James Lawrence
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| James Lawrence | |
|---|---|
| October 1, 1781 – June 4, 1813 (aged 31) | |
 Captain James Lawrence, USN |
|
| Place of birth | Burlington, New Jersey |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/branch | 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 the 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.
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[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 in the ship USS Ganges and 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.
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.
He was buried with military honors in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but reinterred at Trinity Church in New York City. He left behind a wife and daughter.
His death would be 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.
[edit] Legacy
Many places are named for Captain Lawrence, including:
- Lawrence County, Indiana
- Lawrence County, Missouri
- Lawrence County, Ohio
- Lawrence County, Kentucky
- Lawrence County, Alabama
- Lawrence County, Tennessee
- Lawrenceburg, Tennessee
- Lawrenceville, Georgia
- Lawrenceville and Lawrence County, Illinois
- Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, as well as nearby Lawrence County, Pennsylvania
- Lawrence Township, Mercer County, New Jersey and its Lawrenceville neighborhood.
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.
- The first USS Lawrence was a brig which acted as then-Master Commandant Oliver Perry's flagship during the Battle of Lake Erie until she was destroyed in that action.
- The second USS Lawrence was also a brig, serving from 1843-1846.
- The third USS Lawrence (DD-8) was a 400-ton destroyer, commissioned in 1903 and serving until 1920.
- The fourth USS Lawrence (DD-250) was a Clemson-class destroyer, serving from 1921 to 1945
- The fifth USS Lawrence (DDG-4) was a Charles F. Adams-class destroyer . Commissioned in 1962, she served until 1994.
Relatives of Captain James Lawrence live in Massachusetts currently, and a few of his descendents now reside in New Jersey, Kentucky, South Carolina, California and Atlanta.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Crocker III, H. W. (2006). Don't Tread on Me. New York: Crown Forum, 98. ISBN 9781400053636.
- ^ The City of Burlington School District. URL accessed 5 January 2005; verified 12 September 2006.
David Lawrence, Professor James Barnes Lawrence and Harriette Hayes Lawrence are descendants of Captain James Lawrence. David, James Barnes, and Harriette Hayes are the children of Adelbert Lionel Lawrence 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.
- Albert Gleaves. James Lawrence, Captain, United States Navy, Commander of the 'Chesapeake'. 1904.
- Peter Padfield. Broke and the Shannon. 1968.
- H.F. Pullen. The Shannon and the Chesapeake. 1970.
