1813	Light Squadrons and Single Ships	210

Lieutenants Wallis and Falkiner were both deservedly made commanders. Of the acting master, Henry Gladwell Etough, Captain Broke in his official letter speaks in high terms ; also of Lieutenants of marines James Johns and John Law, and midshipmen William Smith, Hugh Cosnahan, John Samwell, Henry Martin Leake, Douglas Clavering, George Raymond, and David Littlejohn : likewise of Mr. Aldham the purser, and Mr. Dunn the clerk, both of whom were killed at the head of the small arm men. Mr. Etough, and Messieurs Smith and Cosnahan, were promoted to lieutenants. For his important achievement, and, in respect to its effect on the public mind, a most important achievement it was, Captain Broke was created a baronet ; he received, also, the formal thanks of the board of admiralty, and the warm congratulations of every well-wisher to England and his trophy, the Chesapeake, in a name by which, coupled with that of the Shannon, she will long be remembered both in England and America, was added to the British navy.

As a matter of course, a court of inquiry was held, to investigate the circumstances under which the Chesapeake had been captured. Commodore Bainbridge was the president of the court; and the following is the first article of the very " lengthy " report published on the subject: " The court are unanimously of opinion, that the Chesapeake was gallantly carried into action by her late brave commander; and no doubt rests with the court, from comparison of the injury respectively sustained by the frigates, that the fire of the Chesapeake was much superior to that of the Shannon. The Shannon, being much cut in her spars and rigging, and receiving many shot in and below the water line, was reduced almost to a sinking condition, after only a few minutes cannonading from the Chesapeake ; whilst the Chesapeake was comparatively uninjured. And the court have no doubt, if the Chesapeake had not accidentally fallen on board the Shannon, and the Shannon's anchor got foul in the after quarter-port of the Chesapeake, the Shannon must have very soon surrendered or sunk. " Some very singular admissions of misconduct in the officers and crew follow ; and then the report proceeds as follows: " From this view of the engagement and a careful examination of the evidence, the court are unanimously of opinion, that the capture of the late United States' frigate Chesapeake was occasioned by the following causes : the almost unexampled early fall of Captain Lawrence, and all the principal officers; the bugleman's desertion of his quarters, and inability to sound his horn; for the court are of opinion, if the horn had been sounded when first ordered, the men being then at their quarters, the boarders would have promptly repaired to the spar deck, probably have prevented the enemy from boarding, certainly have repelled them, and might have returned the boarding with success; and the failure of the boarders on both decks, to rally on the spar deck, after the enemy had boarded,

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