its identity was
deduced and the Americans began to pursue the enemy frigate (Siggurdsson).
During the
chase, the continued interaction between the two ships is a valuable historical
account of the period’s forms of naval communication. Truxton recounts
preparing a speaking trumpet (the equivalent of today’s megaphones) in order to
demand La Vengeance’s surrender. The attempted demand was cut short when the
French vessel opened fire with its stern chasers, ensuing in the nocturnal
battle between the two ships. After the lengthy exchange of fire and continued
pursuit, La Vengeance raised its colors as a signal of surrender. It is
interesting to note that La Vengeance had reportedly surrendered earlier in the
night, but due to the darkness, this signaling went unnoticed by the crew of
the Constellation. It was only at this second surrender did the United States
vessel take note of its victory. However, one of France’s preferred strategies
in naval warfare was to concentrate fire at the rigging and masts in hope of
crippling enemy ships. This method was indeed employed by Le Vengeance during
the battle, which paid off in the last minute. As the Constellation moved in to
secure its prize, its main mast gave way, killing several crewmen and severely
reducing its speed and maneuverability. Francois Pitot, Le Vengeance’s captain,
recognized this and took full advantage of the situation, sailing off into the
night without fear of further pursuit by the disabled United States frigate.
Due to the damage received by both ships, each captain erroneously assumed the
other had sunk as a result, until they were later notified to the contrary (Siggurdsson).
While the
United States still considered this battle a victory in defending its right of
safe passage on the seas for its merchant vessels, it was unable to secure the
French ship, which included eighty passengers (two of which were generals) and thirty-six
American prisoners of war. This battle could have turned out differently if the
Constellation had recognized the initial surrender before its mast was damaged.
Had this been the case, lives would likely have been saved and the crew, passengers,
and prisoners of the French frigate would have been taken into custody,
resulting in a full-on victory. This exemplifies the importance and margin of
error in naval communication at the time, as without today’s technology,
messages could far more easily be misunderstood or unnoticed between boats at
sea, especially taxing in times of conflict.
Communication
was limited not only by clarity, but by factors such as speed and weather as
well. Truxton’s letter was written on February 3rd, one day after the
battle ended. However, It wasn’t received in New York until February 25th.
This is a demonstration of how even the most important correspondence of the
time could be greatly deterred and determined by the limitations of technology,
resources, and fair weather. Even the fact that the account itself was taken
from a journal excerpt is a telling indicator on how military operations were
carried out and conveyed, positively archaic by today’s hyper-thorough communication
and documentation standards.
As made
evident in the text, communication was imperative to nautical and especially
naval operations during the eighteen hundreds. This remains true to this day,
but at the time, the possibility of error or failure in communication was much
greater. With the power to shift history and alter lives, these occurrences and
their likelihood are important in understanding our history and those that
helped shape the world we live in today.
In demonstrating this, this document stands as a valuable piece of
history.
Works
Cited
“CONSTELLATION -- A
STELLAR HISTORY.” ussconstellation. The USS Constellation CVA/CV 64
Association. Web. 28
October 2015.
“The Quasi-War with France, 1798-1800.” marinersmuseum.
The Mariner’s Museum and Park. Web. 28 October 2015.
Siggurdsson. “USS Constellation Fights La Vengeance
to Draw, But French Ship Escapes.” burnpit.legion. 3 February 2014. Web. 28 October 2015.
http://www.bruzelius.info/Nautica/Naval_History/800NC351.html
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