of doubtful wisdom to do
so against the powerful British Navy. Samuel Chase, of Maryland,
declared "it is the maddest idea in the world."

So Barry's capture was a demonstration of the ability of the Colonies to
contest the sea with Great Britain and to do it so effectively that "we
captured from the British over eight hundred vessels and more than
twelve thousand seamen, and of these more than one hundred were war
vessels of the Royal Navy, carrying more than two thousand, five hundred
guns, while the American losses were scarcely more than one-sixth those
of the British," as Captain Richmond Pearson Hobson declared in an
address on the Navy on Flag Day, 1901, at the Buffalo Pan-American
Exposition. Yet he, in looking "over the range of our Naval history, saw
a long line of majestic figures whose very names are an inspiration,"
did not, in giving the names of twenty-one of these "majestic figures,"
name Captain John Barry, the very "Father of the Navy." He was not
mentioned as among those which "History with her bright and luminous
pencil inscribed upon the glorious scroll." Captain Hobson, the heroic,
is now a member of Congress from Alabama and ought to make reparation
for his ignorance or conscious ignoring of the foremost naval commander
of the very Navy he proved himself to be a worthy representative of. He
may become unknown or be ignored if known.

Captain Barry had command of the first Continental cruiser, the
"Lexington," and the last frigate, the "Alliance"--the largest and
finest vessel in the Revolutionary Navy--had made the first capture
under Continental authority and fought the last battle of the
Revolution, and commanded the whole of the Navy at the close of the
war--had been the earliest, the constant and the latest fighter and the
first Captain and ranking officer of the present Navy on its
establishment in 1794. Yet he was entirely unknown to Captain Hobson. Or
was he purposely ignored?

The capture of the "Edward" was considered of considerable import in
patriot circles: "We begin to make some little figure here in the navy
way," wrote John Adams, the day after the arrival of Barry and his
prize. The Marine Committee also wrote to Commodore Hopkins, who had
arrived at New London, Connecticut, the same day Barry had arrived at
Philadelphia with his prize, informing him of the capture and saying the
loss to the British of the twenty-five men was one "they cannot easily
provide against--the want of