Let’s see what the other boys got to say about William Bainbridge.
Jacob Jones: William Bainbridge’s second lieutenant on the USS Philadelphia. I don’t think I ever read anything bad happening between the two.
James Lawrence: The joke here is Lawrence’s mother died when he was an infant and his father was also a Loyalist but abandoned him when his mother died. Lawrence’s married, older half sister who was 15 years older than him had to raise him.
Johnston Blakeley: During the War of 1812, William Bainbridge was commander of the Charlestown (Boston) naval yard. He would commandeer all the best resources and sailors for his younger brother Joseph Bainbridge who was competing against Blakeley getting their respective ships underway forcing Blakeley to scrounge around (mostly to Isaac Hull) for the necessities.
Daniel Todd Patterson: Midshipman on the USS Philadelphia during the First Barbary War. While writing “woe is me” letters to Commodore Edward Preble, Bainbridge wrote intelligence with invisible ink between the lines.
John Rodgers: Way back when William Bainbridge was a teen in the merchant service, he stood 6 feet with a muscular physique ending an attempted mutiny on a ship and was rewarded as captain of it.
Charles Stewart and Charles Morris: In between the time of the First Barbary War and War of 1812, William Bainbridge applied for a furlough so was doing merchant business in Russia I guess. Once he got word war was declared, he immediately sped back home. Along the way there was a blizzard while in Sweden killing the driver of his carriage and a few of the horses. Bainbridge had to find another way back to the States and asked the Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton for the command of a ship…….
Isaac Hull: After Isaac Hull relinquished command of the Constitution to Bainbridge, Bainbridge was like “you can take over the Boston naval yard.” Okay cool, so Hull did. When Bainbridge handed the Constitution over to Charles Stewart, Bainbridge wanted the Boston yard back. Being accommodating Hull bowed out. Second Barbary War happens. William Bainbridge was called to lead the second squadron to the Mediterranean. Hull takes over the Boston yard again but this time he wasn’t going to give it up when Bainbridge returned from the Mediterranean because well, Isaac Hull had a family to support and he wasn’t going to be pushed around anymore by William Bainbridge. Of course William Bainbridge didn’t like that so he had his secretary spy on Isaac Hull reading personal papers and planted seeds in subordinates’ heads that Isaac Hull was doing them dirty by not doing favors for them and it became a whole political thing. Charges were brought-and eventually dropped. But David Porter who was on the board of Navy Commissioners was sent to investigate if any corruption was happening. There was no findings but Isaac Hull was so disgusted by the experience that he vowed to never live in Boston ever again. Visit maybe but to live, never.
Hull eventually forgave Bainbridge years later which shows he’s a better person than I can ever be.
