He won the war in his own mind! ;-) Sort of.

The US Navy presented no major threat to the British in 1812-14, but it did have a few frigates that outclassed any other frigates in the world at the time. They were built larger, faster, heavier-gunned, and with heavier sides (to resist incoming fire). It was these frigates (primarily the USS Constitution) which won some famous encounters with less formidable British frigates.

In the Chesapeake and Shannon fight, however...another battle between frigates...the British won. Captain Broke had a superbly trained crew and he'd been preparing for the battle for some time. He was rewarded with a bloody victory over the Chesapeake in what has been called the fiercest naval engagement of that war.