Brilliant victory, obtained by Commodore Decatur, of the "United States," frigate, over the British frigate "Macedonian," commanded by Capt. Carden, which battle was decided in 17 minutes : Hark how the church bell's thundering harmony stuns the glad ear! ...

The breathless title and blank verse at the top of this broadside, Brilliant Victory, sets the stage for the text below promoting Stephen Decatur just as colorfully as previous songs had promoted Isaac Hull. Certainly, after the land battle debacles of the War of 1812, the successes at sea were a relief to all. Of this broadside and of Decatur’s Victory, also a Decatur promotional, Commander Martin offers the following commentary:

These two broadsides are among the earliest of what may be called ‘scoreboards.’ No longer is the subject a single victory: it is a recitation, amidst chest-thumping and flag-waving phrases, of victories scored to date, with the latest, in this case Decatur’s, added to those of Isaac Hull and Jacob Jones.

Captain Stephen Decatur Jr., he who burned Philadelphia at Tripoli in 1804, on October 25, 1812, met and fought HM frigate Macedonian, another thirty-eight-gunner like Guerriere, under the command of Captain Henry S. Carden. Decatur’s ship was the heavy frigate United States, Constitution’s sister, with a similar battery of twenty-four-pounder long guns, but a heavier battery of forty-two-pounder carronades. This disparity in armament was accentuated by the fact that Captain Carden proved not to be the dashing British frigate captain of popular image, but a rather reluctant foe who seems to have fought because it was expected of him.

In a duel lasting something over an hour (not seventeen minutes as Brilliant Victory would have it), Decatur let Carden pursue him, keeping on enough sail to make it a long, slow process during which the American gradually shot the Briton’s spars and rigging to shreds. When Macedonian could no longer close, Decatur turned and brought the full power of both long guns and carronades to bear until she surrendered with about one-third of her crew either killed or wounded.

Decatur further added to his ‘glory’ in this instance by taking the time to effect necessary repairs to Macedonian and bringing her home safely to New London, Connecticut. The sight of a British frigate making its way into an American port with its battle ensign flying below the Stars and Stripes was an electrifying one. Too, this second consecutive frigate victory confirmed the first had not been an accident. The US Navy’s ‘star’ began to rise.

The Congress, needless to say, awarded Decatur and his officers medals, and the government bought Macedonian for the Navy. This brought Decatur and his crew shares in more than $200,000, making the captain at least modestly rich. (Dudley; Roosevelt)