Combat· War of 1812
Constitution vs HMS Cyane and HMS Levant
The Constitution's last battle, and one of her finest, fought weeks after the war had officially ended.
About 180 miles off Madeira, Captain Charles Stewart found himself facing two British warships at once, the corvette HMS Cyane and the sloop HMS Levant, which chose to fight together rather than flee. Stewart handled the Constitution brilliantly through a confused night action, using her heavier long guns and a sharp backing-and-filling maneuver to rake both opponents in turn, while the Marines under Lieutenant Levi Twiggs poured musketry into the enemy decks; at least three Marines were wounded. Both British ships struck, and Stewart carried them off as prizes. Neither side had known that the Treaty of Ghent was already signed. The double capture, the only instance of an American frigate taking two enemy warships in a single action, capped the legend of "Old Ironsides."
Podcast episodes on War of 1812
Record no. 246