d already so much of the
principle of an officer ingrafted on his mind, not to leave his
quarters on any account, that he told the men if the mast went
they must go with it, which was the case, and only one of them
was saved.

I regret much his loss, as a promising young officer and amiable
young man, as well as on account of a long intimacy that has
subsisted between his father and myself; but have great
satisfaction in finding that I have lost no other, and only two
or three slightly wounded, out of thirty-nine killed and
wounded--fourteen of the former, and twenty-five of the latter.

As soon as the mainmast went every effort was made to clear the
wreck from the ship as soon as possible, which was effected in
about an hour. It being impossible to pursue the enemy, and as
her security was the great object, I immediately bore away for
Jamaica, for repairs, etc., finding it impossible to reach a
friendly port in any of the islands to windward.

I should be wanting in common justice were I to omit here to
journalize the steady attention to order, and the great exertion
and bravery of all my officers, seamen and marines, in this
action, many of whom I had sufficiently tried before, on a
similar occasion, and all their names are recorded in the
muster-roll I sent to the Secretary of the Navy, dated the
nineteenth of December last, signed by myself.

All hands employed at repairing the damages sustained in the (p. 132)
action, so far as to get the ship into Jamaica as soon as
possible.

Thomas TRUXTUN.

_____

_President John Adams to the Secretary of the Navy._

To
B. STODDART, Philadelphia, March 31, 1800.
Secretary of the Navy.

The President of the United States requests the Secretary of the
Navy to take immediate measures for carrying into execution the
resolution of Congress of the 29th, for presenting to Captain
Thomas Truxtun a gold medal, emblematical of the late action
between the United States frigate Constellation, of thirty-eight
guns, and the French ship-of-war La Vengeance, of fifty-four, in
testimony of the high sense entertained by Congress of his
gallantry and good conduct in the above engagement, wherein an
exa