Admiral Cockburn, at the head of a light squadron, was most annoying to the Americans. Not only did he blockade the Chesapeake and Delaware inlets, but he scoured every creek and river. Every now and then gun-boats were sent on excursions, and marines landed to damage naval stores and arsenals. He was a kind of legalized pirate, who darted in to a harbour, bay, or port, doing every imaginable kind of mischief and running off.
About this time there were cruising off Boston two ships of equal strength, the _Shannon_ and the _Tenedos_. Captain Broke, the commander of the _Shannon_, was the senior officer, and having determined upon a combat, if it were possible to effect it, between the American frigate _Chesapeake_, then in Boston harbour, where she had passed the winter, and his own vessel, he sent the _Tenedos_ to sea, with instructions not to return for three weeks. Captain Broke had laboriously and anxiously drilled his men. He had sighted his guns and used them often. In a word, he had by long continued training brought his crew to the highest state of discipline and subordination. They could fire ball to a nicety. At sea and in harbour he had kept his men at great gun practice. He was in a position to cope with any forty-four gun frigate, belonging to the United States, for, though the _Shannon_ was only pierced for 38 guns, she carried 52. When the _Tenedos_ had put to sea, Captain Broke sent in a challenge to Captain Lawrence, of the _Chesapeake_, entreating him to try the fortunes of their respective flags in _even combat_. The _Chesapeake_ had 49 guns. Captain Broke immediately lay close into Boston Light House, and the _Chesapeake_ was quickly under weigh. It is said that Captain Lawrence had not received the challenge of his opponent when he stood out of the harbour, but, however that may be, the _Chesapeake_ was escorted to sea by a flotilla of barges and pleasure boats. Victory, indeed, was considered certain by the Americans. Nay, so very certain were the inhabitants of Boston that the _Shannon_ would either be sunk or towed into port that, counting their chickens before they were hatched, they prepared a public supper to greet the victors on their return to the harbour, with their prisoners. It was otherwise. Captain Broke saw with delight, from the masthead of the _Shannon_, that his challenge was to be satisfactorily replied to. The _Shannon_ was cleared for action, and waited for the _Chesapeake_. She had not long to wait. The _Chesapeake_ came bowling along with three flags flying, on which were inscribed--"Sailors, rights and free trade." The _Shannon_ had her union jack at the foremast, and a somewhat faded blue ensign at the mizen peak. There were two other ensigns rolled into a ball ready to be fastened to the haulyard and hoisted in case of need. But her guns were well loaded, alternately with two round shot and a hundred and fifty musket balls, and with one round and one double-headed shot in each gun. The enemy hauled up within two hundred yards of the mizen beam and cheered. The _Shannon_ cheered in return, and then the bravest held his breath for a time. A moment more and the _Shannon's_ decks flashed fire. With deliberate aim each gun along her sides was discharged, and the enemy, in passing, fired with good effect his whole broadside. The _Shannon's_ shot, however, told upon the rigging of the _Chesapeake_, and upon her men, and after two or three broad sides, the _Chesapeake_ in attempting to haul her foresail up fell on board the _Shannon_, whose starboard bower anchor locked with the _Shannon's_ mizen chains. The great guns, with the exception of the _Shannon's_ two aftermost guns ceased firing. The _Chesapeake's_ stern was beaten in, and her decks swept. There was now a sharp fire of musketry from both sides, but Captain Broke perceiving that the _Chesapeake's_ men had left their guns, called up his boarders, at the same time ordering the two ships to be lashed together. And Mr. Stevens, the _Shannon's_ boatswain, set about the execution of the latter order. His left arm was hacked off by the enemy's marines, and he was mortally wounded by a shot from the _Chesapeake's_ tops. He proceeded, nevertheless, in fastening the two ships together, and then dropped in death between the vessels. Captain Lawrence was wounded and carried below, when Captain Broke, at the head of his boarders, leapt upon the _Chesapeake's_ quarter-deck. The enemy's crew were soon overpowered and driven below. Forcing his way forward, the _Shannon's_ men shut down the _Chesapeake's_ hatches and kept up a fire on the men in the tops, while the _Shannon's_ men at the same time, under Mr. Smith, forced their way from the foreyard to the _Chesapeake's_ mainyard, and soon cleared the tops.