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The Wars of 1812Smith told Summers that there were forty-odd American sail inBritish convoy in Wingo Bay which would be seized immediatelyif the British received news of war between the UnitedStates and Britain before they did. I think, said Smith, that youhave come with that news.Captain Summers then told of the declaration of war, gaveSmith dispatches from his employers to Copenhagen and St.Petersburg, and Smith set sail for Gothenburg with, luckily, "astrong and fair wind" behind him. The "Champlin" cleared forCopenhagen as soon as possible.Once back in Gothenburg, Smith assembled in his office allthe Americans he could contact, and told them the message the"Champlin" had brought. The news was a bombshell. Some ofthe Americans there were captains of the vessels lying in theroads in British convoy. They were crazy to get to their ships,but the "strong and fair wind"—now almost gale force—whichcarried Smith swiftly up from the quarantine grounds wasdead against any vessel that might try to sail dow n the harbor.Tw o or three of the Americans went by horse and carriage toMarstrand, a small port a few miles to windward, and took aboat out from there to the American ships. Before the nextmorning, some forty American sail eased out of the anchoredconvoy and in under the protection of the Swedish shorebatteries, "to the great surprise of the British officers, wh owondered what had got into the Yankees that they had all goneup the river." 6Immediately after the meeting of the Americans at Smith'soffice broke up, Smith dispatched letters to Speyer and Adams,and left for Carlshamn, the port nearest the island of Hano ,where American sail returning from Russia would be waiting251