Traxton, Thomas

Traxton was born in Hampstead Village, on Long Island , NY . He received his primary education and at the age of 12 he joined the British merchant ship Pitt. However, due to his personal qualities and his abilities, he commanded his own ship Andrew Caldwell at the age of 20. Before the American Revolution, he was forcibly recruited into the Royal Navy. He was offered a patent for the rank of midshipman , which he rejected.

During the War of Independence, he engaged in privateering , commanding several courts: Congress, Independence, Mars, and St. James. His activities during the war were significant success: he captured many enemy ships, without suffering a single defeat.

After the war he returned to service on merchant ships, where his career continued for another 20 years. In 1786, Traxton commanded the Canton, which was based in Philadelphia and was one of the first American ships to trade with China .

In 1794, Traxton was appointed captain in the newly restored US Navy , and commanded the frigate Constellation during the Quasi-War with France . Prior to that, he had been observing its construction together with Silas Talbot, and after a dispute over the post, he was appointed to the ship by personal decision of US President George Washington , receiving the rank of Commodore . Thanks to the extremely successful actions of his ship during military operations against France, especially the battle with La Vengeance and the capture of the frigate "Insurgent", he became widely known and became a real hero of that time. On March 29, 1800, Thomas Traxton was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal ^[1] .

During this period, Traxton entered into a dispute over the post of commander of the Constellation and with Richard Dale. In 1800, he commanded the President frigate for several months, and shortly afterwards resigned, first settling in Perth-Amboy (state of New Jersey ), and then in Philadelphia . In 1801 , during the First Barbary War , he was offered the position of commander on a ship, but he refused.

In 1810, Thomas Traxton unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives . In 1816, he was elected Philadelphia County Sheriff and served four years in this post.

He published several works on navigation and naval tactics, quite famous at the time.

He died on May 5, 1822, was buried in a suburb of Philadelphia at the Christ Church memorial cemetery, where his grave still exists.

Several American warships and the city of Traxton were named after Trakston in the state of new york. Truxton Circle, a ring named after him, once existed in Washington , but was later demolished, but its name has been preserved in the name of a nearby area. Trakston Park in Annapolis ( Maryland ) was also named after him. The name of the commodore was carried by several ships of the U.S. Navy , among them - USS Truxtun , launched in 2009 .

• James Barnes . Naval Actions of the War of 1812. - N. Y. , 1896.
• Ian W. Toll . Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy. - N. Y. , 2006.