The American frigate PRESIDENT, Commodore Rogers, engaging the little BELT, Capt. Bingham.

Engraving with two versions of the same naval battle scene, which shows a frigate, flying the US flag, in the foreground firing on a gunship flying a flag with the Union Jack in the canton, behind and right of the American vessel. The top edition of the image is a simple line engraving with no shading; below it is printed the title of the scene. Below this is the same image with the shadows fully filled in with a stipple technique and crosshatching. In the lower margin is printed, "Printed & Published by Langley & Belch. No. 173 High St. Borough London."
The name of the British vessel is "Little Belt", although the typesetting of the title suggests it to simply be "Belt".
The scene depicted occurred in 1811, when the American ship "President" was pursuing the "Little Belt", a British vessel in American waters. It is uncertain who fired the first shot, and accounts suggest that they fired upon each other nearly simultaneously. "President" had a single casulty, while "Little Belt" had 23, including two who did not survive. The event was among the catalysts for the war of 1812.