Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 01.djvu/228

 BARRON.

BARROW.

which he acquired a liigh reputation for courage and seamanship, he lioisted liis Hag on board of tJie Chesapeake, as conunander of the Mediter- ranean squadron. The sliij) had been liurriedly fitteil for sea. in anticipation of a war with France, its st<nes had been hastily trundled on board, and its men were wholly undisciplined; when just outside of Hampton roads, on June 22. 1807, Captain Barron encountered the British frigate Leopard, some ten miles east of Cape Henry. The Chesapeake was hailed by the Leopard and Captain Humphrey sent on board an officer with Admiral Berkeley's instructions to search the frigate for deserters from the Brit- ish navy. Commodore Barron refused to allow him to do so, and just eight minutes after the Britisli officer left the Chesapeake with the commander's respon.se, the Leopard, being then less than two hundred feet distant, jwured her whole broadside of solid shot and canister into the American frigate. The vessels were not. on the whole, unequally matched, but the Che.Hapeake, taken by surprise, was wholly un- prepared to fight. The gun deck was encum- bered with lumber, the cables were not yet stowed away, four of the guns did not fit perfectly to their carriages, and only five of the powder horns used in priming the guns were filled. The Leopard followed up its advantage by discharg- ing tliree full broadsides into the Chesapeake, by wliich three men were killed and eighteen wounded. At the end of fifteen minutes of un- re.sisted mas.sacre, the commander of the Ameri- can vessel struck his flag, and, as it touched the taflFrail, one gun was fired from the Chesa- peake. An English officer then came aboard, and, mustering the shiji's company, jwcked out and carried off Ratford, a British sailor, together with three other de.serters not included in Admi- ral Berkeley's order to Captain Humphrey. In- formed by Commodore Barron that the Chesa- 2>eake was his prize, Captain Humphrey declined to take possession, declaring that with the .seiz- ure of the deserters his duty had been acconi- plLshed. The Chesapeake returned to Norfolk, and Barron's conduct was investigated by a naval court martial. The outcome of his long trial wa,s a decision that he was blameless in every particular, except in failing to instantly prepare for action on reading Admiral Berke- ley's order. For this mistake, which his own orders from the secretary of the navy ex- tenuated if they did not warrant, Barron was condemned to suspension for five years from the service withotit i>ay. Ever, after returning to duty he was exclude<l from active sea ser- vice, prinripally tlirough the influence of Com- modore Decatur. Rarmn challen;,'ed him and in 1820 they met and Decatur was killed and Bar-

ron severely wounded. This unfortunate affair increased Barron's unpopularity and the remain- der of liis life was i)assed in "waiting orders." He became senior officer of the navy in 1839, and died at Norfolk, Va.. April 21, 1851.'

BARRON, Samuel, naval officer, was born at Hampton, Va., abovxt 1703, brother of Commo- dore James Barron. His first naval training was receivea from his father, who liad been a com- mander of the Virginia navy during the revolu- tion. In 1798 he was placed in command of the Augusta, the vessel having been prepared by the Norfolk, Va., citizens as a defence against the French. During the war with Tripoli he took an active part, being sent in 1805 with a stjuad- ron of ten ves.sels to relieve Commodore Preble, his flag-ship being the President. He assisted Hamet the deposed bashaw, but upon the cap- ture of Derne, Tripoli, April 27, 1805, by Cap- tain Hall, he desisted from further aid, fearing the new bashaw would retaliate by massacring Captain Bainbridge and his crew, then in captiv- ity. He transferred his command to Capt. John Rodgers, and returned to the United States to regain his health and was made commandant of the Norfolk navy yard. He died Oct. 29, 1810.

BARRON, Samuel, na^-al officer, was born at Hampton, Va., in 1802. He was commissioned midshipman, U. S. N., Jan. 1, 1812, and was pro- moted lieutenant, March 3, 1827. His next pro- motion was on July 15, 1847, when lie was made commander, and he became a captain, Sept. 14, 1855. He was dismissed May 22, 1861, and was given the rank of commodore in the Confederate navy. He commanded Fort Hatteras, and, being compelled to capitulate, was taken prisoner by the Union forces, and remained in captivity for about a year. After being exchanged in 1862. he was .sent to London to equip vessels as blockade runners and privateers for the Confederates, and remained there until the close of the war. He then became a farmer in Virginia. He died Feb. 20, 1888.

BARROW, Alexander, senator, was born at Nashville. Tenn., in 1801. After attending the military academy at West Point for a short time he began the study of the law at Nashville, Tenn.. and was admitted to the bar. He prac- tised his profession in Louisiana for a time, and then devoted him.self to agricultural jnirsuits. He was elected and several times re-elected to the Louisiana state legislature, and was elected to the United States senate in 1841, serving from May 31, 1841, until liis death, when he was suc- ceeded by Pierre Souk^. He died Dec. 20. 1^46.

BARROW, Frances Elizabeth (Mease), autlior, was born in Cliarleston, S. C, Feb. 22, 1822. She was educateil in New York city, where, in 1848, she was married to James