Two battling sea captains rest forever, side by side, in Portland

Captain William Burrows, U.S.S. Enterprise and Captain Samuel Blyth, H.M.V. Boxer
Both died Sept. 5, 1813

Greetings from Portland. Sweater weather is here. Every day this month I’m telling a story that bridges the gap between this world, and the next. I’m resurrecting the memory of Portlanders who’ve crossed over to the other side by posting one video each day, relating the tale of one, interesting “permanent Portlander.”

The American ship Enterprise and British ship Boxer fought a battle off Pemaquid Point during the War of 1812. The fight lasted less than an hour but both captains were killed. Neither one was yet 30 years old.

The victorious Enterprise towed the Boxer to Portland and both men were laid side by side, with great reverence, in the Eastern Cemetery. Two years later, American Lt. Kervin Waters, 18, who’d been suffering from lingering wounds, was buried by his captain’s side.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who was just a child when the battle took place, spoke of it in his poem “My Lost Youth.” He wrote, “I remember the sea-fight far away, How it thundered o’er the tide! And the dead captains, as they lay In their graves, o’erlooking the tranquil bay Where they in battle died. And the sound of that mournful song Goes through me with a thrill: A boy’s will is the wind’s will, And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.”

Today’s story is brought to you with the help of Spirits Alive — the volunteer group that looks after the Eastern Cemetery and leads guided tours.

Disclaimer: I’m not a historian. I owe everything I know to the dedicated research of those who have come before me. These character sketches are assembled from multiple (often antique) sources and sprinkled with my own conjecture. I’m happy to be set straight or to learn more.

Capt. William Burrowes (center), Capt. Samuel Blyth (right) and Lt. Kervin Waters all lie together in Portland's Eastern Cemetery. Burrowes, of the U.S.S. Enterprise and and Blyth, of H.M.V Boxer, died when their ships met in battle off the coast of Maine in 1813. Waters, of the Enterprise, died of his wounds two years later. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

Capt. William Burrowes (center), Capt. Samuel Blyth (right) and Lt. Kervin Waters all lie together in Portland’s Eastern Cemetery. Burrowes, of the U.S.S. Enterprise and and Blyth, of H.M.V Boxer, died when their ships met in battle off the coast of Maine in 1813. Waters, of the Enterprise, died of his wounds two years later. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

Capt. William Burrowes is buried in Portland's Eastern Cemetery. Burrowes, of the U.S.S. Enterprise, died when his ship battled, and bested, the H.M.V. Boxer off the coast of Maine in 1813. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

Capt. William Burrowes is buried in Portland’s Eastern Cemetery. Burrowes, of the U.S.S. Enterprise, died when his ship battled, and bested, the H.M.V. Boxer off the coast of Maine in 1813. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

Capt. Samuel Blyth is buried in Portland's Eastern Cemetery. Blyth, of the H.M.V. Boxer, died when his ship battled, and lost to,, the U.S.S. Enterprise off the coast of Maine in 1813. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

Capt. Samuel Blyth is buried in Portland’s Eastern Cemetery. Blyth, of the H.M.V. Boxer, died when his ship battled, and lost to,, the U.S.S. Enterprise off the coast of Maine in 1813. Troy R. Bennett | BDN

Troy R. Bennett

About Troy R. Bennett

Troy R. Bennett is a Buxton native and longtime Portland resident whose photojournalism has appeared in media outlets all over the world.