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The Chesapeake–Leopard affair was a naval engagement off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, on June 22, 1807, between the British fourth-rate HMS Leopard and the American frigate USS Chesapeake. The crew of Leopard pursued, attacked, and boarded the American frigate, looking for deserters from the Royal Navy. [1] Chesapeake was caught unprepared ...
HMS Leopard was a 50-gun Portland class fourth rate of the Royal Navy. She served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , and was notable for the actions of her captain in 1807, which were emblematic of the tensions that later erupted in the War of 1812 between Britain and America.
The event, now known as the Chesapeake–Leopard affair, angered the American public and government and was a precipitating factor that led to the War of 1812. As a result of the affair, Chesapeake ' s commanding officer, James Barron, was court-martialed and the United States instituted the Embargo Act of 1807 against the United Kingdom.
On June 22, 1807, his ship was involved in the Chesapeake–Leopard affair, an engagement that resulted in the defeat and capture of Barron's ship, one in a long line of such British incursions. The British ship of the line HMS Leopard hailed his frigate outside of Hampton Roads and asked to search for British Navy deserters. Barron refused.
The 1807 State of the Union Address was delivered by the third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, on October 27, 1807.This address to the 10th United States Congress was given earlier than usual due to growing tensions with Great Britain and maritime rights violations, especially the Chesapeake–Leopard affair.
HMS Leopard (right) fires upon USS Chesapeake during the Chesapeake–Leopard affair. 1807, June 22 Chesapeake–Leopard affair – HMS Leopard boards USS Chesapeake; 1811, May 16 Little Belt affair – USS President fires on HMS Little Belt; 1812, June 18 – USS Essex captures HMS Alert
On June 26, 1807, Decatur was appointed to command Chesapeake, a 38-gun frigate, along with command of all gunboats at Norfolk. [116] Chesapeake had just returned to Norfolk after repairs to damage incurred during the Chesapeake–Leopard affair. Barron had just been relieved of command following his court martial over the incident.
June 22 – The Chesapeake–Leopard affair: The British warship HMS Leopard captures and boards the USS Chesapeake. July 1 – Pike Expedition ends. August 17 – The Clermont, Robert Fulton's first American steamboat, leaves New York City for Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world.