Command of President
The USS President was launched on 10 April 1800. It was the last of the original six frigates to do so. After the vessel was fitted out for sea duty she set sail for Guadeloupe on 5 August with Captain Truxtun in command, relieving Stephen Decatur. She conducted routine patrols during the latter part of the Quasi-War and made several recaptures of American merchant ships, however her overall service in this period was uneventful. She returned to the United States in March, after a peace treaty with France was ratified on 3 February 1801.
His victories, perhaps most notably that over the L'Insurgente, made Truxtun a hero of the time. Consequently, when Truxtun arrived home he was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal on February 2, 1800, becoming the eighth recipient of that body’s "highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions."
During this period, Truxtun was involved in a dispute over rank with Richard Dale. Truxtun took command of the USS President for a few months in 1800, soon after retiring from the Navy and locating first in Perth Amboy, New Jersey and later in Philadelphia. He was offered command during the First Barbary War in 1801 but refused, settling firmly into retirement.
Read more about this topic: Thomas Truxtun
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