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CHAUNCEY, ISAAC (1772–1840)

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Originally appearing in Volume V06, Page 18 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.

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CHAUNCEY, ISAAC (1772–1840)

CHAUNCEY, See also:
ISAAC (Hebrew for " he laughs," on explanatory references to the name, see ABRAHAM)
ISAAC (1772–1840) , See also:

AMERICAN

American See also:

NAVAL

naval See also:

COMMANDER

commander, was See also:

BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born at See also:

Black See also:

Rock, See also:

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut, on the 20th of See also:

FEBRUARY

February 17 72. He was brought up in the See also:

MERCHANT (O. Fr. marcheant, modern marchand; from Lat. mercari, to trade, merx, goods, merchandise)

merchant service, and entered the See also:

UNITED

United States See also:

NAVY

navy as a See also:

LIEUTENANT

lieutenant in 1798. His first services were rendered against the See also:

BARBARY

Barbary pirates. During these operations, more especially at See also:

Tripoli, he greatly distinguished himself, and was voted by See also:

CONGRESS (Lat. congressus, coming together, from congredi; cum, with, and gradus, step)

Congress a See also:

SWORD (0. Eng. sweord; ultimately from an Indo-European root meaning to wound)

sword of See also:

HONOUR (Lat. honos or lwnor, honoris; in English the word was spelled with or without the u indifferently until the 17th century, but during the 18th century it became fashion-able to spell the word " honor "; Johnson's and Webster's Dictionaries stereoty

honour, which, however, does not appear to have been given him. The most active See also:

period of his See also:

LIFE

life is that of his command on the Lakes duringthe See also:

War of 1812. He took the command at Sackett's Harbor on See also:

Lake See also:

Ontario in See also:

OCTOBER

October 1812. There was at that See also:

time only one American See also:

VESSEL (O. Fr. vaissel, from a rare Lat. vascellum, dim. of vas, vase, urn)

vessel, the brig " See also:

Oneida " (16), and one armed See also:

PRIZE, or PRIZE OF WAR (Fr. prise, from prendre, to take)

prize, a See also:

SCHOONER

schooner, on the lake. But See also:

COMMODORE (a form of " commander"; in the 17th century the term " commandore " is used)

Commodore Chauncey brought from 400 to 500 See also:

OFFICERS

officers and men with him, and See also:

LOCAL

local resources for See also:

BUILDING

building being abundant, he had by See also:

NOVEMBER (Lat. novem, nine)

November formed a See also:

SQUADRON

squadron of ten vessels, with which he attacked the See also:

CANADIAN

Canadian See also:

PORT

port, See also:

York, taking it in See also:

APRIL

April 1813, capturing one vessel and causing the destruction of another then building. He returned to Sackett's Harbor. In May See also:

SIR

Sir See also:

James See also:

Lucas Yeo (1732–1818) came out from See also:

England with some 500 officers and men, to organize a squadron for service on the Lakes. By the end of the See also:

month he was ready for service with a squadron of eight See also:

SHIPS

ships and brigs, and some small See also:

CRAFT (a word common to Teutonic languages for strength, or power; cf. Ger. Kraft)

craft. The See also:

GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

governor, Sir G.

See also:

Prevost, gave him no serious support. On the 29th of May, during Chauncey's See also:

ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence at See also:

Niagara, the Americans were attacked at Sackett's Harbor and would have been defeated if Prevost had not insisted on a See also:

RETREAT (O. Fr. retrete, mod. retraite, from Lat. retrahere, to draw back)

retreat at the very moment when the American See also:

SHIPBUILDING

shipbuilding yard was in danger of being burnt, with a See also:

SHIP

ship of more than eight See also:

HUNDRED

hundred tons on the See also:

STOCKS

stocks. The retreat of the See also:

BRITISH

British force gave Chauncey time to See also:

COMPLETE

complete this vessel, the " See also:

General See also:

Pike," which was so far See also:

SUPERIOR

superior to anything under Yeo's command that she was said to be equal in effective strength to the whole of the British flotilla. The American commodore was considered by many of his subordinates to have displayed excessive caution. In See also:

AUGUST (originally Sextilis)

August he skirmished with Sir James Yeo's small squadron of six vessels, but made little effective use of his own fourteen. Two of his schooners were upset in a See also:

SQUALL

squall, with the loss of all hands, and he allowed two to be cut off by Yeo. Commodore Chauncey showed a preference for relying on his See also:

long guns, and a disinclination to come to See also:

close quarters. He was described as See also:

CHASING, or ENCHASING

chasing the British squadron all See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round the lake, but his encounters did not go beyond See also:

ARTILLERY (the O. Fr. artiller, to equip with engines of war, probably comes from Late Lat. articulum, dim. of ars, art, cf. " engine " from ingenium, or of artus, joint)

artillery duels at long range, and he allowed his enemy to continue in existence long after he might have been destroyed. The See also:

winter suspended operations, and both sides made exertions to increase their forces. The Americans had the See also:

ADVANTAGE

advantage of commanding greater resources for shipbuilding. Sir James Yeo began by blockading Sackett's Harbor in the See also:

early See also:

PART

part of 1814, but when the American squadron was ready he was compelled to retire by the disparity of the forces. The American commodore was now able to See also:

blockade the British flotilla at See also:

When the cruising See also:

SEASON (0. Fr. seson, seison, mod. saison, Lat. satio, sowing time, the spring, from serere, to sow; in Late Lat. the word is found with its present meaning, the spring being considered as particularly the season of the year)

season of the lake was nearly over he in his turn retired to Sackett's Harbor, and did not leave it for the See also:

REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest of the war. During his later years he served as See also:

COMMISSIONER

commissioner of the navy, and was See also:

PRESIDENT (Fr. president, from Lat. praesidens, post-Augustan Lat. for praeses, director, ruler, from praesidere, to sit in front of, preside)

president of the See also:

BOARD (O. Eng. bord)

board of naval commissioners from 1833 till his See also:

DEATH

death at See also:

Washington on the 27th of February 184o. See See also:

ROOSEVELT, THEODORE (1858— )

Roosevelt's War of 1812 (1882) ; and A. T. See also:

MAHAN, ALFRED THAYER (1840- )

Mahan, See also:

Sea-See also:

POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

Power in its Relations to the War of 1812 (1905).

End of Article: CHAUNCEY, ISAAC (1772–1840)

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