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Samuel Leech was a young sailor in the Royal Navy and the United States Navy during the War of 1812. He became notable as one of very few who wrote an account of his experiences. Leech's nautical career began in 1810, at the age of twelve. He was a powder monkey during H.M.S. Macedonian's duel with the U.S.S. United States in 1812. As a prisoner of war, he was due to be exchanged at some point, but when the captured Macedonian was brought into Newport, Rhode Island, Leech jumped ship. He returned to the sea, this time signing on to the US Navy, where he compared his treatment favorably to that in the Royal Navy. - Summary by Wikipedia