Two hundred years ago, the U.S., a young, 18-state republic, was days away from declaring war on Great Britain, an empire whose dominion spanned the globe.
The resulting War of 1812 is probably best known as the war that inspired the United States’ national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.”
But it was also the first major test for the country’s fledgling Navy.
And one of the Lower Naugatuck Valley’s own — Derby native Isaac Hull — would star in the ensuing drama, winning the war’s first sea battle.
“That may be the single biggest naval victory the United States ever had,” said Valley United Way President Jack Walsh, a former president of the Derby Historical Society. “That really signaled the United States as a rival and a world power.”
The U.S. Navy agrees.
The Navy is embarking on a three-year public relations campaign to raise awareness about the importance of the War of 1812 in the Navy’s history, according to an April 14 article by the Washington Post.
The Navy hopes the public, by reading about the exploits of men such as Commodore Hull and others, will better understand today’s Navy, which, unfortunately, lags behind all other branches of the military in terms of public perception, the Post reported.
Click here for the full article from the Post.
A Familiar Name
Isaac Hull’s name permeates the Valley.
Route 8 commuters drive over the Commodore Isaac Hull bridge as they cross the Housatonic River.
Runners participate in the Commodore Hull Thanksgiving Day road race.
Residents even get a glimpse of his old pants when they visit the Derby Historical Society.
But many might not realize the huge impact Hull had on Naval history.
“As far as a local hero, he’s the real deal,” said Carolyn Ivanoff, an administrator at Shelton Intermediate School.
Ivanoff is also a local historian who wrote an article about Hull to be published in the summer issue of Connecticut Explored magazine.
As the War of 1812’s 200th anniversary approaches, Hull’s sea exploits and the actions of early Naval commanders are taking center stage across the country, as the Navy holds a series of events to commemorate.
They include celebrations in New York City this month, New London in July, and Boston in late June, where Hull’s most notable command, the U.S.S. Constitution, still floats.
Early Life
Hull was born in Derby March 3, 1773, at a house a stone’s throw away from the Housatonic River.
Before the Navy, Hull already had a reputation as a skilled mariner, according to a Navy biography. He learned seamanship from his father, Joseph, who made trading voyages to the West Indies and was also a whaler.
He was 3 years old when the colonies declared independence from Great Britain. Hull’s father distinguished himself in the Revolutionary War, and was a prisoner before being released and commanding a flotilla of whale boats on Long Island Sound to harass the British.
Joseph Hull died in 1778, after which Isaac was adopted by an uncle, William.
William, a war hero himself, wanted Isaac to attend college.
“But he wanted to go to sea,” Ivanoff said.
Isaac won the argument and he became a cabin boy in a merchant ship at the age of 14.
In 1793 Hull was placed in command of a ship sailing to the West Indies, and gained such a reputation as a sailor that he was commissioned a fourth lieutenant when the Navy was organized five years later and assigned to the frigate U.S.S. Constitution.
The U.S.S. Constitution
Ivanoff said Hull called the U.S.S. Constitution — the most famous ship in the country’s history and the oldest commissioned warship in the world still afloat — his “favorite frigate.”
Designed by Joshua Humphreys, a Quaker from Pennsylvania, it was a state-of-the-art killing machine when it was launched in 1797, one of the first six ships floated by the U.S. Navy. George Washington named it.
“She was the cutting edge of sailing and combat technology,” Ivanoff said. “His captaincy of the Constitution is just an amazing American story.”
Hull distinguished himself on the Constitution, eventually becoming first lieutenant, or second-in-command of the ship, in 1799.
Five years later he became commander of another ship, and in 1806 he was made a captain.
‘Huzza!’
But Hull wouldn’t achieve worldwide fame until the War of 1812, when he commanded Constitution during an intrepid escape from a powerful British squadron, and then took on the 38-gun British frigate Guerriere.
During the battle with the Guerriere, off Nova Scotia August 19, Hull maneuvered his ship alongside the enemy’s while taking heavy fire.
Once the Constitution was within “half pistol-shot” of the British ship, he shouted “Now, boys, pour it into them!”
Within 15 minutes the Guerriere’s rigging and sails where in tatters.
During the battle, a sailor is said to have seen a British cannonballs bounce harmlessly off the Constitution’s 25-inch oak hull, and cried out, “Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!”
The ship was soon known as “Old Ironsides,” and still is.
After about a half-hour of fighting, the Guerriere’s captain, James Dacres, who was acquainted with Hull, surrendered.
“Hull knew the commander of the Guerriere from before the war,” Walsh related. “The story was Hull really didn’t like him.”
During a visit with Hull before the war, Dacres had playfully bet his hat on a possible meeting between the two.
When Dacres’ boat came alongside after the battle, Hull refused to accept the sword proffered by his British opponent, saying: “No, no, I will not take a sword from a man who knows so well how to use it; but I’ll trouble you for that hat.”
A video produced by the Navy on the ship is below. Article continues after the video.
Hull and his men were instant heroes nationwide, and feted on their arrival in Boston after the battle.
Officials in New York offered Hull the freedom of the city, and ordered a full-length portrait of him painted. Elsewhere authorities passed resolutions of thanks and several legislatures voted him a sword of honor.
Congress gave him a gold medal and ordered $50,000 distributed to the officers and crew.
Though the battle assured Hull lifelong fame, he would never command another frigate.
He was ordered after the battle to Maine’s Portsmouth Navy Yard at Kittery, where he served for the rest of the war.
Hull settled in Philadelphia with his wife. While in the Navy he served on the Board of Navy Commissioners, ran the Boston Navy Yard — where he oversaw a refit of the Constitution — and became a commodore while commanding the U.S. squadron operating along South America’s Pacific coast from 1823 to 1827, according to his Navy biography.
He died in Philadelphia Feb. 13, 1843.
His last words: “I strike my flag.”
The Legacy
In the Valley, Hull’s life is remembered in many ways.
The house he was born in no longer stands, but a plaque affixed to the front of a brick building at 38 Commerce St. in Derby, owned by P & C Associates, a packing company, proclaims the site’s historical significance.
“His was an enviable career of 40 years in the United States Navy,” the plaque, placed by the Derby Historical Society on the building in 1962, says.
Hundreds participate annually in a road race named in his honor. This year will mark the race’s 11th running.
Walsh, one of the race’s organizers, said it’s a “great fit” to honor Hull’s life in the Valley. The race begins in Shelton, where he owned a house on Riverdale Avenue, and goes to his native Derby.
The Valley United Way honors big donors with membership in its Commodore Hull Society, as well.
A Hull display at the society’s David Humphreys House includes a model of the Constitution, photographs of his houses in the area, and a pair of his uniform pants.
Also, a bridge named for him built in 1951 carries Route 8 over the Housatonic River. Last year, a plaque placed near the bridge was stolen, presumably to be sold as scrap.
Julia Baldini, the director of the Derby Historical Society, said a new plaque will be in place soon, hopefully by Memorial Day.
