One side of this jug commemorates the first naval victory of the War of 1812, the battle between the U.S. frigate Constitution and the British frigate Guerriere, which took place off the coast of Massachusetts on August 19, 1812. The image, titled, The CONSTITUTION in close action with the GUERRIERE, shows the moment about fifteen minutes into battle when the Guerriere’s mizenmast (the mast closest to the stern) went “by the board (collapsed and fell overboard)”.  According to one of the officers, when the Guerriere’s mizzen mast was shot away, Captain Isaac Hull in the enthusiasm of the moment, swung his hat round his head, and, in true sailor’s phrase, exclaimed, ‘Huzza! My boys! We have made a brig of her’. Within the next fifteen minutes the Guerriere was completely immobilized and she surrendered.  During the attack, one of the Guerriere’s cannonballs bounced off the thick oak hull of the Constitution, leading one sailor to cry out “Huzza! Her sides are made of iron!” leading to ship’s nickname, “Old Ironsides.”The engraver and printer's signature is found on each side, beneath the image and above the title, it reads Bentley Wear & Bourne Engravers & Printers Shelton Staffordshire

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