d the enemy's
fire from the cabin guns, as, the wind having freshened, his ship came
up to measure her length with her antagonist, which lay with her head
to the southeast. Then the Chesapeake poured in her full fire,
inflicting considerable damage, which was repeated in the successive
discharges for several minutes. In this commencement of the action it
was considered that the Shannon received most injury, particularly in
her hull. Unhappily, the Chesapeake in turn lost the command of her
sails. The ship was consequently brought up into the wind, and fell
aboard of the enemy, with her mizzen rigging foul of the Shannon's
fore-chains. This accident exposed the Chesapeake to a raking fire,
which swept her deck, and, as she was already deprived of the services
of the officers who had fallen in the first discharges, her guns in
turn were deserted by the men. Captain Lawrence had already received a
wound in the leg; his first lieutenant, Ludlow, was wounded; the
sailing-master was killed, and other important officers were mortally
wounded. As the ships became entangled, Lawrence gave orders to summon
the boarders, who were ready below; but unhappily, the negro whose
duty it was to call them up by his bugle, was too much frightened to
sound a note. A verbal message was sent, and before it could be
executed Lawrence was a second time struck, receiving a grapeshot in
his body. The deck was thus left with no officer above the rank of a
midshipman. The men of the Shannon now poured in and gained possession
of the vessel. As Lawrence was borne below, mortally wounded, his
dying thoughts were of his command, uttering his order not to strike
the flag of his ship, or some equivalent expression, which is handed
down in the popular phrase, "Don't give up the ship!" He lingered and
died of his wounds on board on June 6th. The Chesapeake was carried
into Halifax, and there the remains of her gallant captain were borne
from the frigate with military honors, with every mark of respect
which a generous enemy could pay to a fallen hero.

STEPHEN DECATUR[6]

By EDWARD S. ELLIS, A.M.

(1779-1820)

[Footnote 6: Copyright 1894, by Selmar Hess.]

[Illustration: Stephen Decatur. [TN]]

Stephen Decatur was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Worcester
County, January 5, 1779. The family was of French extraction in the
paternal line, and of Irish on the maternal side. The grandfather was
a native of La Rochelle, in Franc