William Ward Burrows II (1785 - 1813)

Born 6 Oct 1785 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Died 5 Sep 1813 at age 27 in Portland, Cumberland, Massachusetts, United States

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William Burrows II was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in the War of 1812.

Lieutenant William Burrows II served in the U.S. Navy in the War of 1812
Service started: June 18, 1812
Unit(s): USS Enterprise (1799)
Service ended: September 5, 1813

Biography

Lieutenant William Burrows II was Killed in Action during War of 1812.

Was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously for his valiant command of the USS Enterprise in forcing the surrender of HMS Boxer. He died aboard ship from mortal wounds received during this engagement and was buried next to Samuel Blyth the Commander of the HMS Boxer in Eastern Cemetery in Portland, Maine.

The inscription on his monument at Eastern Cemetery reads:

Beneath this stone

molders

the body of Captain William Burrows,

Late Commander

of the

United States Brig Enterprise,

who was mortally wounded

On the 5th of Sept. 1813,

In an action which contributed

to increase the fame of

American valor, by capturing

His Britannic Majesty's

Brig Boxer,

after a severe contest of

forty-five minutes,

Aet. 48.

A passing stranger has erected this monument of respect to the manes of a patriot, who in the hour of peril obeyed the loud summons of an injured country; and who gallantly met, fought and conquered the foeman.

Sources

• Wikipedia contributors, "William Ward Burrows II," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, [1] (accessed October 1, 2018).
• Find A Grave Index, database with images ([2]: accessed 1 Oct 2018), memorial 16249536, William Ward Burrows Jr. (1785-1813), Eastern Cemetery, Portland, Cumberland, Maine.
• Navy Department, U.S. (1901). List of Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps from 1775 to 1900. L.R. Hamersly & Co. Digitized by HyperWar Foundation.