Ship's Crew
Joseph L. Smith
Rank(s): Able Seaman
Dates of Service: 5/1/1813 - 6/15/1815
Birth Date: 1786
Early Life
Joseph L. Smith birth date and place are uncertain. According to various sources, Smith was born in Salem, Massachusetts in either 1787 or 1786, or was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on October 17, 1794.
Smith appears to have entered USS Constitution as an able seaman on May 18, 1813 at Boston, Massachusetts, but was transferred to USS Chesapeake almost immediately, and was among those taken prisoner when Chesapeake was captured.
Smith was taken prisoner when USS Chesapeake was captured by HMS Shannon. He was incarcerated at Halifax, but it is unclear when or if he was ever released. In January, 1819, his father appealed to the navy for information on his son, saying he had not heard from him since Chesapeake‘s capture, but believed that his son had been pressed into service on board the British frigate HMS Tenedos. His fate is unknown.
Crew ID
13184
