Fun Fact #406

Fun fact #406

The War of 1812

By the time the War of 1812 rolled around The USRC were the most experience seamen in all of the United States having fought France, Pirates, and the Barbers. 

Yet, the Revenue Cutters (USRC) were not made for drag out fights –instead relying upon their speed and ingenuity to win battles– so when assigned to defend ports during the war it did not go well. The USRC Greene was burned while at port in Washington DC by the Narcissus, and The James Madison was heavily damaged by the HMS Narcissus early on. Then the smallest ship in the fleet –The Surveyor– with a crew of 16 successfully repelled 90 of British seamen when The Narcissus arrived expecting to pick up its seamen on shoreleave; instead they found and captured the two remaining USRC Revenue-Marines. 

The USRC Eagle then gave chase and even managed to recapture The Suzan before the Narcissus turned its attention to them. The Eagle turned and beached itself but no matter they’d destroy it anyway. Except unbeknownst to the Narcissus at the top of the 160 foot bluff where the eagle had beached were The Eagle’s cannons which began raining down fire on The Narcissus. When they ran out of their own cannon balls they retrieved those The HMS Dispatch had begun shooting at them to continue their assault on The HMS Narcissus. They damaged the British Ship so badly that it never again saw combat duty –being used to transport Prisoners for the rest of it’s service life. 

While the USRC had been decimated, They had bought time for the US Navy to return from kicking around the Spanish in the Caribbean and push the British all the way back to Canada where peace was struck.