In February of 1807 it was reported in America that three men had deserted the British Navy and joined the crew of the American warship the Chesapeake. When Secretary of State James Madison heard the report, he launched an investigation and discovered that the three men in question – John Strahan, William Ware, and Daniel Martin – were all American citizens who had been impressed into the British Navy. Madison, therefore, did not consider the men to be deserters.
How did the British handle the situation? Use the information on the slides below to find out.
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Disregarding Madison's conclusions, the British insisted that the three men were British deserters. The British government ordered all of its ships to be on the lookout for the Chesapeake. On June 22, 1807 the Chesapeake was near the coast of Virginia heading for the Mediterranean when the British warship Leopard spotted the American ship and hailed its crew.
The captain of the Chesapeake was John Barron. Unaware of the tension over the deserters, he brought his ship alongside the Leopard and allowed a British messenger to come aboard. When the messenger informed Barron that he was harboring deserters, Barron denied the charge and refused to allow the British to search his crew.
A few minutes after the British messenger returned to his ship, the Leopard opened fire on the Chesapeake, landing 22 shots. The Chesapeake only managed to fire one shot in return. After taking fire for 20 minutes, Barron surrendered to the British. Three of his crew were dead and 18 were wounded, including Barron himself.
The British boarded the Chesapeake and searched the crew. They found and seized the three Americans – Strahan, Ware, and Martin – as well as an actual British deserter.
President Jefferson was outraged at this clear violation of American sovereignty. However, he did not wish to provoke a war, so he waited for the British to apologize. When no apology was offered, Jefferson ordered all British ships to leave American waters. Although the British eventually returned the three kidnapped Americans, the damage was done. The American people were calling for war with Britain. |
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Do you understand the events involved in the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair? Use the Ordering Activity below to check your knowledge of the events.
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The British ordered their ships to search the Chesapeake for deserters.
The British kidnapped three Americans serving on the Chesapeake.
Secretary of State Madison investigated a report of British deserters serving on the Chesapeake.
President Jefferson ordered all British ships to leave American waters.
The British warship Leopard opened fire on the Chesapeake, killing 3 and wounding 18.
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