At the start of her journey a gale blew her out of the Delaware and she had to put into New York for $2000 in repairs and refitting before she could resume her voyage.

The British seized Montezuma for violating the EIC's monopoly on trading between England and India, and she was condemned at London.

[6] Captain David Baxter sailed Montezuma from England on 2 November 1811, bound for Peru.

The next day Captain David Porter, of Essex put a prize crew of 10 men under the command of Midshipman William H. Odenheimer aboard Montezuma.

[7] Porter sent seven of his prizes (Essex Junior (ex-Atlantic), Barclay, Catharine, Hector, Montezuma, and Policy) into Valparaiso.

Essex Junior then sailed to rendezvous with Porter, leaving the remaining prizes at Valparaiso.

On 24 March 1819,[10] the warships under the command of Thomas Cochrane captured Moctezuma,[11] as she, with a US-flag, tried to break the blockade and deliver weapons to the royalists.

On 18 January 1823 Cochrane's flag as Vice Admiral of Chile was lowered for the last time from Moctezuma's main mast.

The expedition consisted of the frigate Lautaro, the armed schooners Moctezuma and Mercedes, and the transports Ceres, Esther (of Liverpool, Davis, master), Santa Rosa, and Sesostris.