Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

Samuel Blyth (1783 – 5 September 1813) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer. He was captain of HMS ''Boxer'' during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

Death

On 5 September 1813, the USS ''Enterprise'', under the command of Lieutenant

William Ward Burrows II Lieutenant William Ward Burrows II (October 6, 1785 – September 5, 1813) was an officer in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812. His father, William Ward Burrows I, was the second Commandant of the Marine Co ...

, fired upon HMS ''Boxer'' while it was anchored in

Muscongus Bay Muscongus Bay is a bay on the coast of Maine, United States, between Penobscot Bay and John's Bay. Muscongus was the name of an Abenaki village meaning "fishing place" or "many r largerock ledges." John Smith recorded the river in 1616 as Nusco ...

, near Pemaquid Point,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. The two vessels opened fire upon each other a short while later. Blyth "was struck by an eighteen-pound shot while he was standing on the

quarter-deck The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's Colours, standards and guidons, colours were kept. This led to its use as the main cer ...

". The cannonball passed through his body entirely, shattering his left arm. He was killed instantly. Lieutenant David McCreery assumed command of the ''Boxer''. Burrows was injured by a canister shot to his thigh. He remained on deck, but Lieutenant Edward McCall took command. The ''Boxer'' soon surrendered. Burrows refused to be moved until he had been killed by the enemy. Blyth was buried in Eastern Cemetery in

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

, with full military honours at the same time and next to Burrows. The surviving officers placed a tombstone over Blyth's grave. Blyth was 29 years old; Burrows was 28.

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

Kervin Waters was interred beside them upon his death two years later from wounds received during the skirmish. An image of Blyth, alongside a short account of his life, the battle and his funeral was published in the British periodical '' The Naval Chronicle for 1814''.

Legacy

Blyth & Burrows, a bar in

, is named for the duo.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blyth, Samuel 1783 births 1813 deaths Sea captains Royal Navy personnel of the War of 1812 British military personnel killed in the War of 1812