June 18th of this year marked the bicentennial of the Anglo-American War of 1812. It was a conflict that forged some of America's most celebrated naval icons, including Isaac Hull, Oliver Hazard Perry, James Lawrence, and Stephen Decatur, Jr., to name a few. Those who have read the histories will not soon forget Perry's heroics at the Battle of Lake Erie (exploits that earned him the moniker "The Hero of Lake Erie") or Lawrence's dying command, "Don't give up the ship!"
Yet, even among this pantheon of naval officers, one star shines especially bright: Commodore Stephen Decatur, Jr., USN. Decatur's dauntless exploits in the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812 made him a national hero and legend. It turns out that he had a few things in common with another naval legend: Captain James Fitzjames, RN. Both men were noted for their handsome appearances and winning personalities; both implemented clever disguises and narrowly escaped danger in the vicinity of the Middle East. Decatur and Fitzjames were also talented artists: Decatur constructed model ships, while Fitzjames made gorgeous drawings that appear almost photographic. And, sadly, both men died tragic, painful, and very untimely deaths. Decatur lost his life in a duel with fellow officer James Barron, while Fitzjames met his demise on the unforgiving wastes of King William Island, Nunavut.
According to Decatur's Wikipedia entry, a seaman present at his funeral exclaimed, "He was the friend of the flag, the sailor's friend; the navy has lost its mainmast." I think two very storied navies lost their mainmasts with the passing of these remarkable, strikingly similar gentlemen.
I like this coincidence and agree with you, it seems that the history lost prematurely two remarkable men.
ReplyDeleteI´ve always been fascinated of how illustrated were the Navy officers in that time. They were artists, musicians, modelers, almost writers, etc.
Sadly, I became aware of this thing while watching the film "Master and Commander" film that I like a lot by the way. (I say "sadly" for not having learned it from the history books).
Yes, a lot of 18th and 19th century naval officers were regular Renaissance men! Some of the admirals in the Pacific Theater of World War II were well-rounded individuals, too. Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, USN, comes to mind....
DeleteI've never seen "Master and Commander" (tried to read the book years ago, though), but I can recommend the "Horatio Hornblower" miniseries from A&E, if you haven't already seen that.
Interesting post :) but, I must say J. Fitzjames was better looking than his American counterpart ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, because Decatur looks different in every portrait I've seen of him! We're lucky to have an existing daguerreotype of Fitzjames. Have you had a chance to read his biography by William Battersby? There's a very nice portrait of Fitz in profile among the illustration plates.
ReplyDeleteThank you very very much for the recomendation about the miniserie. I am going to try to get it. I am a pasionate of the sea stories.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing you mentioned happen with Franklin. Though in general his features are very similar, his face isn´t allways exactly the same, sometimes nothing to do. For example, it seems that his eyes in the bust of him in the Websminster abbey (dashing and penetrating) are completely different from his eyes in the other pictures of him .
Take a look at this site, it is very interesting, I´ve found an unknown picture (at least for me) of Franklin but nothing from Fitzjames:
http://www.portrait.gov.au/site/collection_info.php?searchtype=basic&searchstring=sir%20john%20franklin&irn=1781&acno=2010.102&onshow=no
Just been watching an episode of the 60's sci fi series The Time Tunnel where Stephen Decateur is featured,although he is not in it that much,It concerns fighting pirates of the Barbary coast.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the good Commodore is doing well! The Barbary pirates were a ferocious bunch. Boatswain's mate Reuben James reputedly threw himself over Decatur to deflect a sword blow AND SURVIVED! I do recommend you check out some of the Wikipedia pages on Decatur and the Barbary Wars. Thanks for your comment!
ReplyDelete(late reply) No, I haven't had a chance to get Battersby's book )=
ReplyDeleteMore relevant to the post, I knew Decatur's name was familiar! Take a look at them apples:
http://suite101.com/article/decatur-house-haunted-by-war-hero-commodore-stephen-decatur-a233096
You're right, the Decatur House was his residence! If Stephen is still hanging around, I might have to pay him a visit....
DeleteYou will enjoy Battersby's book immensely!
I cannot describe how I am enjoying the "Horatio Hornblower" serie, thank you very much again. It´s amazing how powerful can be the combination between Youtube and the program "Movier". I can´t help imagining how would be a serie about the whole life of Sir John Franklin. Though I am missing part of the discurse (especially the scenes belowdecks because the noise) I am understanding it reasonable well.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that you are able to view it! Start writing the script for that Franklin series! ;)
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