British thus snapped up an American man-of-war cruising at
their harbors' mouths, the Americans were equally fortunate in
capturing a British brig of fourteen guns off the coast of Maine. The
captor was the United States brig "Enterprise," a lucky little vessel
belonging to a very unlucky class; for her sister brigs all fell a
prey to the enemy. The "Nautilus," it will be remembered, was captured
early in the war. The "Vixen" fell into the hands of Sir James Yeo,
who was cruising in the West Indies, in the frigate "Southampton;" but
this gallant officer reaped but little benefit from his prize, for
frigate and brig alike were soon after wrecked on one of the Bahama
Islands. The "Siren," late in the war, was captured by the
seventy-four-gun ship "Medway," and the loss of the "Argus" has just
been chronicled. Of all these brigs, the "Argus" alone was able to
fire a gun in her own defence, before being captured; the rest were
all forced to yield quietly to immensely superior force.

In the war with Tripoli, the "Enterprise" won the reputation of being
a "lucky" craft; and her daring adventures and thrilling escapes
during the short naval war with France added to her prestige among
sailors. When the war with England broke out, the little brig was put
in commission as soon as possible, and assigned to duty along the
coast of Maine. She did good service in keeping off privateers and
marauding expeditions from Nova Scotia. In the early part of
September, 1813, she was cruising near Penguin Point, when she sighted
a brig in shore that had the appearance of a hostile war-vessel. The
stranger soon settled all doubts as to her character by firing several
guns, seemingly for the purpose of recalling her boats from the shore.
Then, setting sail with the rapidity of a man-of-war, she bore down
upon the American vessel. The "Enterprise," instead of waiting for the
enemy, turned out to sea, under easy sail; and her crew were set to
work bringing aft a long gun, and mounting it in the cabin, where one
of the stern windows had been chopped away to make a port. This action
rather alarmed the sailors, who feared that their commander, Lieut.
Burrows, whose character was unknown to them, intended to avoid the
enemy, and was rigging the long gun for a stern-chaser. An impromptu
meeting was held upon the forecastle; and, after much whispered
consultation, the people appointed a committee to go aft and tell the
commander that the lads were bur