#beaver hat

When Carden and Decatur met again, 500 miles south of the Azores, it was an American victory, with the heavier armament of United States making the difference. Her longer, 24-pound shot proved decisive, inflicting much more damage than Macedonian’s 18-pound shot. At closer range, the Americans’ twenty-four 42-pound carronades devastated Macedonian, who carried only fourteen 32-pounders. Carden’s ship was nearly dismasted and became unmanageable, with great loss of life. Over 100 dead, dying, and wounded men were strewn near her wrecked rigging and canvas. 

When Carden surrendered at last, some of his men cried and others were prepared to fight the American prize crew (the British sailors had also broken into the spirit stores, adding to the chaos). Nonetheless:

Decatur and Carden greeted each other as friends. The American refused to accept Carden’s sword and praised his gallantry, but he could tell that Carden was in a deplorably melancholic state. Carden admitted that he was devastated at losing his ship, believing that he was the first British captain to do so. Decatur’s attempts to console him by informing him that Dacres [of HMS Guerriere] had that unfortunate distinction only partially mollified Carden. He had still lost a ship in one-on-one combat, and Macedonian became the first and only British frigate to be brought into an American port as a prize. 

— Nicholas James Kaizer, Revenge in the Name of Honour: The Royal Navy’s Quest for Vengeance in the Single Ship Actions of the War of 1812

No word from Kaizer if the bet for a beaver hat was ever called in by Stephen Decatur. For those unfamiliar with the term, it refers to a hat made from highly processed beaver fur that has been felted, formed, and brushed to a silken sheen, like the top hat worn by this gentleman in an 1812 fashion plate (Flickr):