DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060
Quasi-War with France 1798-1801
With independence won, the last ship of the Continental
Navy was sold in 1785, and the Nation soon experienced the consequences
of neglecting sea power. The actions of Mediterranean pirates
caused Congress in 1794 to provide a Navy for the protection of
commerce. Subsequently, depredations by the privateers of Revolutionary
France against the expanding merchant shipping of the United States
led to an undeclared war fought entirely at sea.
In this quasi-war the new U.S. Navy received its baptism of
fire. Captain Thomas Truxtun's insistence on the highest standards
of crew training paid handsome dividends as the frigate Constellation
won two complete victories over French men-of-war. U.S. naval
squadrons, operating principally in West Indian waters, sought
out and attacked enemy privateers until France agreed to an honorable
settlement.
3 Bronze Stars
1. Constellation-L'Insurgente (9 February 1799)
2. Constellation-La Vengeance (1-2 February 1800)
3. Anti-privateering operations
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