On September 11, 1814, HMS Hermes, HMS Sophie, HMS Carron, and HMS Childress sailed within nine miles of Fort Bowyer and landed 60 Royal Marines with a howitzer and 120 Creek Indians under Captain Woodbine. Part of this land force marched westward toward the fort to support the ship-to-shore bombardment, while the reindeer traveled to Bon Secoui as a rear guard. At 3:30 on September 14, the British naval force, led by HMS Hermes under Captain Sir William Percy, engaged the fort. Three of the vessels provided little support because wind prevented two from securing positions within range, while Sophie's timbers were so rotten that its guns overturned when fired. The situation soon turned against Hermes when its bow spring was shot away, causing the vessel to swing around and allowing the fort's cannon to rake its decks from bow to stern. By 6:00 p.m., Hermes began drifting and ran aground. During this time, the Royal Marines and Creek Indians pushed toward the fort from the landward side, but after their artillery ammunition was exhausted and seeing Hermes in its helpless condition, Captain Woodbine ceased the attack and withdrew his forces eastward down the peninsula. As evening fell, Captain Percy ordered Hermes abandoned and its surviving crew evacuated to Sophie, and before leaving, the crew set the ship on fire to prevent its capture and repair by the Americans. Around 10:00 p.m., the flames reached the ship's powder magazine, and a tremendous explosion heard more than 30 miles away in Mobile destroyed Hermes. The American victory at Fort Bowyer gave the United States a much-needed morale boost, Major Lawrence and his garrison were highly praised for their stubborn defense, and Lawrence was brevetted to Lieutenant Colonel for his actions. The British failure led them to attempt another route to New Orleans, and in January 1815 that alternate route ended in their disastrous defeat below the city at the hands of Andrew Jackson.