nst a powerful
maritime nation there was persistent opposition in Congress to a navy.
The Southern members, representing a purely agricultural region, could
not sympathize with New Englanders in desires for a navy to protect
commerce. In vain it was wisely urged that protection to commerce is
protection to agriculture. A South Carolina member declared he would "go
further to see a navy burned than to extinguish the flames," and a
proposition of a Massachusetts member to build thirty frigates was voted
down. And yet, so unprepared for maritime war, the Americans went boldly
out on the ocean with a few public vessels and active privateers to defy
the royal navy of England. The United States had twenty war vessels,
exclusive of one hundred and twenty gun-boats. Great Britain had eight
hundred efficient cruisers.

The British had nothing but sneers at and ribald jokes about the
American Navy. They laughed in derision at our declaration of war. They
spoke of the _Constitution_ frigate, which had performed such gallant
deeds in the Mediterranean, as "a bundle of pine boards sailing under a
bit of striped bunting," and they declared that "a few broadsides from
England's wooden walls" would, "drive the paltry striped bunting from
the ocean." They did not heed the injunction, "Let not him that girdeth
on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off."

When war was declared, there was a small American squadron in the harbor
of New York under Commodore Rodgers. It immediately went to sea in
search of a large fleet of Jamaica merchantmen known to be off the
coast. The _President_ frigate was Rodgers's flag-ship. She soon
encountered the British frigate _Belvidera_, which, after a sharp
combat, was lightened, and, outsailing the _President_, escaped. This
was the first battle on sea or land of the war of 1812-15, which is
properly called the "Second War for Independence." The _Belvidera_
carried the news of the declaration of war to the British at Halifax.

Captain Broke was sent from Halifax with a squadron to meet the
Americans. His flag-ship was the frigate _Shannon_. He soon captured the
little brig _Nautilus_, the _first_ vessel taken in that war. She was
retaken in the East Indies in 1815, and was the _last_ vessel captured
in the war.

The frigate _Constitution_, Captain Isaac Hull, had just returned from
Europe. She shipped a new crew, and cruised along the New England
coasts. In the middle of July she fell in wit