Martinique in 1808. He
spent the next four years
off the coast of Spain,
providing valuable ser-
vice to forces resisting
Napoleon’s invasion. In
light of his excellent sea-
manship and daring,
Cockburn rose to rear ad-
miral in August 1812. His
fortunes took an auspi-
cious turn that fall, when
orders arrived transfer-
ring him to Bermuda as
part of Adm. John Bor-
lase Warren’s squadron.
Furthermore, he was in-
structed to raid the shores
of Chesapeake Bay, de-
stroy supplies, and in
every way increase Amer-
ican discomfiture.
Cockburn arrived at
Chesapeake Bay in Feb-
ruary 1813, and the fol-
lowing April he success-
fully raided the port of
Frenchtown, Maryland.
Resistance was slight, but
the British tars and marines were allowed to
burn and loot the various warehouses located
there. Cockburn then set his sights upon an-
other easy target, Havre de Grace, Maryland,
which he successfully stormed on May 2, 1813.
The town was largely undefended save for the
exertions of a lone, elderly Irish artillerist,
who was captured. Cockburn chivalrously al-
lowed his prisoner to be freed, then summarily
burned most of the town. Consequently, the
admiral was roundly condemned for allowing
his men free reign once ashore, and editor
Joseph Gales of the National Intelligencerin
Washington, D.C., published several scathing
commentaries in particular. Unfazed by criti-
cism or growing notoriety, Cockburn subse-
quently rendezvoused with Warren for a joint
assault against Craney Island, Virginia, on
June 22, 1813. However, the large militia garri-
son, assisted by the crew
and guns of the frigate
USS Constellation,resis-
ted gamely, and the
British drew off with con-
siderable losses. The ex-
peditionary force then
proceeded to Hampton,
Virginia, which was taken
after a brief struggle on
June 25, 1813.
Hampton proved to be
one of the war’s most con-
troversial actions. When
Cockburn, as usual, per-
mitted his men to loot and
raze the town, soldiers of
the Canadian Chasseurs
(former French prisoners
of war fighting for En-
gland) went on a ram-
page, raping and murder-
ing several individuals.
The American press ex-
ploded in denunciation of
Cockburn and his pirati-
cal practices, which also
came under criticism
from the English govern-
ment. Nonetheless, the admiral, reveling in his
unpopularity, always carefully gleaned cap-
tured newspapers while ashore, making note
of what was being said about him in the Ameri-
can press. In light of the National Intelli-
gencer’s unceasing vitriol, he hoped to arrange
a close encounter with editor Gales, whom he
contemptuously called “Josey.”
The tempo of Cockburn’s raiding activi-
ties increased exponentially in the summer
of 1814, when he was reinforced by Adm.
Alexander Cochrane and a brigade of
Wellington’s Peninsula veterans under Gen.
Robert Ross. At that time the British gov-
ernment adopted an official policy of puni-
tive measures against public property in re-
taliation for American depredations
committed in Canada. Thus, Cockburn’s ma-
rauding activities anticipated by severalCOCKBURN, SIRGEORGE
Sir George Cockburn
National Maritime Museum