The USS Constitution's finest fight, 1815

the long version

"On 17 December 1814, Captain Charles Stewart slipped past the Royal Navy's blockade of Boston and sailed his ship on a sweep through the Atlantic Ocean, capturing merchantmen as he went. His capture of HMS Cyane and HMS Levant off the Madeira Islands was a spectacular success.". "Humphreys was fortunate to be a crew member during the Constitution's most successful war cruise towards the end of the War of 1812. His eyewitness account is as fresh today as it was when he wrote it, soon after the great ship tied up in Boston to the cheers of its welcoming citizens. The fledgling Republic and her new navy had endured the trial of war with the Constitution bringing back honor and a new self-confidence to the embattled nation."--BOOK JACKET.