Silas Talbot (11 January 1751 - 30 June 1813) was an officer in the Continental Army and in the Continental Navy. Talbot is most famous for commanding the USS Constitution from 1798 to 1801. Talbot was born in Dighton, Massachusetts. He was commissioned a captain in the Continental Army on 1 July 1775. After participating in the siege of Boston and aiding in the transportation of troops to New York, he obtained command of a fire ship and attempted to use it to set fire to the British warship HMS Asia (1764). The attempt failed, but the daring it displayed won him a promotion to major on 10 October 1777.