Combat· Quasi-War with France
Constellation vs L'Insurgente
The first major American naval victory under the new Navy.
Off Nevis in the West Indies, Captain Thomas Truxtun's frigate Constellation overhauled and captured the French frigate L'Insurgente after a sharp action of about an hour. The Marine detachment, under First Lieutenant Bartholomew Clinch, fought from the ship through the engagement; their commanding officer afterward reported that the Marines had participated with merit. L'Insurgente struck after taking heavy damage, and a prize crew under a Marine officer was put aboard. The Constellation suffered very light losses and no Marine casualties. The capture of a French national frigate by an American one was a tonic for the young service, made Truxtun a national figure, and set the pattern of frigate cruising that defined the Quasi-War.
Podcast episodes on Quasi-War with France
Record no. 76