Capture of the Ambrose Light
Encyclopedia
The Capture of the Ambrose Light occurred in 1885 when the United States
Navy gunboat
USS Alliance
seized a brigantine
operated by Colombia
n rebels.
Lewis Clark
, of the South Atlantic Squadron
, was sailing to Cartagena
, on the Caribbean coast
of Colombia, when the lookouts aboard the Alliance sighted the one-gun Ambrose Light
. It was flying a strange flag featuring a red cross over a white background so the Americans assumed the vessel was a pirate ship. A chase began and the Americans were preparing to fire a shot over the vessel's bow when a Colombian ensign was observed and the Ambrose Light came to a halt. Commander Clark put Lieutenant
M. Fisher and a boarding party on the rebel ship and it was found to have been armed with one cannon and sixty heavily armed sailors. A large cache of ammunition was also discovered. The Colombians revealed their letter of marque
from the rebel leader Pedro Lara, giving the men of Ambrose Light permission to blockade Cartagena. Commander Clark disregarded this and took the rebels prisoner and the brigantine as prize. The ship was put under the command of Lieutenant Fisher with ten others and sent to be condemned in New York
. After arriving on June 1, a negro stowaway
was found, starving to death, hiding behind some casks in the cargo hold. The man immediately received medical attention. Following the court proceedings, it was agreed that the USS Alliance had lawfully seized the rebels as pirates because Pedro Lara, or any rebel, had no right to commission warships. However, when fighting broke out in Cartagena, the American Secretary of State
Thomas F. Bayard
released the Ambrose Light and her crew.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Navy gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
USS Alliance
USS Alliance (1877)
The second USS Alliance was a screw gunboat that was in service from 1877-1911 with the United States Navy.Laid down as Huron, a screw gunboat of the third rate, in 1873 at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Alliance was launched on 8 March 1875. She was sponsored by Miss Eulalie Boush, whose father, Naval...
seized a brigantine
Brigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
operated by Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n rebels.
Capture
On April 24, CommanderCommander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Lewis Clark
Lewis Clark
Lewis Mitchell "Mickey" Clark was a provincial politician from Alberta, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1979 to 1986 sitting with the Progressive Conservative caucus in government.-Political career:Clark ran for a seat to the Legislative Assembly of...
, of the South Atlantic Squadron
Brazil Squadron
The Brazil Squadron, the Brazil Station, or the South Atlantic Squadron was an overseas military station established by the United States in 1826 to protect American commerce in the South Atlantic during a war between Brazil and Argentina...
, was sailing to Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
, on the Caribbean coast
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
of Colombia, when the lookouts aboard the Alliance sighted the one-gun Ambrose Light
Ambrose Light (ship)
Ambrose Light was a brigantine, captured by the USS Alliance as a suspected pirate vessel in 1885. After a legal decision, the ship was returned to her Colombian owners, in return for costs...
. It was flying a strange flag featuring a red cross over a white background so the Americans assumed the vessel was a pirate ship. A chase began and the Americans were preparing to fire a shot over the vessel's bow when a Colombian ensign was observed and the Ambrose Light came to a halt. Commander Clark put Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
M. Fisher and a boarding party on the rebel ship and it was found to have been armed with one cannon and sixty heavily armed sailors. A large cache of ammunition was also discovered. The Colombians revealed their letter of marque
Letter of marque
In the days of fighting sail, a Letter of Marque and Reprisal was a government licence authorizing a person to attack and capture enemy vessels, and bring them before admiralty courts for condemnation and sale...
from the rebel leader Pedro Lara, giving the men of Ambrose Light permission to blockade Cartagena. Commander Clark disregarded this and took the rebels prisoner and the brigantine as prize. The ship was put under the command of Lieutenant Fisher with ten others and sent to be condemned in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. After arriving on June 1, a negro stowaway
Stowaway
A stowaway is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as an aircraft, bus, ship, cargo truck or train, to travel without paying and without being detected....
was found, starving to death, hiding behind some casks in the cargo hold. The man immediately received medical attention. Following the court proceedings, it was agreed that the USS Alliance had lawfully seized the rebels as pirates because Pedro Lara, or any rebel, had no right to commission warships. However, when fighting broke out in Cartagena, the American Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Thomas F. Bayard
Thomas F. Bayard
Thomas Francis Bayard was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served three terms as U.S. Senator from Delaware, and as U.S. Secretary of State, and U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom.-Early life and family:Bayard was born in...
released the Ambrose Light and her crew.