James Lawrence

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search
For other persons named James Lawrence, see James Lawrence (disambiguation).
James Lawrence
October 1, 1781(1781-10-01) – June 4, 1813 (aged 31)
JamesLawrence.jpg
Captain James Lawrence, United States Navy
Place of birth Burlington, New Jersey
Allegiance  United States
Service/branch United States Navy
Years of service 1798—1813
Rank Captain
Battles/wars War of 1812

James Lawrence (October 1, 1781 – June 4, 1813) was an American naval officer. During the War of 1812, he commanded the USS Chesapeake in a single-ship action against HMS Shannon (commanded by Philip Broke). He is probably best known today for his dying command "Don't give up the ship!", which is still a popular naval battle cry.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Lawrence was born in Burlington, New Jersey but raised in Woodbury, New Jersey, the son of John and Martha (Tallman) Lawrence. His mother died when he was an infant and his Loyalist father fled to Canada during the American Revolution, leaving his half-sister to care for him. Though he studied law, he entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1798.

During the Quasi-War with France, he served on USS Ganges and the frigate USS Adams in the Caribbean. He was commissioned a lieutenant on April 6, 1802 and served aboard USS Enterprise in the Mediterranean, taking part in a successful attack on enemy craft on 2 June 1803.

In February 1804, he was second in command during the expedition to destroy the captured frigate USS Philadelphia. Later in the conflict he commanded Enterprise and a gunboat in battles with the Tripolitans. He was also First Lieutenant of the frigate Adams and, in 1805, commanded the small Gunboat Number 6 during a voyage across the Atlantic to Italy.

Subsequently, Lieutenant Lawrence commanded the warships USS Vixen, USS Wasp and USS Argus. In 1810, he also took part in trials of an experimental spar torpedo.[citation needed] Promoted to the rank of Master Commandant in November 1810, he took command of the sloop of war USS Hornet a year later and sailed her to Europe on a diplomatic mission. From the beginning of the War of 1812, Lawrence and Hornet cruised actively, capturing the privateer Dolphin in July 1812. Later in the year Hornet blockaded the British sloop HMS Bonne Citoyenne at Bahia, Brazil, and on 24 February 1813 captured HMS Peacock.

USS Chesapeake by F. Muller. US Navy Art Collection
Battle flag used by Oliver Hazard Perry.

Upon his return to the United States in March, Lawrence learned of his promotion to Captain. Two months later he took command of the frigate USS Chesapeake, then preparing for sea at Boston, Massachusetts. He left port on 1 June 1813 and immediately engaged the blockading Royal Navy frigate HMS Shannon in a fierce battle. Although slightly smaller, accurate gunfire from the British ship disabled Chesapeake within the first few minutes. Captain Lawrence, mortally wounded by small arms fire, ordered his officers to "Don't give up the ship. Fight her till she sinks."[1] as he was carried below. However, his crew was overwhelmed by a British boarding party shortly afterwards. James Lawrence died of his wounds on 4 June 1813, while Chesapeake was being taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, by her captors.

James Lawrence's grave at Trinity Churchyard.

He was buried with military honors in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but reinterred at Trinity Church in New York City. He was survived by his wife, Julia (Montaudevert) Lawrence, who lived until 1865, and also a two-year-old daughter, Mary Neill Lawrence. Mary would also become a Navy officer's wife, marrying Lt. William Preston Griffin in 1838.

Capt. Lawrence's death was reported to his friend and fellow officer Oliver Hazard Perry, who would order a large blue battle ensign stitched with the phrase "DONT GIVE UP THE SHIP" [sic] in bold white letters. The Perry Flag would fly from his flagship during his victorious engagement against the British on Lake Erie in September, 1813. This flag is now displayed in Memorial Hall at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.

[edit] Namesakes and honors

Lawrence's last words are memorialized on the Ticonderoga class cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70)

Many places are named for Captain Lawrence, including:

His birthplace of Burlington, New Jersey, has a Captain James Lawrence Elementary School[2].

In addition, the U.S. Navy has named five ships USS Lawrence.

Relatives of Captain James Lawrence live in Massachusetts currently, and his approximately three-dozen living descendents now reside primarily in western states, with a few in Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, Missouri and New York.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Crocker III, H. W. (2006). Don't Tread on Me. New York: Crown Forum. p. 98. ISBN 9781400053636. 
  2. ^ The City of Burlington School District. URL accessed 5 January 2005; verified 12 September 2006.

David Lawrence, James Barnes Lawrence, and Harriette Hayes Lawrence are the children of Adelbert Lionel Lawrence (a relative but not a descendent) and Frances Hayes. The Lawrence family moved to Cummington, MA in the late 1960s. ~

[edit] References

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Lawrence"