Oil on canvas of Rodney John Charman's "The War of 1812", U.S.F. Constitution and H.M.S. Guerriere at close quarters. Signed lower left "Rodney Charman". Overall 30" high x 40" wide. Footnote:The U.S. Frigate Constitution left Boston, Massachusetts, on 2 August 1812, bound for a raiding cruise off Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Her Commanding Officer, Isaac Hull, was eager to find and fight one of the several Royal Navy frigates active off North America, and on 18 August an American privateer informed him that one might be found further south. The next afternoon, some 400 miles southeast of the British base at Halifax, a sail was sighted that turned out to be H.M.S. Guerriere, one of the frigates that had fruitlessly pursued Constitution off New York a month earlier.Guerriere's Captain, James R. Dacres, was also spoiling for a fight. Despite his ship's disadvantages, the long British tradition of victory in ship-to-ship combat provided reasonable grounds for Dacres' aggressive optimism. As Constitution approached, Guerriere began firing alternating broadsides that produced few hits and little damage. Constitution's return fire was also ineffective, but this changed as the two ships drew alongside at about six in the evening of 19 August 1812.