![]() Porter had disguised the Essex as a merchantman and lured the inferior 20-gun Alert into range and then opened a devastating broadside. ![]() The British, on the other hand, were irate. When Porter returned to the United States, he was greeted with praise as his sailors poured into Philadelphia's taverns with pockets bulging with prize money. This achievement was the beginning of a series of spectacular victories won by the American navy during the opening years of the conflict. In seventy days he captured ten prizes, including the outgunned HMS Alert-the first British warship to surrender to an American vessel during the War of 1812. Upon a mast he hoisted a white flag, with these words: "A free trade and sailors rights." Porter's cruise was short and incredibly successful. ![]() ![]() On July 2, 1812, Captain David Porter sailed the United States Frigate Essex out of New York harbor. ![]()
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