This coloured aquatint by William Elmes depicts the engagement between the American ‘President’ and the British ‘Little Belt’; they are shown on the left and right respectively. Both vessels are shown in port bow view, with ‘President’ in the act of firing one of her cannons. Although both vessels have had their sails shot through, the damage to ‘Little Belt’ is more extensive, including the collapse of the lower yard on the mizzen mast. The scene is filled with smoke with no distinguishing features.
J.J. College in ‘Ships of the Royal Navy, Vol. I’ states that the ‘President’ captured ‘Little Belt’; however, this, it appears, is incorrect. In Captain Bingham’s biography (John Marshall, ‘Royal Naval Biography’, London, 1829) his official report to Rear-Admiral Sawyer is quoted and from this account we find that ‘Little Belt’ was able to reach Halifax, but was then taken out of service. This action took place before war had been declared between Britain and the USA (the volume of ‘Royal Naval Biography’ containing Bingham’s report of the action is subtitled ‘Post-Captains of 1812’ and ‘Supplement – Part III’; now it is usual to call the volume ‘No. 11’. The report is on pp. 51-53.).