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Action of 9 November 1822
Part of Operations Against West Indian Pirates 1822-1830s
Date 9 November 1822 Location 15 leagues off Matanzas, Cuba Result Indecisive Pirates escape Prizes recaptured
Belligerents
United States	Pirates
Commanders and leaders
William Allen †	unknown
Strength
1 schooner 3 boats	3 schooners 125 men
Casualties and losses
4 killed 3 wounded	1 schooner captured ~14 killed many wounded
Five captured merchant ships were liberated by American forces after the action.

The Action of 9 November 1822 was a naval battle fought between the American schooner USS Alligator and a squadron of three piratatical schooners off the coast of Cuba during the United States's West Indian Anti-Piracy Camapaign. 15 leagues from Matanzas, Cuba a large band of pirates captured several vessels and held them for ransom. Upon hearing of the pirate attacks, the Alligator under Lieutenant William Allen rushed to the scene to rescue the vessels and sieze the pirates.

Upon arriving at the bay where the pirates were said to be, the Alligator dispatched boats to engage the enemy vessels since the water there was to shallow for the American schooner to engage them herself. With Allen personally commanding one of the boats, the Americans assaulted the pirate ship Revenge. Although the Americans were able to force the pirates into abandoning the Revenge, the buccaneers managed to fight their way out of the bay and inflicted heavy casualties on the Americans. With their commander killed, the Americans ceased pursuit of the pirates but managed to recover the prizes that had been held in the bay.

Background

In early November 1822, the schooner USS Alligator under Lieutenant William Allen had put in to Matanzas, Cuba intending to patrol the area as part of the United States Navy's West Indian Anti-Piracy Camapaign. Upon arriving at the port Allen discovered two Americans attempting to raise $7000 in order to pay a ransom to a band of pirates that had captured their vessels. If the ransom was not delivered the pirates threatened destroy the ships and rough up their crews. Learning from these men that the pirates were holed up some 15 leagues away, Allen took the civilians aboard and decided to make an attempt at recovering their ship from the buccaneers.

The band of pirates was rather large, consisting of around 125 men and 3 armed schooners. One schooner the Revenge was an 80 ton vessel armed with five cannon and 35 men, a second 90 ton schooner had six guns and 30 men, while the third vessel wieghed 60 tons armed with three cannon and manned by 60 men. In addition to their armed vessels the pirates also had in their possesion five American prizes. These consisted of the ship rigged vessel William Henry from New York, the brigs Iris and Sarah Morril from Boston, and one schooner each from Rochester and Salem.

Allen's force of 100 was outnumbered by the pirates, and also out gunned with the Alligator mounting only twelve six pounders compaired to the pirates fourteen cannon. Despite being outnumbered, the Alligator and her crew were experienced veterans, having taken the Portuguese brig Marianna Flora the year before in a bloody action. Allen himself was also an experienced commander having taken command of the USS Argus during her engagement with HMS Pelican in the War of 1812. Though the Alligator's draft was to deep to chase pirate craft inshore, if need be she could send her cutter, gig, and launch out with USS Alligator boarding parties to engage the pirates.

Battle

Once the Revenge had been sighted, Allen ordered the Alligator's boats lowered to run inshore and attack her. Some forty men armed with small arms were put into the boats, with Allen personally taking command of the launch, Lieutenant Dale the cutter, and Midshipman Henley the gig. The Revenge was already underway by the time it was sighted and attempted to escape the Americans despite the lack of wind by using its sweeps. After the American boats had rowed about ten miles, the piratical schooner turned about and raised a red flag. Upon approaching the piratical schooner the American craft were fired on with both grape and roundshot. The American boats returned fire with small arms and moved in to board the vessel. Rather than try to fight off the boarding attempt the pirates abandoned the Revenge while another schooner covered their escape. The Alligator's gig manned by Henley and four men was sent off to take the Revenge as a prize.

Allen then set off with the other two boats in an attempt to sieze the schooner which had helped Revenge's crew escape. This second schooner maintained a heavy fire upon the advancing American boats and the Alligator's cutter soon lagged behind as it had taken heavy casualties and had trouble manning its oars. Allen attempted to rally his men standing up and waving them foward. In doing so Allen exposed himself to enemy fire and was struck musket fire, taking a round first in the head and then in the chest. With their commander mortally wounded and taking heavy casualties, the American boats withdrew thus allowing the second piratical schooner as well as a third that had not been engaged to escape. The vessels the pirates had siezed were left behind and recovered by the Americans after the action had ended.

Aftermath

An aerial view of USS Alligator's wreck near Islamadora, Florida.

By the end of the action the American boats were all damaged and their crews suffered four killed and three wounded. Allen was among the former and died some four hours after the battle had ended. Despite the fact that they had escaped, the pirates also suffered heavy casualties, with fourteen bodies being counted by the Americans at the end of the action in addition to several buccaneers that were presumed drowned. Alligator returned to Matanzas with the recovered prizes, where Allen was buried with an escort being given by the governor there.

Alligator left Matanzas on November 18 and the following day she ran hard aground on a reef in the Florida Keys which has since been named Alligator Reef. Her crew failed to refloat the vessel and fearing she would be salvaged by pirates, they burnt her and she sank. Allen was regarded by the Navy as a hero for his efforts against the pirates and his name would be used as a rallying cry the following year when the USS Galliniper and USS Mosquito engaged and defeated a band of pirates led by Diabolito near the same area where the American Lieutenant had been slain.

References

• Allen, Gardner Weld (1929). Our Navy and the West Indian Pirates. Salem, Massachussets: Essex Institute. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Beehler, William H. (1890). "The United States Navy and West India Piracy, 1821 - 1825". Frank Leslie's Popular Monthly. XXIX. New York: Frank Leslie's Publishing House. Retrieved September 10, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Calkins, Carlos Gilman (1911). "The Repression of Piracy in the West Indies". Naval Institute Proceedings. 37. Annapolis, Maryland: US Naval Institute. Retrieved September 7, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Dale, John (1823). "Death of liet. Allen". Niles' Weekly Register. 37. Baltimore: Franklin Press. Retrieved September 10, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Emmons, George Foster (1853). The navy of the United States, from the commencement, 1775 to 1853. Washington: Gideon & Co. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Goodrich, Caspar F. (1917). "Our Navy and the West Indian Pirates A Documentary History". Naval Institute Proceedings. 43. Annapolis, Maryland: US Naval Institute. Retrieved September 10, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• Niles, Hezekiah (1823). "The Pirates of Cuba". Niles' Weekly Register. 37. Baltimore: Franklin Press. Retrieved September 10, 2010. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)