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James Barron Court-Martial: 1808 - A Fatal Backfire

Few verdicts would have such profound repercussions. Although his family and close friends stood by Barron, in general, his fellow naval officers shunned him. In 1812 he was hired to command a merchant vessel to transport materials to Portugal; from there he sailed to Sweden and then in July to Copenhagen. Before he could set sail for home, the United States had declared war on Britain. Although he made several attempts to return home, Barron had to be especially careful as he was technically still an officer of the U.S. Navy, and so he was stranded in Copenhagen throughout the war. After the war, Barron stayed on in an effort to promote some of his inventions such as machinery to improve a ship's windlass, windmills, rope-making, and cork-cutting, finally returning home in 1818.

He found no support in Washington in his efforts to regain active duty assignment. Instead, he began to hear that Stephen Decatur, his former protege and a leader in the move to court-martial him, was making what he considered libelous and derogatory remarks. In 1820, Barron challenged him to a duel, and although both wounded each other, Barron survived and Decatur died. Barron did in fact regain an active duty assignment with the navy in 1824, but it was his fate to go down in American history as "the man who killed Decatur."

—John S. Bowman

Suggestions for Further Reading

Proceedings of the General Court Martial Convened for the Trial of Commodore James Barron … January 1808. Washington, D.C.: James Gideon, Jr., 1808.

Stevens, William Oliver. An Affair of Honor: The Biography of Commodore James Barron, U.S.N. Chesapeake, Va.: Norfolk Historical Society, 1969.

Watson, Paul Barron. The Tragic Career of Commodore James Barron, U.S. Navy. New York: Coward-McCann, 1942.

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User Comments Add a comment…

11 months ago

I am a retired naval officer, a Naval Academy graduate and an amateur naval historian. It is of no small significance that Mid'n Decatur sailed under the command of Captain Barron at the outset of his career. On warships of 19th century, it was impossible for a midshipman to escape the scrutiny of the commanding officer. The nature of that early relationship had to form Decatur's opinion of Barron, and from my personal experience, opinions formed within the confines of a warship during extended periods at sea are deep and immutable. If Captain Barron had taken Mid'n Decatur under his wing, there is little Decatur would not have done to support Barron. The converse is even more true. I have seen it firsthand on countless occasions. Aloof and abusive captains (e.g. VADM William Bligh, RN) never live down their reputations.