one 12-pounder long gun, and two 6-pounder long guns. Allen could have used Arguss greater speed to escape. Instead, he accepted battle. Allens decision to accept battle against a heavier opponent stemmed from confidence gained while he was the first lieutenant of the frigate when she captured the British frigate on 25 October 1812; following his promotion he had said that he could "take any British 22-gun sloop-of-war in ten minutes." The wind was from the south, giving Pelican the weather gauge (i.e. the windward position). Allen sailed westward on the port tack (i.e., with the wind to port) and opposed his port side battery to Pelican's starboard battery. Four minutes after the ships exchanged their first broadsides, Allen lost a leg. His first lieutenant was also badly wounded, and Arguss rigging was badly cut up. Pelican tried to cross Arguss stern to deliver raking fire but Arguss second lieutenant, William Howard Allen (not related to the commanding officer), threw his sails aback to slow the American brig and instead raked Pelican. This did not fatally cripple the British vessel, and the two brigs continued to exchange broadsides, with Pelican now to leeward. After four more minutes, Arguss rigging was too badly damaged for the Americans to prevent Pelican from crossing Arguss stern and delivering several raking broadsides. Finally, three-quarters of an hour after the action began, the two vessels came into contact, Arguss bow against Pelicans quarter. As British boarding parties mustered but before they could board Argus, the Americans surrendered. Unusually for the War of 1812, the American gunnery in this engagement was comparatively ineffective, although Pelicans sides were "filled with grapeshot" and two of Pelicans carronades had been dismounted. British gunnery was "at least of the standard which had brought victory in a hundred victories against the French." Aftermath Pelican and the captured Argus went in to Plymouth, England. Allen died there of his wounds a week after the battle. He was buried with full military honors. The rest of the crew, including sailing master Uriah P. Levy, were held as prisoners of war in England for the duration of the war. In 1813, construction commenced for a replacement 18-gun brig Argus at the Washington Naval Yard — but the ship was destroyed in the burning of Washington the following year before it could be launched. See also List of ships captured in the 19th century Bibliography