The War of 1812 in Polynesia — The Nuku Hiva Campaign,In early 1813 Capt. David Porter took hi

The War of 1812 in Polynesia — The Nuku Hiva Campaign,In early 1813 Capt. David Porter took his frigate, the USS Essex, around the Cape Horn and into the waters of the Pacific.  His mission was that of a commerce raider; to capture British whaling ships which were abundant near South America and the Galapagos Islands. Over several months Capt. Porter had captured a number of British vessels.  He often armed them and added them to his fleet, recruiting sailors from various nations to man them, including British sailors who had been captured and taken prisoner.  By October of 1813, his fleet had expanded to 11 ships, but many were in need of repair and resupply.Porter was unwilling to set up a base in South America, fearing that it would be easily discovered by the Royal Navy.  Instead, he chose the Island of Nuku Hiva, a 131 square mile island located in the Marquesas Islands of French Polynesia. At the time the various tribes living on the island were at war with each other.  Porter struck a deal with the largest of the tribes, the Te I'i, who allowed them to build a Fort Madison on the Island, named after US President James Madison, as well as a dock and a small town called “Madisonville”. Over the next two months, Capt. Porter and his men as well as thousands of Te I'i warriors battled the other tribes of the island, quickly subduing them.  While Porter only had 250 sailors and 40 marines under his command, the use of firearms and cannon heavily swayed the war to the side of the Americans and Te I'i.  First they subdued the Happah, destroying their heavily defended fort with cannon.  Then they conquered the Tai Pi, conducting a massive amphibious assault involving Porter’s 11 ships, 5,000 Te I'i and Happah warriors, and 200 war canoes.  Porter’s campaign against the Tai Pi was ruthless, and Tai Pi villages across the island were reduced to smoking ruins.By December of 1813 the island was secure and the USS Essex was repaired and ready to sail.  Porter left only 3 officers and 19 sailors to hold the fort and colony.  Most of the sailors were British who had earlier been captured by Porter in his raids.  On May 7th, 1814 the British sailors mutinied, attacking Fort Madison, then getting away on the ship Seringapatam.  Only eight men were left, all of whom were wounded or ill.  Seeing that the Americans had lost control of the situation, the natives attacked.  Amazing, an officer named Lt. John Gamble single handedly fought off the attacks, firing every preloaded cannon and musket on hand until the warriors retreated.  He then ordered the abandonment of the colony, burning Madisonville and Fort Madison, then scuttling the remaining ships in port before escaping on a small sloop.Capt. David Porter would see similar luck.  On May 28th he was raiding British whaling ships with the Essex and a sloop of war when he was ambushed and cornered by the Royal Navy near Valparaiso, Chile. His ships and men were captured by the British, among them a young midshipman named David Farragut, a future US Navy Admiral who served bravely during the American Civil War.  All were later repatriated back to the United States. -- source link

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