can someone please do this page 425; Sometimes he heard talk about
naval battles, and he tried to
imagine what they must have
been like.
In the summer of 1781, James
Forten signed onto the privateer
Royal Louis, commanded by
Stephen Decatur, Sr.The colonies
had few ships of their own to fight
against the powerful British navy
and issued “letters of marque”to
private parties. These allowed the
ships, under the flag of the United
States, to attack British ships and
to profit from the sale of any vessel
captured.The Royal Louis sailed out of
Philadelphia in August and was
quickly engaged by the British
vessel Active, a heavy armed brig
sent from England to protect its
trade ships.
The Royal Louis’s guns were
loaded with gunpowder that was
tamped down by an assistant
gunner. Then the cannonball was
put into the barrel and pushed
against the powder. Then the
powder would be ignited. The
powder had to be kept below decks
in case of a hit by an enemy ship.

page 426;

orten’s job was to carry the
gunpowder from below to the
guns.Up and down the stairs he
raced with the powder as shots from
the British ship whistled overhead.
There were large holes in the sails
and men screaming as they were
hit with grapeshot that splintered
the sides of the ship. The smell of
gunpowder filled the air as Captain
Decatur turned his ship to keep
his broadside guns trained on the
Active. Sailors all about Forten
were falling, some dying even as
others cried for more powder.
Again he went belowdecks,
knowing that if a shot ripped
through to the powder kegs, or if
any of the burning planks fell down
into the hold, he would be killed
instantly in the explosion. Up he
came again with as much powder
as he could carry.After what must have seemed
forever with the two ships tacking
about each other like angry cats,
the Active lowered its flag. It had
surrendered!
Decatur brought his ship into
Philadelphia, its guns still trained
on the limping Active.
The crowd on the dock cheered
wildly as they recognized the
American flag on the Royal Louis..
On board the victorious ship
James Forten had mixed feelings
as he saw so many of his comrades
wounded, some mortally.
The Royal Louis turned
its prisoners over to military
authorities. On the twenty-
seventh of September, the Active
was sold; the proceeds were split
among the owners of the Royal
Louis and the crew.
The sailors with the worst
wounds were sent off to be cared
for. The others, their own wounds
treated, were soon about the
business of repairing the ship.
Forten must have been excited.
Once the fear of the battle had
subsided and the wounded were
taken off, it was easy to think about
the dangerous encounter in terms
of adventure. And they had won.