The capture of HMS ''Epervier'' was a naval action fought off the coast of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
near
Cape Canaveral on 28 April 1814, between the United States ship-rigged
sloop-of-war
In the 18th century and most of the 19th, a sloop-of-war in the Royal Navy was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. The rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above; thus, the term ''sloop-of-war'' enco ...
, commanded by Master Commandant
Lewis Warrington
Lewis Warrington (3 November 1782 – 12 October 1851) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. He later became a Captain. He temporarily served as the Secretary of the Navy. His highest rank w ...
, and the British under Commander
Richard Wales. The Americans captured the British vessel after a one-sided cannonade, but the British merchant convoy escaped.
Prelude
USS ''Peacock'' was one of a class of three heavy
sloops-of-war designed by
William Doughty, and was named after the victory the previous year over the Royal Navy brig . ''Peacock'' sortied from
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
on 12 March 1814 and, having eluded the British blockade, delivered some stores to
St. Marys, Georgia
St. Marys is a city in Camden County, Georgia, United States, located on the southern border of Camden County on the St. Marys River. The Florida border is just to the south across the river, Cumberland Island National Seashore is to the northea ...
. ''Peacock'' was then supposed to rendezvous with the
frigate , but ''President'' had been unable to break out of New York. While waiting for ''President'' to appear, Warrington cruised around the