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Al ritorno in porto della ''President'' la U.S. Navy iniziò un'investigazione sull'incidente. Furono raccolte testimonianze degli ufficiali e dei marinai della ''President'' che determinarono che fu la ''Little Belt'' a sparare il primo colpo. Nelle investigazioni della Royal Navy, invece, il capitano Bingham insistette nel ripetere che la ''President'' sparò il primo colpo e continuò a sparare per circa 45 minuti, invece dei 5 minuti riferiti da Rodgers. In tutte le seguenti investigazioni entrambi i capitani continuarono ad insistere che fosse stara l'altra nave ad aprire il fuoco. Raggiunto così lo stallo, i due governi abbandonarono cautamente l'accaduto.

=== Guerra anglo-americana ===

Gli Stati Uniti dichiararono guerra al Regno Unito il 18 giugno 1812. Tre giorni dopo, entro un'ora da quando fu ricevuta la notizia ufficiale della dichiarazione, il commodoro Rodgers salpò da New York. Il commodoro era a bordo della ''President'', al comando di una squadra comprendente le fregate ''United States'' e ''Congress'' e i brigantini armati ''[[USS Hornet (1805)|Hornet]]'' e ''[[USS Argus (1803)|Argus]],'' che incrociò nell'Atlantico del nord per 70 giorni. Una nave mercantile statunitense di passaggio avvisò Rodgers di una flotta di mercanti che si stava muovendo dalla [[Giamaica]] all'Inghilterra. Rodgers e la sua squadra iniziarono l'inseguimento e il 23 giugno incontrarono la nave che scoprirono poi essere la [[HMS Belvidera|HMS ''Belvidera'']]. La ''President'' inseguì la nave e, con quello che è ricordato come il primo colpo della [[guerra del 1812]], Rodgers stesso puntò e sparò con il cannone di caccia di prua alla ''Belvidera'', colpendole il timone e penetrando il quadrato ufficiali. Al quarto colpo della ''President''<nowiki/>'s un cannone del ponte di batteria esplose, uccidendo o ferendo 16 marinai e buttando Rodgers sul ponte con tale forza da spezzargli una gamba.

La confusione che seguì permise alla ''Belvidera'' di fare fuoco con i suo cannoni di caccia di poppa, uccidendo altre sei persone a bordo della ''President''. Rodgers kept up the pursuit, using his bow chasers to severely damage ''Belvidera''<nowiki/>'s rigging, but his two broadsides had little effect. The crew of ''Belvidera'' quickly made repairs to the rigging. They cut loose her anchors and boats and pumped drinking water overboard to lighten her load, thereby increasing her speed. ''Belvidera'' soon gained enough speed to distance herself from ''President'', and Rodgers abandoned the pursuit. ''Belvidera'' sailed to Halifax to deliver the news that war had been declared.

''President'' and her squadron returned to the pursuit of the Jamaican fleet, and on 1 July began to follow the trail of coconut shells and orange peels the Jamaicans had left behind them. ''President'' sailed to within one day's journey of the English Channel, but never sighted the convoy. Rodgers called off the pursuit on 13 July. During their return trip to Boston, Rodgers' squadron captured seven merchant ships and recaptured one American vessel.

After some refitting, ''President'', still under Rodgers' command, sailed on 8 October with ''Congress'', ''United States'', and ''Argus''. On 12 October, ''United States'' and ''Argus'' parted from the squadron for their own patrols. On 10 October, ''President'' chased HMS ''Nymphe'', but failed to overtake her. On 17 October ''President'' captured the British packet ship ''Swallow'', which carried a large amount of currency on board. On 31 October, ''President'' and ''Congress'' began pursuit of HMS ''Galatea'', which was escorting two merchant ships. The chase lasted about three hours, and in that time ''Congress'' captured the merchant ship ''Argo''. Meanwhile, ''President'' kept after ''Galatea'' and drew very close, but lost sight of her in the night. ''Congress'' and ''President'' remained together, but did not find any ships to capture during November. Returning to the United States, they passed north of Bermuda and proceeded toward the Virginia capes; they arrived in Boston on 31 December, having taken nine prizes. ''President'' and ''Congress'' found themselves blockaded there by the Royal Navy until April 1813.

On 30 April, ''President'' and ''Congress'' sailed through the blockade on their third cruise of the war. On 2 May, they pursued HMS ''Curlew'', but she outran them and escaped. ''President'' parted company with ''Congress'' on 8 May, and Rodgers set a course along the Gulf Stream to search for merchant ships to capture. By June, not having come across a single ship, ''President'' turned north; she put into North Bergen, Norway, on 27 June to replenish her drinking water. Sailing soon after, ''President'' captured two British merchant ships, which helped to replenish her stores. On 10 June ''President'' captured the outward-bound Falmouth packet ''Duke of Montrose'', Captain Aaron Groub Blewett, which managed to throw her mails overboard before ''President'' could send a prize crew aboard. ''President'' made a cartel of ''Duke of Montrose'', putting all of ''President''<nowiki/>'s prisoners on board and then sending her into Falmouth under the command of an American officer. When ''Duke of Montrose'' arrived at Falmouth the British Government abrogated the cartel on the grounds that they had advised the American Government that the British would not recognize agreements entered into on the high seas.

Around the same time, two Royal Navy ships came into view. ''President'' set all sails to escape, and outran them in a chase lasting 80 hours. Rodgers reported that his decision to flee the ships was based on identifying them as a ship of the line and a frigate. Royal Navy records later revealed that the vessels were actually the 32-gun frigate ''Alexandria'' and the 16-gun fireship ''Spitfire''.

Spending a few days near the Irish Channel, ''President'' captured several more merchant ships. She then set a course for the United States. In late September, she encountered HMS ''Highflyer'' along the east coast of the United States. Rodgers used his signal flags to trick ''Highflyer''into believing that ''President'' was HMS ''Tenedos''. Lieut. George Hutchinson, ''Highflyer''<nowiki/>'s captain, came aboard ''President'' only to discover he had walked into a trap; ''President'' captured ''Highflyer'' without a shot being fired. ''President''<nowiki/>'s long cruise netted her 11 merchant ships, in addition to ''Highflyer''.

On 4 December, ''President'' sailed from Providence, Rhode Island. On the 25th, she encountered two frigates in the dark, one of which fired at her. Rodgers believed the ships to be British, but they were two French frigates, ''Méduse'' and ''Nymphe''. Afterward, Rodgers headed toward Barbados for an eight-week cruise in the West Indies, reportedly making three small captures. Returning to New York City on 18 February 1814, ''President'' encountered HMS ''Loire'', which turned to escape once the latter's crew realized ''President'' was a 44-gun frigate. ''President'' remained in New York for the duration of 1814 due to the harbor's blockade by a British squadron consisting of HMS ''Endymion'', ''Majestic'', ''Pomone'', and ''Tenedos''.

==== Cattura ====

The Treaty of Ghent, ending hostilities between the United States and Britain, was signed on 24 December 1814. However, the United States did not ratify the treaty until 18 February 1815. The war carried on in the interim.

Stephen Decatur assumed command of ''President'' in December 1814, planning a cruise to the West Indies to prey on British shipping. In mid-January 1815, a snowy gale with strong winds forced the British blockading squadron away from New York Harbor, giving Decatur the opportunity to put to sea. On the evening of 14 January, ''President'' headed out of the harbor but ran aground, the result of harbor pilots incorrectly marking a safe passage. Stranded on the sand bar, ''President'' lifted and dropped with the incoming tide. Within two hours her hull had been damaged, her timbers twisted, and masts sprung. Damage to her keel caused the ship to hog and sag. Decatur was finally able to float ''President'' off the bar and, assessing the damage, he decided to return to New York for repairs; however, the wind direction was not favorable and ''President'' was forced to head out to sea.

Unaware of the exact ___location of the blockading squadron, Decatur set a course to avoid them and seek a safe port, but approximately two hours later the squadron's sails were spotted on the horizon. ''President'' changed course to outrun them, but the damage she suffered the night before had significantly reduced her speed. Attempting to gain speed, Decatur ordered expendable cargo thrown overboard; by late afternoon of 15 January, HMS ''Endymion'' under Captain Henry Hope came alongside and proceeded to fire broadsides. Decatur planned to bring ''President'' in close to ''Endymion'', whereby ''President''<nowiki/>'s crew could board and capture the opposing ship and sail her to New York. (''President'' would be scuttled to prevent her capture).

Making several attempts to close on ''Endymion'', Decatur discovered that ''President''<nowiki/>'s damage limited her maneuverability, allowing ''Endymion''to anticipate, and draw away from, positions favorable for boarding. Faced with this new dilemma, Decatur ordered bar and chain shot fired to disable ''Endymion''<nowiki/>'s sails and rigging, the idea being to shake his pursuer and allow ''President'' to proceed to a safe port without being followed. At noon, ''Endymion'', being the much better sailer, was close-hauled, outpacing her squadron and leaving them behind. At 2 pm, she gained on ''President'' and took position on the American ship's quarter, shooting into ''President'' as she tried to escape. ''Endymion'' was able to rake ''President'' three times and did considerable damage to her; by contrast, ''President'' primarily directed her fire at ''Endymion's'' rigging in order to slow her down during the two-hour engagement.

Finally at 7:58 pm, ''President'' ceased fire and hoisted a light in her rigging, indicating that she had surrendered. ''Endymion'' ceased firing on the defeated American ship but did not board to take possession of her prize, due to a lack of undamaged boats. ''Endymion''<nowiki/>'s foresails had been damaged in the engagement and while she hove to for repairs, Decatur took advantage of the situation and, despite having struck, made off to escape at 8.30 pm; ''Endymion'', hastily completed repairs and resumed the chase at 8.52 pm.

''President'' drew away while her crew made hurried repairs of their own. Within two hours, one of her lookouts spotted the remainder of the enemy squadron drawing near. ''President''continued her escape attempt, but by nightfall HMS ''Pomone'' and ''Tenedos'' had caught up and began firing broadsides. Realizing his situation, Decatur surrendered ''President'' again, just before midnight.

== References ==