Mortally wounded commander of USS Chesapeake, Capt. James Lawrence, gives the order ‘Don’t give up the ship’ 210 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 1 1813)

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Video: 'The War of 1812' (June 1, 1813, at 54:20)

(Tuesday, June 1, 1813, the two ships opened fire just before 6:00 local time; during the Capture of USS Chesapeake, part of the War of 1812) — The mortally wounded commander of the USS Chesapeake, American naval officer James Lawrence, gave the order “Don’t give up the ship” today during a losing battle off Boston Harbor with the British frigate HMS Shannon.


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The American crew struggled to carry out their captain’s last order, with the British boarding party quickly overwhelming them.