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“Can you imagine how I felt when we arrived in Boston …

… and saw the crowd cheering – for us, ordinary sailors! I am so proud that our very first battle is being heralded as one of the most brilliant naval victories ever achieved. I will always feel a strong bond with the ship that brought us this good fortune and protected me from harm.”

What happened to the crew?

Constitution’s sailors returned victorious three times during the War of 1812. Sailors enjoyed their success and received extra pay called prize money. Eventually, they returned to their ordinary lives with just the memory of an extraordinary moment.

Not all sailors were so lucky. Some were injured in battle, others didn’t return at all.

British prisoner

What happened to the British prisoners in Boston?

Officers gave their word of honor that they would not attempt to escape from captivity or fight against the enemy again until properly exchanged. HMS Guerriere’s officers were given parole as soon as Constitution reached Boston. British Royal Navy Captain James Richard Dacres took up residence in Boston, and other officers settled west of the city in Concord, Massachusetts.

Sailors lived on prison ships. Guerriere’s enlisted men stayed on an old hulk moored in the Charles River, near the Charlestown bridge. A plank walkway from Pond Street gave visitors access. The prisoners became a diversion in wartime Boston, and many Bostonians paid the ship a visit.

According to one Bostonian, the prisoners “led an easy life, and lived ‘on the fat of the land,’ faring better than they had ever dreamed of…Try to run away? Not a bit of it; for here they read, and sang, and danced, and rigged their miniature vessels, and carved their beef-bone ornaments, or chains of wooden links, ‘happy as clams at high water.’”

Today's Crew: What does Constitution mean to you?

Today's Crew: What does ‘thank you for your service’ mean to you?

Stories from artifacts at the USS Constitution Museum

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British prisoner

What happened to the British prisoners in Boston?

Officers gave their word of honor that they would not attempt to escape from captivity or fight against the enemy again until properly exchanged. Guerriere’s officers were given parole as soon as Constitution reached Boston. Captain Dacres took up residence in Boston, and other officers settled west of the city in Concord.

Sailors lived on prison ships. Guerriere’s enlisted men stayed on an old hulk moored in the Charles River, near the Charlestown bridge. A plank walkway from Pond Street gave visitors access. The prisoners became a diversion in wartime Boston, and many Bostonians paid the ship a visit.

According to one Bostonian, the prisoners “led an easy life, and lived ‘on the fat of the land,’ faring better than they had ever dreamed of…Try to run away? Not a bit of it; for here they read, and sang, and danced, and rigged their miniature vessels, and carved their beef-bone ornaments, or chains of wooden links, ‘happy as clams at high water.’”

Sailor

What happened to the crew?

Constitution’s sailors returned victorious three times during the War of 1812. Sailors enjoyed their success and received extra pay called prize money. Eventually, they returned to their ordinary lives with just the memory of an extraordinary moment.

Not all sailors were so lucky. Some were injured in battle, others didn’t return at all.

USS Constitution

USS Constitution

Became an inspiration

For it’s impressive strength in battle, USS Constitution earned the nickname “Old Ironsides.” The ship’s unprecedented success in the War of 1812 helped define the young United States, and Constitution emerged as a national symbol that endures today.

William Bush

William Bush

Killed in action

Lewis Bush learned of his brother’s death in a letter:

“[William Bush] mounted the taffrail, sword in hand and as he exclaimed ‘Shall I board her’ received the fatal ball in his left check… Thus fell that great and good officer who when living was beloved & now gone is deeply regretted by his country & friends but he died as he lived, with honor to both.” – John Contee, Lt. Marines, September 13, 1812

A descendant of Lewis Bush carried this letter with him while serving in World War II to gain strength from the memory of his brave ancestor.

James Campbell

James Campbell

Became a pirate

I am told I have a gift for verse. I give the public what they hunger for, stories of Constitution‘s victories set to a jaunty tune. My songs are printed for all to enjoy and can be heard sung in taverns across the city.

James Campbell later settled near Galveston, TX.  He died in 1856 at the age of 70.

Moses Smith

Moses Smith

Wrote a book

I have been entertaining friends and strangers alike for years with stories of my adventures on “Old Ironsides.” At the ripe age of 63 a publisher convinced me to put my name to a book on the subject. My Naval Scenes in the Last War will be out soon.

Moses Smith’s book was published in 1846. He died at the Sailor’s Home in Quincy in 1870, aged 87 years.

Ezekiel Darling

Ezekiel Darling

Went blind

I first joined Constitution‘s crew as a boy of 11. By the age of 23, during the Guerriere battle, I was the Ship’s gunner. Twenty years later I won the post of lighthouse keeper on Marblehead Neck. I kept that place in perfect order, but all my staring at the lamps and lenses made my eyes grow dim.

After 25 years as lighthouse keeper, Ezekiel Darling, 70 years old and blind, retired. He died in 1865.

John Love

John Love

Murdered

When the war was done, I headed to Lake Erie to try my fortune. By careful management and shrewd investing, I increased my store of cash. In 1824 I lent at interest a considerable sum to Israel, Nelson, and Isaac Thayer. It’s about time they pay me what I’m due.

The Thayer brothers brutally murdered John Love at their home in Boston, NY on the night of December 15, 1824.  For their crime, they were hanged in Buffalo in June 1825.

Thomas Chew

Thomas Chew

Got married

I served as Constitution’s Purser when we fought Guerriere. After the battle I stayed in the Boston Navy Yard to settle the Ship’s accounts. It was my job to send Guerriere’s captured flag to Washington. A few weeks later, I married Abigail Hallam. Together we had seven “little pursers.”

Chew died in 1846 at the age of 69. The memory of Chew and the love he and his wife, Abby shared are kept alive through the survival of letters she wrote while he was away, as well as tokens of his affection such as coral jewelry he brought back for her from his time in the Mediterranean.

Pardon Mawney Whipple

Pardon Mawney Whipple

Saved lives

Serving in the Mediterranean in 1821 I had occasion to rescue ten sailors from storm-toss’d boats. Though these deeds brought me some glory, I now realize they were rash because – perhaps as a result – I contracted the Wasting Disease. This has ended my service in the navy, and I fear may also end me.

Whipple’s worst fears came true when he died from tuberculosis in 1827 at the age of 37. In his will, Whipple left his French books, and his shell and mineral collection to his sweetheart, Eliza.

Richard Dunn

Richard Dunn

Lost a leg

I suffered a terrific wound in my leg during the battle with Guerriere and the surgeon sawed it off. Because of this, I received a lifetime pension of $6.00/month and Captain Hull collected $1,000 in donations for me. And for the next 25 years, he found me work aboard every ship he served on.

Dunn died at age 76 on February 1, 1863.

Mary Cheever

Mary Cheever

Lost sons

My sons, Joseph and John both died fighting on board Constitution. Without them to support me, I was penniless. Congress helped by awarding me $100 a year, and Captain Bainbridge kindly agreed that the money designated to pay for decorations at his victory dinner go to me instead. Nothing can ease the pain of losing my boys.

African American sailor

Jesse Williams

Captured by the British

I helped Constitution earn victories over Guerriere and Java. Later I fought in the successful Battle of Lake Erie for which my state of Pennsylvania awarded me a medal. My luck ran out while assigned to USS Scorpion. The British captured us and we became prisoners of war until the peace treaty was signed. 

Williams received the equivalent of 2 1/2 years of wages in prize money. He slips out of history after 1830, when he was living alone in Strasburg Township, Pennsylvania.