USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island privateers in King George's war, 1739-1748 > Part 10
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essary to keep bailing also. One man died at this work. At eight o'clock they lost the mainmast and foremast overboard. They continued pumping until November 22, when three men refused to pump any more. Luckily a sloop, Capt. Peter Groves, and a schooner, Captain Coverly, hove in sight and lay by them all night. Captain Sweet offered them £4,000 to tow the ship, now scarcely more than a derelict, into Nan- tucket. At first they thought well of the offer, but upon due consideration declined to attempt it.
On November 23, the crew of the wrecked prize, together with some of the goods, consisting of wine, brandy, small arms, blunderbusses, gloves, slippers and oil, were transferred to the smaller vessels and reached New London in safety. Most of the prize goods were disposed of by Captain Sweet in order to pay expenses. On this account Captain Sweet and the other members of the prize crew were accused of stealing the prize goods, evading duties, etc., and were cited to appear in court on December 16, 1746. Capt. Robert Morris, formerly com- mander of the Duke of Marlborough, had by this time obtained an interest in the vessel as part owner.
Apparently the Duke of Marlborough and the Charming Betty were cruising in consort when this prize was taken, as the "Boston News-Letter" says that it was Fry's prize "Spanish sloop" that was lost on Nantucket.
After separating from the Charming Betty, the Duke of Marlborough had a smart engagement with two French priva- teers. One, a ship of 16 guns, attacked the Duke of Marl- borough on her windward bow, and the other, which mounted 6 guns, engaged her on the leeward side. Captain Carr beat off the windward ship, which escaped, but chased the leeward ship and captured her off Monte Christi. She was a vessel of 200 tons, carried a crew of 32 men, and a cargo of wine and
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baled goods. Captain Carr lost five of his men killed, three of whom were white, namely: James Smith of Philadelphia, John Hall of South Carolina, and Jehoe Jones of Cape Fear. Three were wounded on board the Duke of Marlborough. This prize parted from the privateer a few days before the latter reached Newport.
Off St. Domingo the Duke of Marlborough also captured a Spanish snow laden with timber and gunpowder. Captain Carr sent her northward under a prize crew. Unfortunately they ran out of provisions, and the crew lived on "dogs, rats and soaked hides for fifteen days". At the end of this time, about the middle of November 1746, they were cast away on the back of Cape Cod. As the vessel was not badly damaged, it was hoped that she could be floated after her cargo had been unloaded.
On February 6, 1747-8 Capt. Benjamin Carr of the Duke of Marlborough wrote: "I bore away for Jamaica to recruit- fortune favored us with two fine ships, one 200 tons and one 400 tons, from France laden with wine, earthenware, dry goods and sundries." These prizes, one of which was the Gabriel Marie, were taken into New Providence. Nicholas Wight was a mariner on the Duke of Marlborough at the time of this capture, and on February II, 1748, at New Provi- dence, sold his interest in this prize, "except the earthenware," for ten pieces-of-eight, Bahama money. It is said that this earthenware was blue and white china, and that much of it was sold at auction at Newport, where it was used on the dining tables for many years.
On March 30, 1748, in the bight of Leogane, Hispaniola, about 12 leagues from the Mole and 40 leagues from Leogane, the Duke of Marlborough captured the snow Vigilant, Philip August Dumaine, master. The Vigilant had been built at
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Providence, R. I. in 1743 by Benjamin Darling, shipwright, for Capt. Isaac Doubt, and named the Queen Elizabeth. Cap- tain Doubt had sold 14 interest in her to Box and Austin of Boston and 14 interest to James Adams. After making one voyage in her as an armed merchantman, Captain Doubt sold 14 interest to Hutchinson & Goulding and the other 14 interest to Oliver & Phillips, both Boston houses. She was later bought by Gerrish & Barrel, and her name was changed to the London. Sailing under the command of Capt. Edward Dumaresque, she was captured by a French privateer and taken to Petit Goave, where she was renamed, put under the command of Captain Dumaine, and loaded with sugar for France. She received letters as a flag-of-truce to carry English prisoners to Philadelphia, and four prisoners were shipped on her. The Vigilant was chased by two English privateers soon after she sailed for Petit Goave, and taken by the Duke of Marlborough before she had left the bight. Abel Michener, first lieutenant of the Duke of Marlborough, was put in charge of the Vigilant and brought her north with a prize crew. James Hutton and Samuel Sursum served on the Duke of Marlborough at the time of the capture and in the prize crew on the Vigilant. Standing too far north, the Vigilant touched at Marblehead on April 28, and then came into Newport, where she was condemned in June. As the Admiralty Court considered that this flag-of-truce plan was merely a blind to prevent capture on the voyage to France, the vessel was con- demned as a prize. Her cargo, which consisted of sugar, indigo and cotton, was valued at £28,625-17-4, and the vessel was sold at auction on July 20 for £6,720 O. T., John Banister being the purchaser. The Boston owners claimed the vessel was salvaged and was not a prize.
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CHAPTER VIII
THE Prince Charles OF LORRAINE AND THE SIEGE OF OYAPOC
The summer of 1744 saw Rhode Island fit out what was to become her most famous colonial privateer, indeed perhaps the most famous American colonial privateer. This was the sloop Prince Charles of Lorraine, named after that great military leader of the continental army of England's allies, the brother-in-law of Maria Theresa, Queen of Hungary. This small privateer was a vessel of only 90 tons, mounting IO carriage guns and carrying a crew of 80 men. She was owned and fitted out by Sueton Grant, Peleg Brown, Nathaniel Coddington, Jr., all of Newport and Simeon Potter of Bristol. These three Newporters were associated together in the ownership of the Prince Frederick, and Captain Potter, their new associate, was given the command of the new vessel which, having been provisioned for a six months' voyage, sailed on September 8, 1744. Her officers were, according to the out- fitting return, Captain Simeon Potter of Bristol, First Lieu- tenant Daniel Vaughn of Newport, Second Lieutenant John Shelley, Master Benjamin Munroe, Mate Michael Phillips of Bristol, Gunner Thomas Griffiths (who had served on the Caesar in the spring and summer of 1744), Boatswain William Brown and Carpenter John Bonfield. The admiralty records however show that Reuben Shaler of Middletown, Conn.,
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served as second lieutenant on this cruise. Professor Munro suggests that John Shelley is probably a mistake for Reuben Shaler, and not another man. Joseph Spinney, in addition to Bonfield, served as ship's carpenter, and both deserted. Mark Anthony De Wolf of Bristol was clerk on this voyage and John Bunce of Hartford and an Indian named Jeffrey Potter were among the crew.
The fame of the Prince Charles of Lorraine is due, not only to the exploits of her crew, but also to the fact (so often an important factor in the attainment of fame) that these exploits were carefully and vividly chronicled. Father Fauque, mis- sionary of the Society of Jesus, who was captured and held a prisoner on the Prince Charles of Lorraine, wrote a letter, narrating his experiences, which serves as a basis for the following account of the voyage. Father Fauque's account, translated into English, appears in Wilfred H. Munro's "Tales of an Old Seaport". The letter contains many in- teresting observations of Father Fauque not directly pertinent to a study of privateering.
On November 6, 1744, N. S. (October 28, Old Style accord- ing to Potter, but we will follow Father Fauque's dates) the Prince Charles of Lorraine anchored at the Mont d' Argent near the River d' Oyapoc and began to take on board water. Father Fauque states that the crew consisted of 62 men at this time. Oyapoc is called "Wiopock" by the privateers- men, just as Ypres was later called "Wipers" by the soldiers in the World War.
On the 7th while the long-boat was returning from the shore to the privateer, a canoe of Indians came from Cape Orange across the bay. The English immediately pursued the Indians, frightened them by firing on them, and finally seized them and took them back prisoners to the privateer. That
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night the English saw a fire on Mount Lucas, and in the morn- ing a landing party consisting of Captain Potter, Lieutenant Vaughn and 32 men went ashore there. They found two or four sentinels at Mount Lucas, whom they seized and carried back to the ship. One of these sentinels was a traitor and informed them all about the country and its defences.
Captain Potter, satisfied with this information, decided to seize the post or town of Oyapoc. On the evening of the 9th the privateersmen started in the barge and another boat on this enterprize, but daylight coming before they arrived at their destination, forced them to turn back and to lie concealed during all the day of November Io. That night they again started towards Oyapoc, where they arrived a little after the setting of the moon, the captured Frenchmen taking them to a landing place within about a hundred yards of the fort. The sentinel there mistook them at first for Indians or Negroes, who came and went at all hours of the day or night. He challenged them, but they made no reply, from which he con- cluded that they were enemies and so gave the alarm. Every- one woke up in surprise, but the privateersmen were within the post before anyone had time to collect his thoughts, and gave three cheers as they entered the fort.
So unexpected a surprise in the middle of a dark night, the weakness of the post, the few soldiers to defend it, the frightful shouts of a multitude which was supposed to be far more numerous than it really was, the vivid and terrible fire of the guns and pistols of the privateersmen as they entered the place-all these things induced each one, by a first impulse of which he himself was not master, to take to flight and to conceal himself in the woods.
The French commandant however arose to the occasion, fired on the enemy and wounded in the left arm the English
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captain, "a young man about thirty years of age". Curiously enough Captain Potter was the only one wounded on either side. Vaughn, Phillips, De Wolf, and Shaler were also in the landing party. Twenty soldiers were captured when the fort surrendered.
During the rest of the night the air ceaselessly resounded with cries, yells and shouts and with the discharge of guns and pistols as the excited sailors and marines ran amuck through the town, breaking open doors and windows, and overthrowing furniture, in their mad search for loot.
With the coming of dawn the search became more orderly and sentinels were posted at points of vantage by Captain Potter in order to prevent surprises and to maintain order. The church was looted during the night, and in the morning when Father Fauque went there he was arrested and taken to the fort.
Father Fauque wrote: "The first one who approached me was the captain himself. He was a man small in stature, and not in any respect differing from the others in dress. He had his left arm in a sling, a sabre in his right hand, and two pistols in his belt. As he was acquainted with some words of French, he told me 'That I was very welcome; that I had nothing to fear, as no one would attempt my life' ",-a vivid and very satisfactory contemporary description of a privateer's captain. The privateersmen carried off a large quantity of furniture, clothes, provisions and the sacred vessels from the church. Father Fauque wished to ransom the church property and Captain Potter was willing to do so, but the crew objected, so the proposition fell through.
As the night approached, that is about six o'clock, the English beat their drum, whereupon the crew assembled on the square and sentinels were posted on all sides. That being
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done, the rest of the crew, as long as the night lasted, con- tinued their eating and drinking.
As soon as it was day the pillage recommenced with con- fusion and disorder. Each one carried to the fort whatever happened to fall into his hands and threw it down in a pile. One arrived wearing an old cassock, another in a woman's petticoat, a third with the crown of a bonnet on his head. It was the same with those who guarded the booty. They searched in the heap of clothes, and when they found anything that suited their fancy-as a peruke, a laced chapeau, or a dress-they immediately put it on and made three or four turns through the room with great satisfaction, after which they resumed their fantastical rags. A parasol, or a mirror, the smallest article that was a little showy excited their admiration.
Lieutenant Vaughn with ten men and the Frenchman as a guide, went 50 miles up the river to loot the villages there, but found only a few articles as the inhabitants fearing an attack, had hidden almost everything. The privateersmen never- theless vented their anger by burning the houses.
About three in the afternoon of the next day Father Fauque and others embarked in a canoe, which was rowed out to the ship. Although the Prince Charles of Lorraine had entered the river and was now only about three leagues distant, it was almost eight o'clock before the canoe got there on account of the remissness of the rowers, who were constantly stopping to take a drink.
Father Fauque wrote: "When at a great distance I saw the hull of the vessel, by the light of the moon, it seemed to me to be entirely out of the water. It had indeed run aground on the shore, and had only a depth of three feet of water." Father Fauque feared this accident might have been the fault
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of his negro servant, who had acted as pilot for Captain Potter, when he brought the Prince Charles into the river.
When Father Fauque reached the privateer he found everyone busily engaged trying to float the ship. Later he talked with the second gunner who was an Irishman and a Roman Catholic, and who spoke a little French. The surgeon was also an Irishman and knew a few words of Latin. Captain Potter, it seems, persisted in sailing in the middle of the river, even after the negro pilot had repeatedly told him that the channel was near the shore. According to Father Fauque many of the crew were badly drunk, and the vessel had careened so far over that he found it necessary to tie himself to keep from rolling down the deck in his sleep.
When the vessel floated they drove two yard-arms, one on each side, into the mud, so as to hold the vessel in equilibrium.
The water on the Prince Charles of Lorraine was so bad that even the Indian and negro prisoners could not drink it, and at Father Fauque's suggestion Captain Potter sent the long-boat to a good spring for water. However "many scarcely used it, preferring the wine and rum, which they had on the deck at will". Captain Potter kept entirely sober, according to Father Fauque.
On November 5 O. S. Captain Potter caused his pennant and flag to be hoisted, the sailors manned the yard-arms, the drum was beaten, the cannon fired and all shouted, five times; "Long live the King!" This having been done, Captain Potter called one of the sailors who, to the great delight of those who understood his language, chanted a very long ballad. This was their observance of Guy Fawkes' Day.
During the evening a large boat approached the privateer, and Captain Potter, who was always on guard against a sur- prise attack by the natives, immediately had the deck cleared
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for action. A swivel gun was fired, but the boat having made a signal, was recognized as Lieutenant Vaughn and his party. The lieutenant reported he had found only deserted planta- tions and soon started back up the river to burn them. The noise, the confusion and the bad smells on the privateer pre- vented Father Fauque from getting any sleep. On Sunday no religious services were held, although Captain Potter spent some time reading the book of common prayer to himself.
The privateersmen carried away all movable things of any value including the brass hinges from the doors and then burned all the houses in the town, some 70 or 80 in number. They carried away seven Indians and three negroes to be sold as slaves.
Lieutenant Vaughn listed the plunder taken at Oyapoc as seven Indians, three negros, 27 large spoons or ladles, 9 large ladles, one gold and one silver hilted sword, one gold and one silver watch, two bags of money, a number of chests and trunks of goods, merchandise and wearing apparel, a number of gold rings, buttons and buckles, a number of silver candle- sticks, and church plate, both gold and silver, a number of swords, about sixty small arms, four cannon, shot of all sorts, about fifty half-barrels of powder, a quantity of beef, flour and other provisions.
Vice-Admiralty Judge William Strengthfield said in regard to this expedition: "It is undoubtedly true that Captain Potter made a very extraordinary attack upon the French settlement to windward of Surinam, laying waste and destroy- ing a whole country almost one hundred miles up the River Wyopoke (Oyapoc), taking their fort, carrying away their cannon and destroying the town as well as the country, doing the same in his going down as far as Cayenne, so that con- sidering the smallness of his force, perhaps no one during the
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present war has weakened and distressed His Majesty's enemies to the like degree."
About 3 p. m. on November 18 the last boat load left Oyapoc and reached the Prince Charles long after dark. The next morning they loaded the last plunder on the privateer and made sail, but there was no wind and they rowed all day without making much progress. In the evening the wind freshened, and after a night at sea the Prince Charles approached Cayenne and before noon was off a rock called Connestable, some 5 or 6 leagues from the town. Friday passed and on Saturday the privateer anchored off a rock called Enfant Perdu, about 6013 toises from the land. A toise is two yards. The privateer carried three boats besides the long-boat which made five vessels in all. All having their sails set and looming up at a distance, they made a formidable appearance and the people thought that a strong fleet was going to attack Cayenne.
At nine o'clock Saturday morning two large boats, one commanded by Lieutenant Vaughn and the other by Lieu- tenant Shaler, set out from the Prince Charles of Lorraine and went to a little river called Macouria, for the especial purpose of plundering the residence of a certain lady, in revenge for some grievances which had been previously suffered by the English who had gone there to purchase syrups. There were 13 men and a French guide in each boat. They planned to go first to Couron, about four leagues from Macouria, to capture Father Lombard, but unfortunately ran aground and failed to reach their destination.
They arrived at Macouria on Sunday morning and spent that day and the following night in pillage and destruction. On Monday morning they set fire to the buildings of Madame Gislet's (or Julett) estate and returned to the ship without having met with any resistance.
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At three on Sunday afternoon, the boatswain or master, Benjamin Munroe, an energetic man, bold and determined, with only nine or ten men, went in the long-boat to make a descent on the coast very near to Cayenne. These ten mariners, among whom was William Kipp, pillaged a French residence. As they left, their boat grounded and a company of 130 French soldiers attacked and completely defeated them. Three were killed, and the others were made prisoners after four of them had been wounded. Only one Frenchman was wounded in the engagement. Meanwhile those left on board the privateer became very uneasy on not hearing from these two expeditions. At last on Sunday morning three enemy boats were seen going from Cayenne toward Macouria and Captain Potter conceding the loss of the boatswain's party, sailed over toward Macouria to be nearer that expedition in case of trouble. Sunday passed amidst great anxiety. Two extra swivel guns were placed in the windows in addition to the twelve on deck, for it was feared that the vessels lying at Cayenne might attack the Prince Charles. The privateer was armed with sabres, pistols, guns, lances, grenades, balls filled with bitumen and sulphur, and grape-shot as well as large cannon.
Monday morning Macouria was seen to be in flames. A little later from the height of the round-top of the privateer, the two boats could be seen pursued by three others. Captain Potter called the crew to arms and sent the prisoners below. When the boats approached, he raised his pennant and flag and fired a gun. The foremost boat was commanded by Vaughn and returned the signal by firing a musket. Shaler's boat came on very slowly and it was feared that the French would capture her. No sooner, therefore, had Lieutenant Vaughn reached the Prince Charles and discharged in haste the little that he had brought with him than he hurried back and
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convoyed Shaler's boat to the Prince Charles in safety. When all the goods were on board the privateer, each one sought to refresh himself to the utmost from the fatigues of this maraud- ing expedition. Punch-lemonade, wine, brandy, sugar- (nothing was spared) was freely served.
Vaughn and Shaler, it appears, were attacked on shore by a party of 60 armed men. The privateersmen drove their assailants back to a house, where about 400 Frenchmen gathered. The next morning when the sailors were returning to the Prince Charles, three boat loads of armed Frenchmen pursued them, as already related. Vaughn had captured one negro slave.
Tuesday Captain Potter sent a French sergeant in a cap- tured boat to Cayenne with a letter to the Commandant, M. d' Orvilliers, asking an exchange of prisoners, but contrary cur- rents prevented the boat reaching land and it returned to the ship. Wednesday he sent Father Fauque on the same errand, in a boat containing four French and five English. As it left the Prince Charles, the flag and pennant were raised on the latter and a gun fired, while the crew shouted many times, "Houra" which the French replied to with "Vive le roi". The privateer soon got under sail and was out of sight at five o'clock. As she had only one small anchor left, Captain Potter did not dare to lie longer in those strong currents with the anchor dragging. The rudder of Father Fauque's boat broke and they had to spend the night on a rough sea at anchor. They were too far off to be seen if they had raised lanterns to the heads of their masts as was suggested. When they lowered their large mast it fell down on the wrong side of the boat and wounded M. de la Landerie. At last they landed at the Macouria river on the 26th, and they walked along the shore to Cayenne making the last stretch of it in a borrowed boat.
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Father Fauque negotiated the freedom of the seven cap- tured Englishmen, and the twelve privateersmen left Cayenne in their long-boat or barge on the night of November 28, N. S. (Nov. 17. O. S.) They missed the Prince Charles and so proceeded as best they could to Surinam, where they arrived at night. Here they were seized by the Dutch authorities and imprisoned in the fort, but upon the petition of the masters of some English vessels then lying off Surinam, the Dutch finally consented to release them and let them go on board of these English vessels. Several days elapsed after the arrival of Munroe and his party before the Prince Charles of Lorraine reached Surinam.
From Cayenne the Prince Charles of Lorraine went to Surinam for wood, water and other supplies and to careen the vessel. On November 29, (O. S.) she entered the mouth of the Surinam River and was brought to by the Dutch guard sloop stationed there. This was the beginning of a long series of troubles. Captain Potter asked permission to sail up the river to the town and buy the supplies he needed, and also asked permission to careen and clean his vessel. His requests were referred to the Governor and Council for their delibera- tion. Meanwhile the Prince Charles was not allowed to sail up the river but was forced to anchor near the mouth. While the Governor and Council deliberated, days slipped by and the water supply on the privateer became exhausted, so that Captain Potter had to beg water from some English vessels that were then lying in the river.
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