Biography by Richard P. Haydel and was found in the American National Biography, published by Oxford University Press, 1999.

William W. Burrows (6 Oct. 1785-5 Sept. 1813), naval officer, was born in Kensington, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia, the son of W. W. Burrows, a former commandant of the marine corps. William received an early education based on the classics and modern languages, especially German. He displayed a talent for art, frequently drawing naval vessels. His father, upon seeing this interest in the sea, arranged for his son to be instructed in various aspects of the navy. After William made satisfactory progress in this field, his father procured an appointment for him as a midshipman in the U.S. Navy. On 10 November 1799 William joined the crew of the 24-gun Portsmouth bound for France. His next assignment was to the Mediterranean aboard the 38-gun Philadelphia in 1800. Two years later he joined the Constitution and served throughout the Tripolitan War. Besides the Constitution, Burrows served on the schooner Vixen, the 16-gun Siren, and the 32-gun Essex while in the Mediterranean. He earned the rank of lieutenant on 19 March 1807 and returned to the United States that same year.
 
In 1808 Burrows commanded Gunboat 119 on the Delaware River enforcing Thomas Jefferson's embargo. In 1809 he served as third lieutenant on the 44-gun President and later that year became first lieutenant on the 18-gun Hornet. Upon discovering that some of his former subordinates outranked him, Burrows resigned his commission. However, Secretary of the Navy Paul Hamilton refused to accept the resignation and instead offered Burrows a temporary furlough, which the lieutenant accepted. While on furlough, Burrows served on the merchant ship Thomas Penrose bound for India and China. On the return voyage, a British ship captured the vessel and took it to Barbados before releasing the crew. Upon his return to the United States, Burrows received command of the Enterprise.
 
The Enterprise, with a crew of 102 men, fourteen eighteen-pound carronades, and two long nine-pounders, left Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on 1 September 1813 to guard against privateers between Cape Ann and the Bay of Fundy. On 5 September, near Pemaquid (Penguin) Point off the coast of Maine, the crew sighted an enemy vessel, HMS Boxer. The Boxer was under the command of Captain Samuel Blythe and mounted twelve eighteen-pound carronades and two long six-pounders. Accounts differ as to the size of the Boxer's crew: British sources maintain 66, American sources report 104.
 
At 3:20 that afternoon the two vessels moved within half a pistol shot of each other and opened fire. Early in the engagement, an eighteen-pound shot struck Captain Blythe, killing the British officer instantly on the deck of his vessel. Command of the Boxer fell to Lieutenant David McCreery. Almost simultaneously, Lieutenant Burrows also fell to enemy shot. While helping his crew run out a carronade, Burrows had raised a leg against a bulwark, and the shot hit his thigh, passed through, and entered his torso. He refused to be carried below and continued to lie on the deck shouting that the colors not be struck. Lieutenant Edward McCall assumed command of the Enterprise.
 
At 3:30 the Enterprise moved along the starboard tack, and its guns continued to fire upon the Boxer. Before the battle, for some unknown reason, either forethought of a possible tactical advantage or simply to improve the ship's trim, Burrows had repositioned a nine-pounder from the bow to the stern, aiming the weapon through his cabin window. This move proved brilliant as the battle unfolded. The Enterprise proceeded to move off the Boxer's starboard bow and continued to rake the British vessel with fire. Within five minutes the Boxer's main topmast and topsail yardarm fell. As the Enterprise moved ahead on the starboard tack, the repositioned weapon inflicted heavy damage on the British vessel. By 4:00 the Boxer lay defeated, but its flags still flew as Captain Blythe had nailed them to the mast before the battle. Unable to lower their colors, the crew eventually managed to hail the Enterprise and shout their surrender. With the battle won, Burrows allowed himself to be carried below, where he died soon thereafter. The indomitable courage and sailing skill Burrows demonstrated in the fight suggest that he might have enjoyed a distinguished career in the navy.
 
Following the battle, Lieutenant McCall took the Enterprise and its capture into Portland, Maine, where Lieutenant Burrows and Captain Blythe were buried side by side. Local military and the city of Portland provided all the ceremony that could be mustered on such short notice. The U.S. Congress honored Burrows by approving a measure to grant his nearest male relative a gold medal. Burrows never married.
 
Bibliography

No collection of William W. Burrows's papers exists. Most literature on Burrows focuses on the battle between the Enterprise and the Boxer. Early accounts of this battle are in James Fenimore Cooper, The History of the Navy of the United States of America (1839); Theodore Roosevelt, The Naval War of 1812 (1882); and A. T. Mahan, Sea Power in Its Relations to the War of 1812 (1905). Later accounts include sections in Francis F. Beirne, The War of 1812 (1949), and C. S. Forester, The Age of Fighting Sail (1956). For a listing of Burrows's early service consult Register of Officer Personnel: United States Navy and Marine Corps and Ships' Data 1801-1807 (1945). Fletcher Pratt, Preble's Boys: Commodore Preble and the Birth of American Sea Power (1950), provides one of the most complete accounts of Burrows's career. Contemporary appraisals of Burrows's character and career are given in Analectic Magazine 1 (Nov. 1813) and Niles's Weekly Register 5, supp. (Sept. 1813-Mar. 1814). William Dudley, ed., The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History (1992), provides copies of contemporary reports from officers and the battle's casualty and damage lists from both the Enterprise and the Boxer.