“I took a position between Cape Ann and Cape Cod,” Captain Broke later wrote, “and then hove to for him to join us—the enemy came down in a very handsome manner, having three American ensigns flying.” Broke addressed his men: “Shannons! The Americans have, owing to the disparity in force, captured several of our frigates; but to-day, I trust, they will find out the stuff British sailors are made of when upon an equality. I feel sure you will all do your duty. In a word—remember, you have some hundreds of your brother sailors’ blood to avenge!”

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One seaman then asked him: “Mayn’t we have three ensigns, sir, like she has?” “No,” said Broke, “we’ve always been an unassuming ship.” Unusually, he also prohibited cheering, insisting on silence as they headed into battle.

All Chesapeake’s guns had stirring names, engraved on copper plates, including “Yankee Protection,” “Liberty for Ever,” “America,” and “Washington.” While they approached Shannon, Lawrence tried to encourage his men further with the words “Peacock her, my lads! Peacock her!” referring to Hornet’s destruction of that ship.

About twenty miles from Boston, at half past five that afternoon, Chesapeake met Shannon. They exchanged two or three broadsides, but from the first, the training of Shannon’s men proved devastating. Lieutenant Augustus Ludlow, acting first lieutenant of Chesapeake, remarked, “Of one hundred and fifty men quartered on the upper deck, I did not see fifty on their feet after the first fire.”

Marksmen high up in Shannon’s rigging reckoned “that the hammocks, splinters, and wrecks of all kinds driven across the deck formed a complete cloud.” The two ships became so entangled that Chesapeake could no longer fire at Shannon. Lawrence gave orders to board the British ship, but in vain. He was hit by a musket ball from one of the topmen and carried below. Before he left the deck, his last words were: “Tell the men to fire faster and not give up the ship. Fight her till she sinks!” A modified version of this would serve as a rallying cry for the U.S. Navy: “Don’t give up the ship!

According to Lieutenant Wallis, Captain Broke quickly assessed the situation and decided to board Chesapeake: “Broke, who saw the confusion on board of her, ran forward, calling out, ‘Follow me who can’ and jumped on board, supported by all who were within hearing [about fifty seamen and marines]. A minute had hardly elapsed before the ships had separated, and a general cry was then raised, ‘Cease firing,’ and by the time I had got upon the quarterdeck from the aftermost part of our maindeck the ships had got so far asunder that it was impossible to throw any more men on board of her; but it was unnecessary, as they hailed, ‘We have possession.’”

The gallantry of Broke’s men was noteworthy, but their casualties were high, not least from friendly fire. Broke later wrote, regretfully: “My brave First Lieutenant, Mr. Watt, was slain in the moment of victory, in the act of hoisting the British colors; his death is a severe loss to the service.” While they were hauling down the American colors and replacing them with the British flag, Lieutenant George Watt and some of the men surrounding him had been fired on by Shannon men, who mistook them for Americans.

Broke himself was lucky to survive. “Hav­ing received a severe saber wound at the first onset whilst charging a party of the enemy who had rallied on their forecastle,” he remarked, “I was only capable of giving command till assured our conquest was complete, and then directing Second Lieutenant Wallis to take charge of the Shannon, and secure the prisoners.” Wallis explained, “My first care was to get the prisoners secured, which was an easy matter, as the Chesapeake had (upon deck) some hundreds of handcuffs in readiness for us.”

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