#51 • First Quarter 19th Century US Naval Cutlass From The U.S. Chesapeake

Part of The Ray Howser Firearms Collection, 1931-2026 (timed auction by Lewis & Grant Auctions)

Starting at $250.00

Status: Available

Live bidding starts Nov 20, 2026 10:00 AM EST

27" curved and flat with a clip point blade.Stamped with a "P" near the guard.  The guard of steel sheet metal and cupped, and the handle is ribbed pattern and of steel. Marked on the back of the cupped guard "U.S. Chesapeake".  The blade and guard have a nice untouched look mostly gray with some light  staining.  Overall very good and very rare to find them with the ships name.   The USS Chesapeake was one of the original six ships authorized by the United States Congress under the Naval Act of 1794, cementing her place as a founding vessel of the modern United States Navy.   On June 22, 1807 the Chesapeake sailed out of Norfolk, Virginia. Unprepared for combat, with her decks cluttered and her crew untrained. Just off the coast, she was intercepted by the British 50-gun ship HMS Leopard, whose captain demanded to search the American vessel for royal naval deserters. When the Chesapeake’s Commodore James Barron, refused, the Leopard opened fire, unleashing three devastating broadsides into the  American frigate. Outgunned and unable to return fire, Barron fired only a single symbolic shot. British officers boarded the ship and overran the crewmen. This incident outraged the American public, and prompted the Embargo Act of 1807. This event also served as a major catalyst for the War of 1812. When war finally erupted, the Chesapeake found redemption by capturing several British merchant vessels during successful Atlantic cruises. However on June 1, 1813, the Chesapeake met her challenge. Sailing out of Boston Harbor, Lawrence accepted a one-on-one challenge from Captain Philip Broke of the British frigate HMS Shannon. The two evenly matched ships engaged in a close-range cannon duel just 20 miles off the Boston coast. Within minutes, the Chesapeake suffered catastrophic damage to her rigging and steering wheel, drifting helplessly into the Shannon. Soon after the damage, British sailors boarded the Chesapeake and intense hand to hand combat broke out.  After the battle the Chesapeake was taken as a war trophy of the British, revamped and renamed to the HMS Chesapeake.