had bombarded Fort McHenry for twenty-five hours, throwing nearly
two thousand shells. Yet, wonderful as it may appear, only four of the
Americans were killed, and twenty-four wounded. With this failure the
British ended their chief offensive operations along the shores of the
Chesapeake. The greater part of the fleet and the soldiery then moved
southward, to take part in the operations along the Gulf coast, that
culminated in the disastrous defeat of the invaders at New Orleans.

CHAPTER XVI.

DESULTORY HOSTILITIES ON THE OCEAN. -- ATTACK UPON FORT BOWYER.
-- LAFITTE THE PIRATE. -- BRITISH EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW ORLEANS.
-- BATTLE AT THE RIGOLETS. -- ATTACK ON NEW ORLEANS, AND DEFEAT
OF THE BRITISH. -- WORK OF THE BLUE-JACKETS. -- CAPTURE OF THE
FRIGATE "PRESIDENT." -- THE "CONSTITUTION" TAKES THE "CYANE" AND
"LEVANT." -- THE "HORNET" TAKES THE "PENGUIN." -- END OF THE WAR.

The naval incidents of the latter part of 1814 conferred little honor
upon either of the belligerents. Seldom did the meetings between
hostile ships rise to the dignity of battles. One or two small
American brigs fell a prey to British frigates; but in every instance
the disparity of force was so great that the weaker surrendered
without striking a blow. Such was the case with the sixteen-gun brig
"Rattlesnake," which escaped from one British frigate by throwing
overboard all her guns, only to immediately fall a prey to the
"Leander." In July of the same year, the United States brig "Siren"
was captured by the British frigate "Medway," off the coast of Africa,
after a long chase, during which the American hove overboard every
thing movable on the brig. Not all these petty encounters ended so
favorably for the enemy. Off New York a cutting-out party of
volunteers surprised and captured the British tender "Eagle," a small
craft carrying one thirty-two-pound howitzer, and fourteen men. Ten
days later, the frigate "Tenedos," which had done such good service on
the blockade, suffered the loss of her tender, which was gallantly
carried away by the crew of a Yankee gunboat. Some very desperate
combats between American privateers and British naval vessels were
fought about this time, and will be duly noted in detail in the
chapter treating of the exploits of the private armed navy.

As the autumn came on, the British naval forces began to rendezvous in
the Gulf of Mexico, preparatory to the campaign before New Orle