Background
William Burrows was born on October 6, 1785 at Kinderton, near Philadelphia. His father was Lieutenant-Colonel W. W. Burrows, first commandant of the United States Marine Corps, after its reorganization as such in 1798.
William Burrows was born on October 6, 1785 at Kinderton, near Philadelphia. His father was Lieutenant-Colonel W. W. Burrows, first commandant of the United States Marine Corps, after its reorganization as such in 1798.
William received an excellent education, both in the classics and in modern languages.
William was warranted a midshipman in November 1799 and joined the 24-gun ship Portsmouth in the following January, under the gallant though eccentric Captain Daniel McNeill. After a cruise to France, during which two French privateers were captured, he obtained a furlough of several months, for the purpose of perfecting himself in navigation and the French language. In 1803, as acting lieutenant, he joined the Constitution, serving in her throughout the Tripolitan war.
In 1808 he commanded a gunboat in the Delaware flotilla, engaged in enforcing the embargo law. In 1809 he was transferred to the President, Captain Bainbridge, and then to the Hornet, Captain Hunt, as first lieutenant, in which vessel he gave proof, during a violent gale, of intrepidity and sound seamanship.
Discovering that he was outranked by certain of his former juniors, Burrows sent in his resignation, which, however, was not accepted by Secretary Hamilton, who instead offered the young officer a furlough of nearly a year. This was accepted and spent in a voyage to India and China as officer of a merchant ship, the Thomas Penrose, which on the return voyage was captured by a British ship and taken into Barbados.
Paroled shortly afterward, Burrows returned home and was given command of the sloop-of-war Enterprise, 16 guns. Sailing from Portsmouth on September 5, 1813, he fell in the next day with the British brig Boxer of about equal strength, which, with colors nailed to the mast, fired several shots in challenge and closed with the American ship. A sharp action of some forty-five minutes at close quarters ensued, in which Burrows gave proof of great gallantry and tactical resourcefulness.
At 4 p. m. the fire of the Boxer, which had been repeately raked and had lost her main-topmast, ceased, and the vessel was surrendered. Burrows, who had been wounded but had remained on deck to direct the fight, was later mortally wounded by a canister shot, and lived only long enough to receive the surrender of the British ship, whose brave commander, Captain Blythe, had been cut in two by a cannon ball. The Enterprise and her capture were brought into Portland, Maine, where the two commanders were buried side by side. As this was the first American naval success since the loss of the Chesapeake, it was hailed with delight, and Congress passed a resolution of praise and regret, and presented a gold medal to Burrows's next of kin.
He was buried at Eastern Cemetery in Portland, Maine next to the slain commander of Boxer, Samuel Blyth.
William E. Burrows died unmarried.