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THE SEA COAST ECHO, TERCENTENNIAL EDITION, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 1999-7
The Battle of Bay St. Louis
“War having been declared by the United States againt Great Britain, our volunteers had been principally engaged in severe conflicts with the Creek Indians, led by Gen. Claiborne of Natchez, and Gen. Ripley of this county',” said J.F.H. Claiborne in his Fourth of July specch in 1876 in Bay St. Louis.
“Two regiments of United States troops, under Gen. Ripley, that had long been stationed here (near the present mansion of our public-spirited fellow citizen, Alfred Ulman, Esq.) and had recruited into its ranks a number of our residents, had left for Canada.”
Contemporary accounts cite the assumption of the U.S. leadership that the War of 1812 would be fought on our northern boundary.
A December 5, 1814 letter signed only “N” was sent from Pensacola to Commodore Daniel T. Patterson, commanding the U.S. Naval station at New Orleans. The writer warned of a British fleet of 80 warships and a large body of troops that arrived at Pensacola from the West Indies on the 4th and had as its object an attack on New Orleans.
Responding to this threat to the city, Patterson sent five gunboats, a tender and dispatch boat toward the passes Mariana and Christiana under the command of Thomas Catesby Jones with orders to make a stand at the Rigo-lets and sink the enemy or be sunk.
Lieutenant Jones sent two gunboats to go as far as Dauphin Island where they found the British advance scouts Armide and Sophie.
Vice Admiral Cochrane, commanding the British expedition, reported from the Armide off Cat Island that two gunboats fired upon the Armide but couldn't sustain the action and turned around and joined three other gunboats off Biloxi. Cochrane intended to anchor at Isle au Vaisseau (Ship Island) and send troops in small boats to Bayone Castalan (or des Pecheurs) at the head of Lake Borgne.
British Rear Admiral Malcolm came up to the fleet on the 11th and anchored between Cat and Ship Island, and Jones retired to Pass Mariana and next day off Bay St. Louis, obeying orders to avoid being cut off from the Rigolets. Cochrane, on the 12th, put the vessels under the command of Capt. Locklear of the Sophie, aided by Captains Mon-tressor and Roberts, against Jones who then determined to take station near the
Malheureux (unfortunate) islands. About 2 p.m. on the 13th, the British boats were at Pass Christian. The water was so low because of westerly wind, that three of the gunboats could not get afloat, even by throwing overboard all that could be spared, until floodtide at 3:30.
Three of the British boats entered Bay St. Louis to cut off the schooner Seahorse that Jones had sent in to remove the stores deposited there. A few shots drove the barges out of range, but they were reinforced by four others, and the attack renewed.
Sailing-master Johnson of the Seahorse was supported in the fight by a shore battery of two 6-pounders, and after a sharp action of 30 minutes, the enemy drew off, with one boat damaged and several men killed or wounded. But it was necessary at 7:30 to blow up the schooner and burn the storehouse.
Claiborne, in his patriotic speech, said that a regiment of militia from the interior had been stationed in Bay St. Louis for several days to oppose the landing of the enemy.
“They had two pieces of cannon in position. When the British flotilla approached to cut off the Seahorse, the militia became nervous and began to break ranks,” Claiborne said.
“Most of our citizens were on the bluff, and an invalid lady from Natchez exclaimed, ‘My God, Colonel, fire one for the honor of the country?’
“The gallant colonel probably did not hear these words, for he was rapidly retiring, followed by the bulk of his men and their first halt was at the Big-spring beyond Ho-bo-li-chitto.
“The lady called for a light. The late John B. Toulme, then a youth, courteously handed his cigarette, and she discharged the cannon amidst the plaudits of our people.
“A number of our young men, led by Mr. Toulme, who know the route through the marshes and bayous, went in pirogues with their rifles and took part in the defense of New Orleans.”
Jones, in his final report to his superiors in 1815, “after having sufficiently recovered my strength,” described the events of December 1814.
“At 3:45, the enemy dispatched three boats to cut out the schooner Seahorse, which had been sent into the Bay St. Louis that morning to assist in the
removal of the public stores, which I had previously ordered. There finding a removal impractical, I ordered preparations to be made for their destruction lest they fall into the enemy’s hands. A few discharges of grape-shot from the Seahorse compelled the three boats, which had attacked her, to retire out of reach of her gun, until they were joined by four others when the attack was recommenced by the seven boats. Mr. Johnson having chosen an advantageous position near the two six-pounders mounted on the bank, maintained a sharp action for near 30 minutes. The enemy hauled off, having one boat apparently much injured, and with the loss of several men killed and wounded. At 7:30, an explosion at the bay, and soon after a large fire, induced me to believe the Seahorse was blown up and the public storehouse set on fire, which has proven to be the fact.”
While Jones drove the British from Bay St. Louis, the adversaries engaged in battle in the Mississippi Sound off the Malheureux islands the next day.
Jones continued, “About 1 a.m. on the 14th, the wind having entirely died away, and our vessels became unmanageable, came to anchor in the west end of Malheureux island’s passage. At daylight next morning, still a perfect calm, the enemy’s flotilla was about nine miles from us at anchor, but soon got in motion and rapidly advanced on us."
Jones’ account continued with details of the two adversaries maneuvering their vessels for confrontation. In the ensuing battle, Jones was wounded and forced to turn over command to George Parker, master’s mate. The action continued “with unabating severity until 40 minutes past 12 o'clock when it terminated with the surrender of no. 23, all the other vessels having previously fallen into the hands of the enemy.
“In this unequal contest our loss in killed and wounded has been trifling Continued on next page
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