James Barron
Encyclopedia
James Barron was an officer in the United States Navy
. Commander of the frigate
USS Chesapeake
, he was court-martialed for his actions on 22 June 1807, which led to the surrender of his ship to the British.
, the son of a merchant captain named James Barron who became Commodore of the tiny Virginia State Navy
during the American Revolution
. He was a younger brother of Samuel Barron (1765-1810)
. As a boy, Barron served in the Virginia State Navy with his father in the final years of the American Revolutionary War
.
. Barron demonstrated superior seamanship abilities as an officer of the frigate
United States
. Two years later, he was promoted to Captain
and commanded the sloop-of-war Warren
during the final months of the Quasi-War
with France
. He served in the First Barbary War
in the Mediterranean and supervised the construction of a gunboat
.
Barron commanded the frigate
USS Chesapeake
as a commodore. On June 22, 1807, his ship was involved in the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, which preceded and helped cause the War of 1812
. The British
frigate HMS Leopard
hailed his frigate outside of Hampton Roads
and asked to search for British Navy deserters. Barron refused. The Leopard then opened fire on the Chesapeake, killing three crewmen and wounding eighteen. Caught completely unprepared for battle, Barron surrendered. A British party boarded his ship and took away four alleged deserters.
At a court-martial
, Barron was convicted of not preparing his ship in advance for possible action, and was suspended for 5 years without pay. John Rodgers
was the president of the court-martial, and Stephen Decatur
was a member. When Barron finally returned to duty, he remained controversial and was greatly criticized. Commodore Stephen Decatur
, a former subordinate, was one of the most vocal. Barron challenged Stephen Decatur to a duel
with pistols, which they fought on March 22, 1820. Barron was seriously injured in the leg, and Decatur was fatally wounded.
Barron remained in the Navy on shore duty, becoming the Navy's senior officer in 1839. He died in Norfolk, Virginia
on April 21, 1851. His personal papers, which primarily relate to the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, can be found in the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Commander of the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
USS Chesapeake
USS Chesapeake (1799)
USS Chesapeake was a 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was one of the original six frigates whose construction was authorized by the Naval Act of 1794. Joshua Humphreys designed these frigates to be the young navy's capital ships...
, he was court-martialed for his actions on 22 June 1807, which led to the surrender of his ship to the British.
Early life
Barron was born in Hampton, VirginiaHampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
, the son of a merchant captain named James Barron who became Commodore of the tiny Virginia State Navy
Virginia State Navy
A Virginia State Navy existed twice. During the American Revolutionary War, the provisional government of the Virginia Colony authorized the purchase, outfitting, and manning of armed vessels to protect the colony's waters from threats posed it by the Royal Navy.Early in the American Civil War,...
during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. He was a younger brother of Samuel Barron (1765-1810)
Samuel Barron (1765-1810)
Samuel Barron was a United States Navy officer. He was an older brother of Commodore James Barron, also a US Navy officer.-Early Life:...
. As a boy, Barron served in the Virginia State Navy with his father in the final years of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Military career
On March 9, 1798, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the newly created United States NavyUnited States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. Barron demonstrated superior seamanship abilities as an officer of the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
United States
USS United States (1797)
USS United States was a wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy and the first of the six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794...
. Two years later, he was promoted to Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
and commanded the sloop-of-war Warren
USS Warren (1799)
The third USS Warren was a sloop-of-war that served in the United States Navy from 1799 to 1801.-Construction and commissioning:Warren was a copper-sheathed sloop-of-war contracted for at Newburyport, Massachusetts, but actually built by an association of shipbuilders at Salisbury, Massachusetts...
during the final months of the Quasi-War
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...
with France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He served in the First Barbary War
First Barbary War
The First Barbary War , also known as the Barbary Coast War or the Tripolitan War, was the first of two wars fought between the United States and the North African Berber Muslim states known collectively as the Barbary States...
in the Mediterranean and supervised the construction of a gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
.
Barron commanded the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
USS Chesapeake
USS Chesapeake (1799)
USS Chesapeake was a 38-gun wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was one of the original six frigates whose construction was authorized by the Naval Act of 1794. Joshua Humphreys designed these frigates to be the young navy's capital ships...
as a commodore. On June 22, 1807, his ship was involved in the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, which preceded and helped cause the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. The British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
frigate HMS Leopard
HMS Leopard
Eleven vessels of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Leopard after the leopard:* The first Leopard was a 34-gun ship launched in 1635 and captured by the Dutch in 1653....
hailed his frigate outside of Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
and asked to search for British Navy deserters. Barron refused. The Leopard then opened fire on the Chesapeake, killing three crewmen and wounding eighteen. Caught completely unprepared for battle, Barron surrendered. A British party boarded his ship and took away four alleged deserters.
At a court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
, Barron was convicted of not preparing his ship in advance for possible action, and was suspended for 5 years without pay. John Rodgers
John Rodgers (naval officer, War of 1812)
John Rodgers was a senior naval officer in the United States Navy who served under six Presidents for nearly four decades during its formative years in the 1790s through the late 1830s, committing the greater bulk of his adult life to his country...
was the president of the court-martial, and Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur, Jr. , was an American naval officer notable for his many naval victories in the early 19th century. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Worcester county, the son of a U.S. Naval Officer who served during the American Revolution. Shortly after attending college Decatur...
was a member. When Barron finally returned to duty, he remained controversial and was greatly criticized. Commodore Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur, Jr. , was an American naval officer notable for his many naval victories in the early 19th century. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Worcester county, the son of a U.S. Naval Officer who served during the American Revolution. Shortly after attending college Decatur...
, a former subordinate, was one of the most vocal. Barron challenged Stephen Decatur to a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
with pistols, which they fought on March 22, 1820. Barron was seriously injured in the leg, and Decatur was fatally wounded.
Barron remained in the Navy on shore duty, becoming the Navy's senior officer in 1839. He died in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
on April 21, 1851. His personal papers, which primarily relate to the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, can be found in the Special Collections Research Center at the College of William & Mary.