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Congressional Gold Medal.com |
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Congressional Gold Medal Recipient
James Lawrence James Lawrence b. Burlington, Burlington, New Jersey, 1 October 1781
d. Boston Harbor, Suffolk, Massachusetts, 4 June 1813
11 January 1814 Resolution relative to the brilliant achievement of Captain James Lawrence, in the capture of the British vessel of war, the Peacock. Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the President of the United States be requested to present to the nearest male relative of Captain James Lawrence, a gold medal, and a silver medal to each of the commissioned officers who served under him in the sloop of war Hornet, in her conflict with the British vessel of war, the Peacock, in testimony of the high sense entertained by Congress of the gallantry and good conduct of the officers and crew in the capture of that vessel; and the President is also requested to communicate to the nearest relative of Captain Lawrence the sense which Congress entertains of the loss which the naval service of the United States has since sustained in the death of that distinguished officer. 3 Stat. 142
Captain James Lawrence, USN, (1781-1813) James Lawrence was born in Burlington, New Jersey, on 1 October 1781. Though educated in the field of law, he joined the infant United States Navy in September 1798 as a Midshipman and served in the ship Ganges and frigate Adams during the undeclared war with France. Commissioned in the rank of Lieutenant in 1802, he served in the schooner Enterprise during the War with Tripoli, taking part in a successful attack on enemy craft on 2 June 1803. In February 1804 he was second in command during the daring expedition to
destroy the captured frigate Philadelphia. Later in the conflict he commanded the Enterprise and a gunboat in battles with the Tripolitans. He was also First Lieutenant of the frigate John Adams and, in 1805, commanded the small Gunboat Number 6 during a voyage across the Atlantic to Italy. Subsequently, Lieutenant Lawrence commanded the warships Vixen, Wasp and Argus. In 1810 he also took part in trials of an experimental spar-torpedo. Promoted to the rank of Master Commandant in November 1810, he took command of the sloop of war
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 Bonne Citoyenne at Bahia, Brazil, and on
24 February 1813 captured HMS Peacock. 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
Chesapeake, then preparing for sea at Boston, Massachusetts. She left port on 1 June 1813 and immediately
engaged the Royal Navy frigate Shannon in a fierce battle. Captain Lawrence, mortally wounded by small arms fire, ordered "Don't give up the ship" as he was carried below. However, his crew was overwhelmed by British boarders shortly afterwards. James Lawrence died of his wounds on 4 June, while Chesapeake was being taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, by her captors. His body was later repatriated to New York for burial. The U.S. Navy has named five ships in honor of James Lawrence, including:
U.S. Brig Lawrence (1813-1825); U.S. Brig Lawrence (1843-1846);
USS Lawrence (Destroyer # 8);
USS Lawrence (DD-250); and
USS Lawrence (DDG-4).
Burning of the Frigate Philadelphia, 16 February 1804
USS Hornet (1805-1829)
USS Hornet, a 441-ton brig-sloop built at Baltimore, Maryland, was commissioned in October 1805. She operated along the U.S. Atlantic coast and in the Mediterranean until decommissioned in late 1807. Recommissioned a year later, she again cruised in U.S. waters and took dispatches to Europe. In 1811 Hornet was converted to a ship-sloop at the Washington Navy Yard, D.C.. Hornet rendered conspicuous service during the War of 1812. Early in the conflict she served with Commodore John Rodgers' squadron, capturing the privateer Dolphin in July 1812. Later in the year she blockaded the British sloop of war Bonne Citoyenne at Bahia, Brazil, and on 24 February 1813 defeated and sank HMS Peacock. For much of the rest of 1813 and most of 1814 Hornet was in port at New London, Connecticut, unable to leave in the face of superior British forces offshore. However, she got to sea in mid-November 1814 and sailed to the south Atlantic. On 23 March 1815, off Tristan da Cunha island, USS Hornet captured the British sloop Penguin, one of several actions between the U.S. and Royal Navies that took place after the War of 1812 had formally ended, but before all ships at sea had learned of the settlement. In 1818-1819 Hornet operated in the West Indies and the Mediterranean. She participated in the anti-piracy campaign in the Caribbean during the 1820s, capturing one pirate schooner off Santo Domingo in late October 1821. While off Tampico, Mexico, on 29 September 1829, USS Hornet was dismasted in a gale and sank with her entire complement.
USS Hornet sinks HMS Peacock, 24 February 1813
U.S. Sloop of War Hornet, Commander James Lawrence, .
USS Chesapeake (1800-1813) USS Chesapeake, a 36-gun frigate of 1244 tons, was built at the Gosport Navy Yard, at Portsmouth, Virginia. Commissioned during the first part of 1800, she operated off the southern United States and in the West Indies during the Quasi-War with France, capturing a French privateer on 1 January 1800. During much of 1802 and 1803 she was deployed to the Mediterranean as flagship during hostilities with Tripoli, then was laid up at the Washington Navy Yard, D.C.. In June 1807 Chesapeake, which had been refitted for further active service, sailed from Hampton Roads, Virginia, as flagship of Commodore James Barron. Bound for the Mediterranean after taking on stores and ammunition, she was as yet unprepared for action when the British frigate Leopard stopped her and demanded that she be searched for Royal Navy deserters. When this was refused, Leopard fired on Chesapeake, killing and wounding several of her crew. The essentially defenseless American warship then surrendered, some alleged deserters were taken from her, and she was allowed to return to Gosport for repairs. This affair, which enraged the Nation, was one of the incidents that led, some five years later, to war between the United States and Great Britain. Following repairs, Chesapeake operated off New England under the command of
Captain Stephen Decatur. During the last weeks of December and the first months of 1813, the frigate, which had been refitted for War of 1812 service, cruised in the Atlantic, taking as prizes a number of British commercial vessels. She then returned to Boston to prepare for further service, receiving a new Commanding Officer, Captain James Lawrence, as well as a large proportion of new officers and crewmen. On 1 June 1813, before her complement had been worked into a well-functioning team, she went to sea to engage the British frigate Shannon. The resulting short, violent action resulted in the boarding and capture of the American ship, and the death of Lawrence and many of his crew. Chesapeake was taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where her presence provided a major boost to British Navy morale. She later sailed to England and was sold there in 1820 for breaking up. Much of her material was subsequently used for building construction.
HMS Shannon captures USS Chesapeake, 1 June 1813
On 9 April 1813 the U.S. Frigate Chesapeake returned to Boston after a cruise against British commercial shipping. Over the next several weeks she was refitted and received a new Commanding Officer, the recently promoted Captain James Lawrence. Many of her officers were replaced and a large percentage of her crew was newly enlisted. Though the ship was a good one, with a well-seasoned Captain, time would be necessary to work her men into a capable and disciplined combat team. However, the time was not available. Blockading off Boston was HMS Shannon, commanded for the past seven years by Captain Philip Broke, whose attention to gunnery practice and other elements of combat readiness was extraordinary. Shannon and Chesapeake were of virtually identical strength, though the American ship's crew was rather larger, and a duel between the two was attractive to both captains. Broke even issued a formal challenge, though it did not reach Lawrence, whose previous experience with British warships had convinced him that they were not likely to be formidable opponents. Chesapeake left Boston Harbor in the early afternoon of 1 June 1813. The two ships sailed several miles offshore, where Shannon slowed to await her opponent, who approached flying a special flag proclaiming "Free Trade and Sailors' Rights" in recognition of America's prewar grievances against British policies. Though Lawrence had a brief opportunity to rake, he did not do so, but closed to place his port broadside against Shannon's starboard battery. Somewhat before 6 PM the ships opened fire, both hitting, but the British guns did more damage and produced crippling casualties on Chesapeake's quarterdeck. Captain Lawrence was mortally wounded by small arms fire and had to be taken below, giving his final order
"Don't give up the ship!" The American ship was soon out of control. The two frigates came together. Captain Broke led his boarding party onto Chesapeake's quarterdeck, where they met fierce but disorganized resistance. Assisted by cannon and small arms fire from on board Shannon, they soon gained control above decks, though Captain Broke was badly wounded in the process. Some fifteen minutes after the battle began, Chesapeake was in British hands. Casulties were heavy: more than sixty killed on Chesapeake; about half that many on Shannon. The latter's cannon had made more than twice as many hits, and her boarding party demonstrated decisive superiority in hand-to-hand fighting. The action, which greatly boosted British morale, provided another of the War of 1812's many convincing examples of the vital importance of superior training and discipline in combat on sea and land.
U.S. Brig Lawrence (1813-1825)
Lawrence was one of two 493-ton Niagara class brigs built at Erie, Pennsylvania, for Navy service on the Great Lakes during the War of 1812. She was commissioned in early August 1813 and quickly began operations with a voyage to Detroit in search of the opposing British squadron. During the 10 September 1813 Battle of Lake Erie, Lawrence served as flagship for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry until she was disabled by enemy fire. Perry then transferred to the Brig Niagara, from which he fought the battle to a successful conclusion. In mid-1815, following the end of hostilities, Lawrence was sunk in Misery Bay, near Erie, in order to preserve her hull. Her submerged hulk was sold in 1825 and, except for a brief examination in 1836, remained underwater for nearly four more decades. In September 1875 her remains were raised, cut into sections and transported by rail to Philadelphia, where she was exhibited during the 1876 exhibition celebrating the Centennial of the United States. Lawrence was destroyed by fire during that exhibition.
USS Lawrence (Destroyer # 8), 1903-1920
USS Lawrence, first of a two-ship class of 400-ton destroyers built at Weymouth, Massachusetts, was commissioned in April 1903. She served along the East Coast and in the Caribbean for over four years, taking part in training and exercises. Late in 1907 she began a long voyage around South America, accompanying other destroyers and the battleships of the "Great White Fleet" to the Pacific Coast, her base for nearly a decade. In July 1917, following the United States' entry into the First World War, Lawrence moved to Central America, where she protected the entrances to the Panama Canal. This duty lasted until the end of May 1918, when her operating area was transferred to the area of Key West, Florida. Early in 1919, with the "Great War" at an end, she steamed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she remained until decommissioning in June. USS Lawrence was sold in January 1920.
USS Lawrence (DD-250), 1921-1946
USS Lawrence, a 1190-ton Clemson class destroyer built at Camden, New Jersey, was commissioned in April 1921. Following initial operations in the Western Atlantic area, she deployed to the Mediterranean Sea in June 1922. The destroyer spent more than a year there and in the Black Sea, taking part in the effort to contain and relieve the problems resulting from the Russian Civil War and the conflict between Greece and Turkey. From late 1923 until early 1931 Lawrence mainly served with the Scouting Fleet in the Atlantic and Caribbean, with occasional transits through the Panama Canal to take part in exercises in the Pacific. She also made Naval Reserve training cruises and, in February-March 1927, was employed off Nicaragua while that nation was in turmoil. Lawrence was out of commission at Philadelphia between January 1931 and June 1932. Based at San Diego, California, after mid-1932, she again went out of commission in September 1938. The outbreak of World War II in Europe brought her back into the active fleet in September 1939. The rest of that year, and nearly all of 1940, saw Lawrence operating in the Caribbean and Atlantic on patrol and training service. Returning to the Pacific in December 1940 and later assigned to the Sound School at San Diego, she began convoy escort work soon after the United States was brought into the Second World War late in 1941. During much of 1942 she shepherded shipping along the West Coast, steaming as far north as the Aleutian Islands. From September 1942 until the end of the conflict Lawrence provided patrol and escort services in the area of San Francisco, California. On 31 May 1944 she rescued nearly 200 men from the steamship Henry Bergh, which had gone aground in the nearby Farralon Islands. Sent to the East Coast in late August 1945, shortly after Japan had agreed to surrender, USS Lawrence was decommissioned in October 1945 and sold for scrapping at the beginning of October 1946.
USS Lawrence (DDG-4), 1962-1999
USS Lawrence, a 3370-ton Charles F. Adams guided-missile destroyer built at Camden, New Jersey, was commissioned in January 1962. She made a shakedown cruise on the Great Lakes and, in the Fall of 1962, took part in Cuban Missile Crisis operations in the Caribbean. In February 1963 Lawrence began the first of more than a dozen overseas cruises, steaming across the Atlantic to join the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. Further Mediterranean tours took place in 1964, 1965, 1966-67, 1968, 1969-70, 1971, 1977-78 and 1979. During the latter cruise, in June 1979, she briefly visited the Black Sea. Lawrence also passed through the 6th Fleet area en route to deployments in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf areas that took place in 1974-75, 1980 and 1983. The much-travelled destroyer made one Vietnam War tour to the Western Pacific in 1972-73, providing naval gunfire suport, dodging enemy return fire and serving as plane guard during aircraft carrier operations. Lawrence also saw frequent service closer to home, in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, and occasionally visited the waters of Northern Europe. In 1986 she steamed around South America as part of Operation Unitas XVII, exercising with Latin American navies and visiting ports in Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil. USS Lawrence was decommissioned in late March 1990 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register a few months later. She was sold in April 1994, but was repossessed in October 1996 after the failure of the ship breaking firm. Following over two more years in Navy custody, Lawrence's hulk was again sold for scrapping in February 1999.
Captain James Lawrence The youngest of eleven children, James Lawrence was born in Burlington on October 1, 1781. His parents were Tories who had entertained the Hessian commander as a dinner guest at their home during the
American Revolution, but when the war ended, they remained in America. James was sent to study law at the age of 13, but proved an uncooperative student. Eventually, he was permitted to join the Navy as a midshipman in 1798, and gained experience in action against the Barbary pirates. Commissioned a Lieutenant in 1802, he was a member of
Stephen Decatur's raiding party which destroyed the U.S.S. Philadelphia in Tripoli harbor after it was captured by the Tripolitans in 1804. During the War of 1812, Lawrence commanded the
U.S.S. Hornet, which captured the
H.M.S. Peacock, and was promoted to Captain as a result. On June 1, 1813, commanding a new and untrained crew on the 49-gun frigate U.S.S. Chesapeake off Boston, Lawrence accepted a challenge from Philip Bowes Vere Broke, captain of the 38-gun H.M.S. Shannon. Four years Lawrence's senior, Broke had commanded the Shannon for six years, and had the best trained crew in the Royal Navy. In less than 15 minutes, Lawrence's crew was overwhelmed. Mortally wounded, Lawrence shouted, "Tell the men to fire faster and not to give up the ship; fight her till she sinks!" True to his words, every officer in the Chesapeake's chain of command fought until he was either killed or wounded. Even so, the battle was lost in under an hour, the Chesapeake was captured, and Lawrence died four days later, leaving his wife and a daughter. In honor of Captain Lawrence, a group of women stitched the words
"Don't Give Up The Ship" into a flag. The flag was presented to
Oliver Hazard Perry, commander of the U.S.S. Lawrence - named for Captain Lawrence - in the summer of 1813. Perry went on to capture an entire squadron of British ships in the battle of Lake Erie, on September 13, though not before every officer on the Lawrence - except for Perry and his 13-year-old brother - was either killed or wounded. Lawrence's words became the motto of the U.S. Navy, which has named numerous ships in his honor, and Perry's flag now hangs in a place of honor at the United States Naval Academy. Copies may be seen at other Navy installations and, of course, in Burlington.
Far less well known is Lawrence's last command to his crew - "Burn her!"
Birthplace of Captain James Lawrence, USN (1781-1813)
Photograph taken during the 1940s of the double house in Burlington, New Jersey, where James Lawrence was born on 1 October 1781. The author James Fenimore Cooper was born in the house on the left.
Courtesy of the Public Information Office for the Department of Conservation and Economic Development, State of New Jersey.
U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.
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