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Saves American Ships from Capture by the English in 1812
the old officer, therefore, passed my commission up to the captain of the schooner, who,
having read it, said he recognized me as consul, but was a good deal annoyed at being
detained even a dav, before he could visit the city and forward important letters to various cor-
respondents of his owners. I told him I would facilitate his intentions by all the means in my
power, and added, that as there could be no doubt the information to be thus conveyed was of a
character highly important to all Americans in charge of vessels and property in neighboring
ports, I thought he should communicate freely with me, whose duty it was to protect the inter-
ests of his countrymen within my reach. He said that, being intrusted with a commission
affecting the private interests of the house who had dispatched the vessel, he was not at liberty
to say more. Apprehending that he might not be willing to say more or speak out in the presence
of another, I asked the old Swede if he would land me on the rocks in sight of the schooner and
allow me the use of his skiff, that I might have a confidential talk with the captain. Consenting
to this, I rowed out alone in the boat and told the captain of the schooner that I feared war
had been declared against England, and if so, I ought to be informed, as there were millions of
dollars at stake, which I could protect and secure if I were clearly advised of the fact. He
repeated his former assertion that he had a commission to perform for his owners, and he would
not go beyond that. I directed his attention to a fleet of several hundred vessels lying in
Winga Roads, distant a mile from the quarantine grounds. I told him I knew over forty Amer-
ican vessels in that fleet waiting English convoy, and of course under the guns of British cruis-
ers. I told him the English had great facilities in receiving and forwarding all important
information affecting their interests, and that, doubtless, the English admiral would have the
information within a day or two, and it would be a lasting sorrow to him to know that one word
in confidence to me might have saved millions to his countrymen, which otherwise, by his
silence, would be captured by an enemy. At this he was much agitated, and said that he could
not, in that view of the case, remain silent. He said war was declared by an act of Congress
on the 17th day of June, and that on the next day Commodore Rogers had sailed to look for
British cruisers off Halifax, and no doubt hostilities had commenced.
“ Having obtained this important information, with a strong fair wind, I hurried back
to the city and hastily assembled the Americans in my office. I astonished and startled
them by the news I had obtained. Some of them were captains of vessels lying down in
the roads under convoy, and were crazy to get to their ships.
“ The wind, which had been so fair to bring me up to the city, was now almost a gale
against a passage down. It was suggested that we should all set to work writing a circular
which I prepared, and that a horse and carriage should be procured, with which two or three
of the number should proceed to Marstrand, a seaport a few miles to windward, from which, by
boat, the fleet could easily be reached and the circulars delivered to the American vessels,
warning them unless they weighed their anchors and ran up the river above the Swedish
batteries, they were liable at any moment to British capture. All parties were cautioned to keep
strict silence in the city until these vessels were secured. Happily, the expedition to Marstrand
and thence to the fleet was a success^ and before the next morning the vessels, over forty in
number, were safe under the protection of Swedish batteries, to the great surprise of the British
officers, who wondered what had got into the Yankees that they had all gone up the river.’
In this way, and by his sagacity and energetic promptness, Mr. Smith
saved from capture, by the British warships which were lying outside, the
s
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