THE WAR, New York, May 4, 1813

• USS Chesapeake
• Samuel Evans

The entire front page is taken up with: "Chesapeake's Cruise" which is signed by Samuel Evans as sent to Commodore Decatur.
Inside pages have various reports concerning the War of 1812 including letters, reports from New London, Washington, Philadelphia, Mercer, Pennsylvania, and Norfolk. Also: "President And Congress" "Hornet & Peacock" "From Sackett's Harbor" "North-Western Army" "British Reinforcements" with the back page having: "Latest From The Chesapeake" and "Army of the United States" with a list of recent appointments of general officers. A great wealth of content on the war.
Four pages, 9 by 11 1/4 inches, tiny binding holes at the blank spine, good condition.

Background: During her 115-day commerce-raiding expedition from December 13, 1812, to April 9, 1813, the heavy frigate USS Chesapeake, commanded by Captain Samuel Evans, swept thousands of miles across the Atlantic—from the West Indies to the Cape Verde Islands and back along the American East Coast—to disrupt vital British commercial shipping lanes. Despite setting sail late due to refitting delays in Boston, the frigate successfully captured five British merchant vessels and recaptured an American merchantman, inflicting an estimated $235,675 in economic damage on British trade (roughly $4.5 million today), though prizes like the Liverpool Hero were burned at sea and the Earl Percy ran aground off Long Island. However, the voyage took a heavy physical and operational toll: Captain Evans suffered a severe eye affliction that forced him to relinquish command upon returning to port, while endemic disease and expired enlistments gutted the crew. Compounded by bitter disputes over prize-money distribution, this high turnover left the newly assigned Captain James Lawrence with an inexperienced, demoralized crew when he took command on May 20, 1813, directly setting the stage for the ship's catastrophic defeat by HMS Shannon just eleven days later.

This is a fascinating, short-lived newspaper, having begun in 1812 with the exclusive purpose of reporting on the War of 1812 (hence the title). When the war ended, so did this newspaper.