Evening star., 1941-09-15
Tells Of Informal War
Of Eighteenth Century
Writer ExpIoins PoroIIeIs
Between Resistance Of 1898
And That Of 19Al
Bu Blair BolLes.


of Newburyport and the Cincinnatus OF
Baltimore, and see how history treads
again and again down the same path.
The vessels Of unfamiliar names were
American ships seized in 1896 and 1897
by the French, fighting against the
British in a conflict that spilled into the
Atlantic. Those outrages clinaxed
long series of insults and trritationS
which Washington had suffered from
Paris, and the result was an undeclared
naval war by the United States against
France. Today the parallels exist.
From Germany we have had insults
(more moderate than those from the
French of the Revolution. Ships have
been not seized but sunk. And now,
since President Roosevelt's shoot-first
pronouncement OF Thursday night,
seemingly we are in an undeclared naval
war.
The first American undeclared naval
war ran three years, from 1893 to 1900.
1t might have begun a year earlier. but
the United States in 1897 had no Navy.
Congress passed q swift succession of
acts, one of which brought into being
the Navy Department.; and on May "a,
1898, the first ship in the new Navy,
the Ganges, sailed out to sea from
Philadelphia.
The Ganges was a merchantmen in
the India service, bought by the Federal
Government and equipped for fighting.
On May %, Capt. Dale, her commander.
received orders directing him ito seize,
take and bring into any port of the
United States" any French armed ves-
sci which shall have committed, or
which shall be found lowering on the
coast of the United States for the pur-
pose Of committing, depredations on the
vessels belonging to the citizens thereof"
That order marked the real beginning
of the Franco American conflict which
stands yet as the only occasion Of hos
tilities between the two countries-al-
though the odd position of Vichy may
yet disturb that long record Of harmony.
The French approached war with the
United States vaguely. The captain of
the privateer Croyable, first French YES
sci taken by an American ship, protested
between his country and America. The
Croyables commander in ignorance ran
her for refuge into Delaware Bay when
he was pursued by the U. S. frigate
Delaware, which he thought was an
English man Of war.
The first considerable American vic
tory came in the running fight between
the U. S. S. Constellation and the French
frigate LInsurgente. They fell upon
each other in the Leeward Islands, a
favorite haunt of French privateers. and
after q spirited battle LInsurgente sur
rendered Gen. Etienne Desfourneaux,
governor OF the French West Indian col
ony Of Guadeloupe. was indignant when
he heard the news, and he promptly de-
clared war upon the United States. Des-
fourneaux previously had made gesture
toward ordering IN end to the indigni-
ties suffered by American merchant ships
at the hands Of privateers working out
Of ouadeloupe.
Under Capt. Alexander Murray, See.
retary OF the Navy Benjamin Stoddert
sent L1nsurgente. reftted as an Ameri-
can vessel, to Europe, to search for
French vessels close to their home wa
ters, but won no prizes in Europe. From
Lisbon Murray wrote to Stoddert
II had 80 days passage to this port,
but could have been in here in three
weeks but for chasing everything we saw,
all Of which we overhauled except one
vessel, which we lost sight of in the night.
Since passing the Azores we have board
ed 80 vessels of different nations, but
the greater part British, and met with
but one ship of war. from whence you
may judge Of the unprotected state of
their trade as well as our own in those
seas"
Thomas Truxton effected the capture
Of LTnsurgente, and he was the most
notable figure Of the war with France.
Commodore John Barry, whose statue
stands in Franklin Park, was the Amer
lean Nays senior oficer. David Porter,
Of War of 1912 fame, was a midshipman
under Truxton. Most Of the actions they
participated in took place in the general
vicinity of the West Indies, for reasons
which Gardner w. Allen, historian of
our quasi-war with France, thus re-
lates:
THE great commercial Importance Of
the West Indies made this region one Of
tie principal centers Of naval activity
during the European war. These islands
were 70 q great extent dependent upon
the neighboring continent for provisions,
and very large share in the West India
trade fell to the United States. For this
reason American shipping was peculiarly
exposed to the aggression Of the bel
ligerents Four DEGREES were issued
by French agents in the West Indies be.
tween August, 1896, and February, 1877;
these DEGREES directed the seizure of
American vessels If loaded with contra
band, or If bound to or from English
ports"
The famous frigate Constitution was
launched in the midst of that war. She
would have been In service before the
firing began, but she stuck in the ways
In her Boston shipyard at her first
scheduled launching in May, 1897. then
slid in the water 50 vigorously that she
was damaged and had to be rebuilt. So
she was not put in service until October,
1898. The whole American naval force
used during the war amounted to As
vessels. Twenty-ons Of them were built
for the Navy, II were bought, captured
and 8 transferred from the Treasury
revenue cutters