BOSTON GAZETTE, May 21, 1811

• The Little Belt Affair

Page 2 has a report: "Official Account of the Destruction of the United States Frigate Philadelphia" with all the details in the letter signed by: Edward Preble.
This notable naval event is known as the Little Belt Affair, a battle involving the U.S. frigate President and the British HMS Little Belt. The encounter took place off the North Carolina coast and was one of many incidents and events that led to the War of 1812.
The battle happened on the evening of May 16, making this a very early report.
Four pages, never-trimmed margins, archival strengthening at the blank spine with some minor paper loss at the spine (no text affected), and an archival mend to a page 3 ad.

Background: This issue of the Boston Gazette from May 21, 1811, is a remarkably scarce early American newspaper offering exceptional content from the antebellum naval era, highlighted by its fresh, breaking account of the Little Belt Affair—a crucial naval clash off the coast of North Carolina between the USS President and HMS Little Belt that occurred just five days prior on May 16 and served as a major catalyst for the War of 1812. Complementing this urgent news is the inclusion of Commodore Edward Preble’s official account detailing the heroic 1804 destruction of the captured frigate USS Philadelphia during the First Barbary War, bringing together primary accounts of two foundational moments in early United States naval history within a single four-page publication. Newspapers from this volatile pre-war period with direct, fast-breaking coverage of major military engagements are highly sought after by historical collectors.