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THE U.S. NAVY FROM 1783 TO THE CIVIL WAR - 14325_135
1815 TO THE CIVIL WAR

Basic Military Requirements (BMR) Revised Edition
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Quasi War The “Quasi War” with France, 1798 - 1801, was entirely a naval war. It followed worsening diplomatic relations with France, including a refusal by the French Secretary of Foreign Affairs to receive U.S. representatives unless a bribe was paid and a loan granted. The famous expression “Millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute” originated at this time. The Quasi War was the baptism of fire for the United States Navy under the new Constitution. Barbary States War The  U.S.  Navy  was  sent  to  the  Mediterranean  to deal with the Barbary States, who were forcing other nations  to  pay  ransom  for  safe  passage  through  the Mediterranean  Sea.  During  the  campaign,  Lieutenant Stephen Decatur and 84 seamen slipped into the harbor at Tripoli on February 16, 1804, and burned the captured frigate  USS  Philadelphia  (fig.  5-3).  Not  a  single American  Sailor  was  lost.  Britain’s  Admiral  Lord Nelson described the raid as “one of the most bold and daring acts of the age.” THE WAR OF 1812 The War of 1812 was brought on, in part, because the British were impressing (forcing Americans to serve in  the  British  Navy)  American  seamen.  England impressed American seamen to make its presence felt and demonstrate its power on the American continent. On August 19, 1812, Captain Isaac Hull aboard the USS Constitution defeated the British frigate Guerriere (fig. 5-4), and the USS Constitution earned its nickname “Old Ironsides.” The victory convinced Congress and President Madison that a stronger Navy was needed to win the war and protect the country. Almost  a  year  after  Hull’s  important  victory, another famous event in our naval history occurred. On September  10,  1813,  Captain  Oliver  Hazard  Perry defeated a British squadron on Lake Erie and wrote his dispatch, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” Perry’s win cut British supply lines on the Great Lakes, gained  control  of  Lake  Erie,  and  strengthened  the American claim to the Northwest Territory. The Barbary States War and the War of 1812 saw bigger ships coming into the Navy. Typical was our first ship-of-the-line,  the  USS  Independence,  followed  by the 74-gun USS North Carolina. THE YEARS FROM 1813 TO 1815 Following  the  War  of  1812,  our  Navy  underwent technological  changes.  Before  the  Civil  War,  new scientific  advances  foreshadowed  the  incredible technologicalrevolutionthatcontinuesintotoday’sworld. One change was the use of steam. The Navy entered a  new  era,  an  era  of  the  “steam-driven  warship.” Harnessing the power of steam was the most important development in the surface Navy during the first half of the  19th  century.  Steam  began  to  replace  wind  as  a means of propulsion. It promised to eliminate some of the hazards and delays caused by ships being blown off course or left dead in the water. 5-6 Student Notes: Figure 5-3.—Lieutenant Stephen Decatur and 84 seamen slipped into Tripoli harbor and burned the captured American frigate USS Philadelphia. Figure 5-4.—During the War of 1812, Captain Isaac Hull, aboard the USS Constitution, defeated the British frigate Guerriere.







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