The Chesapeake–Leopard Affair

(Wikipedia) In the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, also referred to as the Chesapeake Affair, which occurred on June 22, 1807, the British warship HMS Leopard attacked and boarded the American frigate Chesapeake. In early 1807, during the Napoleonic Wars, a number of British Navy warships were on duty on the American Station, blockading two French Third Rate warships in Chesapeake Bay. A number of British sailors - both of British and American birth - deserted and joined the crew of the Chesapeake. Vice-Admiral Sir George Berkeley dispatched the fourth-rate warship Leopard to search for the frigate and recover the deserters. Continued