The defense of the cutter Eagle against the attack of the British brig Dispatch and an accompanying sloop occurred during which war?

• A. War of 1812
• B. Mexican-American War
• C. Civil War
• D. Spanish-American War

Answer: (A)

This item tests timing of historical naval actions. Actions where a U.S. cutter like the Eagle defends against a British brig and an accompanying sloop belong to the era of the War of 1812, when the United States and Britain clashed along coastlines and rivers and small U.S. vessels routinely engaged Royal Navy ships. The War of 1812 lasted from 1812 to 1815, so this encounter fits that period. The other wars listed occurred later — the Mexican-American War in the 1840s, the Civil War in the 1860s, and the Spanish-American War in 1898 — and would involve different ships, theaters, and circumstances. So the defense of the Eagle against Dispatch and the sloop is a War of 1812 event.