Report on the Return of Killed and Wounded by Purser Thomas Chew
This report, which was handwritten by Purser Thomas Chew on August 21, 1812, records the casualties that were sustained on board the USS Constitution during the battle with HMS Guerriere on August 19, 1812. Chew served as purser aboard Constitution from June 1, 1812 until September 26, 1812. In this vital role, he acted as the ship’s business agent, paymaster, grocer, and shopkeeper.
On the left half of the page, Chew listed the names and ranks of the seven men who were killed. They include Lieutenant of Marines William Sharp Bush, Seaman Jacob Sego, Seaman Robert Brice, Seaman John Brown, Seaman James Read, Seaman Caleb Smith, and Seaman James Ashford.
On the right half of the page, Chew listed the names of the wounded, their ranks, and remarks on how badly they were wounded. They include 1st Lieutenant Charles Morris (dangerously), Master John C. Aylwin (slightly), Seaman Richard Dunn (dangerously), Ordinary Seaman George Reynolds (slightly), Seaman Daniel Lewis (dangerously), Seaman Owen Taylor (dangerously), and Marine Francis Mullen (slightly).
At the bottom of the page, Chew included a summary of the casualties, including a total count of those killed and wounded. He also signed and dated the document in the bottom right corner.
Creator
Thomas Chew
Date Created
August 21, 1821
Medium
Ink, Paper
Dimensions
[H] 8 in. [W] 12.75 in.
Catalog Number
2535.1
Credit Line
USS Constitution Museum Collection.
Terms of Use
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License
