by John Marshall

“ And you must recollect that circumstance, Sir, which happened towards the end of the action, when the United States was observed making sail to get from under our lee; and as we had not a yard standing except the foreyard, with a small piece of the foresail, the helm was put a weather as a last resource, to try and lay her on board on the weather quarter, when the fore brace was shot away, and the sail fell aback and prevented us. At that moment every man was on deck, several, who had lost an arm, and the universal cheer was, ‘Let us conquer or die’. ”

“ The Macedonian had been fought with such determined gallantry, and such persevering intrepidity, as to give the officers and men an honor, that was as justly merited as it wag pure and untainted; and it was only now attempted to, be blown upon by the noble Lord. He would state one fact respecting the courageous and dauntless character maintained by the crew of that frigate in the extremity and crisis of danger. ”

“ I now do so, as an officer who has served his country nearly twenty-eight years; and having been frequently in action with the enemy, in no instance did I ever see men more devoted to the honor and service of their country than the ship’s company of the Macedonian. ”

“ The Commodore also publicly declared to Captain Carden, that there was not a seaman in his ship who had not served from five to twelve years in a British man of war! These indisputable facts being duly considered, as also the disparity of force above stated, we feel assured that our readers will join with us in allowing that, although victory did not attend the exertions of Captain Carden and his brave companions, the Macedonian “did all that human nature could effect, and that the names of her defenders deserve to be handed down to posterity with love and admiration [16] .” ”

“ Would the noble Lord call these men depressed and heartless, who were not only susceptible of such manly and generous feelings, but who were capable of giving to them, even in the bitter moments of bodily anguish, and inevitable death, the energetic tone and expression so truly characteristic of British seamen? ”

“ The manner in which Captain Carden was received by his generous enemy, after the surrender of the Macedonian, is worthy of mention. On presenting his sword to Commodore Decatur, the latter started back, declared he never could take the sword of a man who had so nobly defended the honor of it, requested the hand of that gallant officer, whom it had been his fortune in war to subdue, and added, that though he could not claim any merit for capturing a ship so inferior, he felt assured Captain Carden would gain much, by his persevering and truly gallant defence [14] . ”

“ The precision of the fire from the Macedonian was never more observable than on the evening of the 6th of August, 1812, when a French lugger was chased on shore under the batteries, near l’Isle d’Aix, which vessel was brought out the same evening, by the boats you did me the honor to place under my command; and to recapture which an attempt was made by the enemy, with two frigates, the following morning; but which, on the Macedonian’s approaching to gun-shot, instantly retreated to their anchorage ”

“ The Court also feels it a gratifying duty to express its admiration of the fidelity to their allegiance, and attachment to their King and Country, which the remaining crew appear to have manifested, in resisting the various insidious and repeated temptations which the enemy held out to seduce them from their duty, and which cannot fail to be fully appreciated. ”

“ On being taken on board the enemy’s ship, I ceased to wonder at the result of the battle. The United States is built with the scantling of a 74 gun-ship, mounting thirty long 24-pounders (English ship guns) on her main-deck, and twenty-two 42-pounder carronades, with two long 24-pounders on her quarter-deck and forecastle, howitzer guns in her tops [7] , and a travelling carronade on her upper-deck; with a complement of 478 picked men.
“The enemy has suffered much in masts, rigging, and hull, above and below water ”

“ The services of the navy upon this occasion, have been depressed by the misfortunes of the period, including the state of the weather, which caused the fleet to disperse, and was destructive of all order; and they have been obscured by political misrepresentations. ”

“ According to the proportions between the killed and wounded, the American slightly wounded cannot have been enumerated; a circumstance that receives confirmation from the fact, that the American officers, when questioned on the subject of their loss, told each a different story.“See James’s Nav. Occ. p. 158.
By reference to the minutes of the court-martial afterwards held on Captain Carden, &c., it will be seen that one of the Macedonian’s quarter-masters, an old British seaman, made oath, that he served his time with many of the United States’ crew, out of an English port ”