Ten American gunboats attacked a British brig grounded in Delaware Bay, with a frigate anchored close enough to support her. The Americans' powder was so poor that their officers had already protested that it was unfit for service, and their shots failed to reach the brig. Gunboat No. 121 drifted a mile and a half away from the other boats, giving the British an opportunity to attack her separately. Seven British boats carrying 140 men advanced against her. Her long gun's carriage broke apart at the second discharge, leaving the crew to resist with small arms before the British boarded and captured her. Seven members of her twenty-five-man crew were killed or wounded.
Notable Point · 25:45-27:19
Bad powder and a broken gun carriage doom Gunboat No. 121
An isolated American gunboat loses its long gun during a British boat attack, after poor powder has already frustrated the flotilla's gunnery.