Master Commandant William Henry Allen (October 21, 1784 – August 18, 1813) was an American naval officer during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

Early life

Allen was born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

and was appointed a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

on April 28, 1800. Shortly after his appointment Allen was ordered on board the frigate ''

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

'', commanded by captain Bainbridge. On board of USS ''George Washington'', he sailed to

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

. Upon returning to the United States in April 1801, he was ordered on board of USS ''Philadelphia'', commanded by captain Samuel Barron. With USS ''Philadelphia'', he sailed the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

until June 1802. Allen sailed back to the Mediterranean again from October 1802 until December 1803 on board of USS ''John Adams''. In 1804 he was appointed sailing-master of USS ''Congress''. Under the command of captain Rodgers, he sailed for the Mediterranean. In October 1805, together with captain Rogers Allen was removed to USS ''Constitution'', and promoted to a lieutenancy. In 1806, Allen returned on board of USS ''Constitution'' to the United States. On February 17, 1807, after a short break in Providence, he was attached to USS ''Chesapeake'', where he served in the rank third lieutenant under the command of captain Baron. On June 21, 1807, he participated in the ''Chesapeake''-''Leopard'' Affair in which USS ''Chesapeake'' was boarded by the British and four sailors were taken captive on suspicion of being deserters from the Royal Navy.Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. P. 8 Allen was credited with firing the only gun discharged in her own defense by the American ship. The incident was a key development in building American resentment toward the British which eventually resulted in the

. In 1809, Allen was transferred to USS ''United States'', under the command of Captain

Stephen Decatur Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was an American naval officer and commodore. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County. His father, Stephen Decatur Sr., was a commodore in the Unite ...

War of 1812

By 1812, Allen as a first lieutenant of the frigate ''United States'' took part in the engagement with HMS ''Macedonian''. At the conclusion of that capture, he was named to command the prize crew which took ''Macedonian'' into

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. After that lieutenant Allen took some time off from the naval service in Providence, but was called on active duty once again. On July 24, 1813, by order of commodore Decatur he was assigned to command the brig ''Argus'' as a

master commandant Master commandant was a rank within the early United States Navy. Both the Continental Navy, started in 1775, and the United States Navy created by the United States Congress, in 1796, had just two commissioned ranks, lieutenant and captain. Maste ...

. On August 14, he led his ship in the engagement with HMS ''Pelican'' during which he received mortal wounds. A cannon round shattered his left knee, but he remained at his station until he fainted from blood loss. After ''Argus surrender, Allen's leg was amputated on board of ''Argus,'' while he was taken to the hospital at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

's Millbay Prison where he died at 11 o'clock at night on August 18, 1813. Master Commandant Allen was buried with full military honors in the churchyard of St Andrew's, Plymouth, England.

Legacy

In 1814 a small row galley was named the USS ''Allen'' in his honor. The destroyer USS ''Allen'' (DD-66) was also named after him. The ''Allen'' served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and was present at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

during the attack on December 7, 1941. The ''Allen'' was the oldest destroyer in the Navy during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She was assigned to training duties and spent the remainder of the war at Pearl Harbor. After the war, she was decommissioned and sold for scrap. *

Allen Street Allen Street is a street in the New York City borough of Manhattan which runs north-south through the Lower Manhattan neighborhood of Chinatown and the Lower East Side. It is continued north of Houston Street as First Avenue. South of Divisio ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City * It is possible that Allens Avenue in

was named after him. * Fort Allen in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

was named after him shortly after his death.

Family

His father,

William Allen William Allen may refer to: Politicians United States *William Allen (congressman) (1827–1881), United States Representative from Ohio *William Allen (governor) (1803–1879), U.S. Representative, Senator, and 31st Governor of Ohio *William ...

, soon after the start of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

in June 1775, was commissioned an ensign in the 3rd Rhode Island Regiment in the Continental Army. His regiment served in the

Siege of Boston The siege of Boston (April 19, 1775 – March 17, 1776) was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. New England militiamen prevented the movement by land of the British Army, which was garrisoned in what was then the peninsular town ...

and was disbanded on December 31, 1775. In January 1776, he was promoted to 1st lieutenant in the 11th Continental Infantry Regiment and served until the regiment was disbanded at the end of the year. In January 1777 he was promoted to captain in the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment. He commanded a company of the Rhode Island line of troops at the

Battle of Saratoga The Battles of Saratoga (September 19 and October 7, 1777) marked the climax of the Saratoga campaign, giving a decisive victory to the Americans over the British in the American Revolutionary War. British General John Burgoyne led an invasion ...

. He transferred to the 1st Rhode Island Regiment when the two Rhode Island regiments were consolidated on January 1, 1781. William Allen was present and actively engaged in many of the battles which were fought during our Revolutionary War. In recognition of his service, he was advanced to the brevet (honorary) rank of major on September 30, 1783. He served until the Continental Army was disbanded on November 3, 1783. In 1786, Allen was appointed by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

, senior officer of the legionary corps raised in

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. In 1799, he was appointed by the

Rhode Island General Assembly The State of Rhode Island General Assembly is the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. A bicameral body, it is composed of the lower house, lower Rhode Island House of Representatives with 75 re ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

of militia. The mother of William Henry Allen, was the sister of William Jones, who served as Governor of Rhode Island.Frost, John, LL.D., ''The Pictorial Book Of The Commodores; Comprising Lives Of Distinguished Commanders In The Navy Of The United States''. Nafis & Cornish, New York, 1845. p. 247

References

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External links

NHC Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, William Henry United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 United States Navy officers People from Providence, Rhode Island 1784 births 1813 deaths People from Rhode Island in the War of 1812 War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom American military personnel killed in the War of 1812 American people who died in prison custody Prisoners who died in British military detention