John G. Cowell

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John G. Cowell (September 18, 1785 – April 18, 1814) was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812. He was born in Marblehead, Massachusetts, and joined the Navy as a master on January 21, 1809. In a battle off Valparaíso, Chile, on March 28, 1814, Cowell, then an acting lieutenant, was badly wounded and lost a leg while commanding the USS Essex against HMS Phoebe and HMS Cherub. He refused to be carried below deck and encouraged his crew for the rest of the fight. He was carried ashore and died on April 18, 1814. The people of Valparaíso gave him a burial in their main church, an unusual honor for a foreigner. Two destroyers have been named USS Cowell in his memory.