JAMES LAWRENCE

'James Lawrence' (October 1, 1781 – June 4, 1813) was an American naval hero. 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 "Don't give up the ship!", which is still a popular naval battle cry.

Contents

Biography

Legacy

Notes

References

Biography

Lawrence was born in Burlington, New Jersey but raised in Woodbury, NJ, 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. 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, ordering his officers to "Fight her 'til she sinks and don't give up the ship" 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.

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, Lawrenceville, Georgia, Lawrenceville and Lawrence County, Illinois, and Lawrence Township, New Jersey and its Lawrenceville neighborhood. His birthplace of Burlington, New Jersey, has a Captain James Lawrence Elementary School^[1].
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.

Notes

1. 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 1960's. ~

References

★

★ 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.