Sept. 12, 1814, a British fleet led by Capt. William Percy attacked Mobile Point in an effort to secure the area ahead of a planned invasion of New Orleans, La. A successful engagement would have allowed the British to control Mobile and send men inland to circle New Orleans from the north.

Subsequently, they would have been able to cut off New Orleans from the rest of the United States, blocking trade, which in turn would have disrupted the entire U.S. economy. Percy led a contingent of four warships in the attack in conjunction with a land force of Royal Marines and some 600 Indians. The force landed about nine miles east of the fort and marched west to the attack.

The American force inside Fort Bowyer numbered around 120 and was commanded by William Lawrence. The American soldiers were charged with defending the fort from the British land attack while the guns of the fort were busy holding off the naval flotilla under Percy’s command.

During the onslaught, the British ship Hermes ran aground and was eventually abandoned. Percy set her on fire and the ship later exploded when the fire reached the powder magazine on board.

While the attack on Fort Bowyer was the last for that incarnation of HMS Hermes, it certainly was not the first. While there have been at least ten British vessels of war that have carried the names Hermes, the one whose remains lay off the coast of Mobile Point began her journey in January 1810 in the Milford Dockyard.

The ship’s first commander was Captain Philip Browne, who sailed her during the Napoleonic Wars off the coast of France capturing and destroying vessels aimed at aiding the French effort.

During the early days of the War of 1812, Hermes plied the waters off the American Atlantic coast, capturing at least two American ships in February 1812 alone. In April 1814, Percy took command of the 20-gun ship and sailed her along with an accompanying vessel from Havana, Cuba to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

William Percy, who commanded Hermes at the assault on Fort Bowyer, had also seen action prior to the 1814 event. He had begun his career in the British China fleet. Percy then rose through the ranks and saw action in the Napoleonic Wars before attaining the rank of captain in March 1812. His first command came during the War of 1812 when he gained control of Hermes. As fate would have it, this was also his last command. During the battle, Hermes ran aground and was lost with at least 50 members of the crew either wounded or killed in the attack.

Percy was court-martialed for the loss of Hermes, but was acquitted of the charges. The court found that his actions were warranted under the circumstances and the attack on Fort Bowyer justified.

Since that fall afternoon in 1814, Fort Bowyer has given way to Fort Morgan, which is now a historical destination along the Alabama cost. HMS Hermes has been reincarnated numerous times. However, the battle that played such a dramatic role in the life of Percy and the history of Hermes is often forgotten by all but diehard historians.