William Burrows assumed command of the USS Enterprise on August 22, 1813. The strip of coastline for which he and his crew were now responsible was essentially an open maritime zone where merchantmen and privateers from both sides sailed at their leisure--and at their peril. Word of Britain's Boxer and its commander, Samuel Blyth, prowling Maine waters had added a new element to the mix.
There is no doubt that William Burrows and his men already knew something of Samuel Blyth. The Boxer's commander had gained a reputation not just for his depredations on merchant vessels in Maine waters, but also for his chivalrous nature. As Theodore Roosevelt later recounted, he "had not only shown himself to be a man of distinguished personal courage, but was equally noted for his gentleness and humanity."
Burrows, a Philadelphian, had no experience with Maine or its long, serrated coastline, but he had personal connections to Portland. In the wars with the Barbary pirates he had been a messmate of Henry Wadsworth aboard the Constitution. Wadsworth's young six-year-old nephew, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and his parents were living in the city, but Burrows would not have time to call on them. However, the events of the next few days would deeply affect the little boy.
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