The war was going poorly for the US Navy in 1814. Despite some early successes in single-ship engagements, Britain’s Royal Navy ruled the waters off the American coast. All the major ports were closed by British blockade squadrons, and the British Army captured and burned the capitol city of Washington. Even in this darkest hour, there is a glimmer of hope. Two new warships are about to take to the seas for the Americans, the 44-gun frigate Columbia and the sloop of war Argus. To command them, the navy turns to its most experienced officer, Captain Hezekiah Albritton.
