USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island privateers in King George's war, 1739-1748 > Part 12
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so dark as to have been mistaken for black. There was con- siderable discussion of the flag during the Admiralty proceed- ings, and at the hearing in Newport, on September 7, 1747, Capt. John Dennis stated that he had seen Dutch colors with 9, 5, and 3 stripes, and Capt. Philip Wilkinson said: “I have seen 'em wear all kinds of colors upon the coast of New Spain." The lax use of colors among the Dutch traders at that time puzzled the New England seamen.
Richard Jones of the Defiance was placed in charge of the Jonge Johannes, and Benjamin Wiles and John Prichard of the Defiance were in the prize crew. They sailed northward, and, when about 2° south of Bermuda, Captain Soorbeck offered Captain Jones 1,000 pieces-of-eight if he would turn the vessel around and take her to Curacao. Naturally Jones refused the bribe, and brought the prize safely into Newport harbor, which she entered on September 1, 1747, flying the "St. Georges pendant" at her mast head and the unusual Dutch jack below it. About 1900 pieces-of-eight had been trans- ferred from the prize to the Defiance, but the money and negro slave were awarded to the Dutch captain as his personal property by the court.
Cruising in the West Indies, the Defiance, on September II, 1747, off "Santo Mark in the Spanish West Indies", perhaps St. Marc, Haiti, captured the Spanish schooner Neustra Seniora de la Concepcion y el Santo Christo of Maracaibo, 60 tons, 6 swivel guns, formerly commanded by Bartholome Parraga, but then under the command of Capt. Francisco Final. She was laden with salt and skins, and was deserted by her crew as the Defiance approached. Robert Thomas of the Defiance was made captain of the prize, and brought her safely to Newport, arriving there before October 28, 1747.
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About the middle of March 1748, the Defiance cruised in consort with the brigantine Hester of New York, Capt. Robert Troup. They chased a large ship, which ran ashore under Monte Christi, the crew escaping in their boats. The priva- teers took possession of this prize, but just as they floated her, H. M. S. Fowey and Biddeford appeared and took the prize away from them.
The Defiance, Captain Sweet, later captured a French vessel commanded by Captain Dumain, and carried this vessel into New Providence, where two negro captives were sold as slaves.
On Thursday, July 14, 1748, the brigantine Defiance, Captain Sweet, captured off Isabella Bay, near Monte Christi, Hispaniola, the snow True Briton, Honoré Terrasson, prize master in command. The True Briton was a snow of 150 tons and 4 swivel guns, which had been taken some 20 leagues to the eastward of Cape Charles, Virginia, on June 29, 1748, N. S. by the French privateer Royal, 60 tons, 16 carriage guns and 20 swivels, commanded by Capt. Jean Lartique. Captain Sweet placed his second lieutenant in charge of the True Briton, and he brought her safely to Newport, where she was libelled on August 8. The vessel was valued £6,000 and the cargo at £19,855-14-8, but the captors only obtained salvage.
Cruising to the westward, the Defiance on August 30, 1748, captured a Spanish schooner of 20 tons, about four leagues to leeward (westward) of Matanzas, Cuba. As the Defiance approached, three men left the schooner, and Captain Sweet hastily sent a boat's crew in pursuit of them, one of whom was shot and captured. This wounded prisoner was later put on a vessel bound for The Havana. Joseph Thurston, quarter- master of the Defiance, brought the prize schooner to Newport, where she was condemned as a prize. Although this schooner
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had been captured after the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle (April 19, I748), she was of necessity considered a prize, as no owner appeared to claim her. She was sold at auction at eleven o'clock in the morning of January 23, 1748-9, and was bid in at £485 by Capt. John Sweet. This schooner is probably identical with the schooner San Francisco Xavier y las Animas, which was taken by a Newport brigantine privateer, and later declared not a prize. Her owner, Manuel de Arunda, was awarded £1,000 damages, but in 1753 settled with her captors for £500.
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CHAPTER X
MORE NEWPORT PRIVATEERS
THE Britannia,-CAPTAIN ALLEN
The snow Britannia, 140 tons, apparently an English vessel, that had been captured by the Spaniards and renamed the St. Fermin, sailed from Vera Cruz under the command of Don Francisco Antonio Sanchez Del Guada, and on August 25, 1744, while at anchor off the Florida Keys, was captured by the privateer Prince Frederick, Captain Dennis, in consort with the Revenge, Captain Allen. The Britannia was brought into Newport on September 9, 1744, and condemned a prize.
She was purchased and fitted out as a privateer by John Brown, Joseph Harrison, acting as agent for John Banister, and William Mumford, armed with 16 carriage guns and 24 swivel guns, manned with 100 men, and provisioned for nine months. Capt. William Allen, formerly of the Prince William, was put in command of her, and her officers were First Lieu- tenant John Maudsley, who served under Allen as master on the Prince William, Second Lieutenant Thomas Sanford, Master Andrew Galloway, Master's Mate James Brown, of the Prince William, Captain's Quartermaster John Gibbs, Gunner William Edmonds, formerly gunner of the Prince Frederick and of the King George, Boatswain Michael Maddox and Carpenter John Smith. The captain's certificate is dated December 15, and the Britannia doubtless sailed within a few days.
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PHILIP WILKINSON OF NEWPORT
Captain of privateer Lovely Betty in 1739, chosen Captain of Colony sloop Tartar in 1744, and owner of several privateers
From Portrait in Redwood Library
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She cruised in consort with the King George in 1745, and captured the Castor et Pollux off Martinique in the spring of that year, as is related in the account of the King George. The two privateers sailed from Antigua for Newport about July 13, but parted company on July 28, some three or four days voyage from their destination.
THE Ranger, CAPTAIN BENNETT.
In 1744, Job Almy of Newport fitted out the privateer sloop Ranger, 70 tons, 10 guns and 65 men, with provisions for a six months' cruise. Her officers were Capt. Christopher Bennett, Lieutenant John Dunham, Master William Jones, Captain's Quartermaster Richard Fisher, Mate Achaz (Archie) Tosh, Gunner John Smith, Boatswain Benjamin Wyatt, Jr. and Carpenter John Williams. Her certificate is dated October 9, and she probably sailed during that month.
THE Success, CAPTAIN MARSHALL.
One of the new privateers to be fitted out at Newport in the autumn of 1744 was the sloop Success, IIo tons. She was owned by William Read, Jonathan Nichols, William Corey and Robert Hazard, mounted 12 guns, and carried 100 men, with six months' provisions. Her certificate was dated November 8, and she was commanded by Capt. Peter Marshall,* a veteran privateersman, who had served on the Victory, the Prince Frederick and the Phoenix. Her officers were First Lieutenant William Sweet, perhaps he who had served as boatswain under Marshall on the Prince Frederick, Second Lieutenant Henry Stevenson, Master William Cook, Mate John Webb, Captain's Quartermaster William Garret, Gunner George Sherman, formerly gunner on the Prince William, Boatswain Thomas Warren and Carpenter Joseph Miller.
* John Ellis according to Sheffield.
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The Success fell in with the Revenge, Captain Allen, and the two privateers cruised in consort until March 27, 1745, N. S., when they captured the William galley, as has been related in the account of the Revenge. A few days later the Success had the misfortune to run on the rocks in the night, and soon became a total loss, but luckily Captain Marshall and his entire crew were saved by the Revenge and brought back to Newport. She must not be confused with the Success of a later war.
THE BRIGANTINE Prince Frederick, CAPTAIN MARSHALL.
The brigantine Prince Frederick is a different vessel from the sloop Prince Frederick. The sloop was a vessel of 99 or 100 tons, armed with 12 carriage guns and 16 swivels, but the brigantine of the same name is listed as of 170 tons and was armed with 18 carriage guns, 30 swivels and 18 blunderbusses. The owners of the brigantine Prince Frederick were Jonathan Nichols, William Read, William Cory, and Robert Hazard. She carried a crew of 125 or 130 men, in addition to the officers, and provisions for a year's cruise. Her outfitting return is dated November 26, and she sailed from Newport on Monday, December 2, 1745, under the command of Capt. Peter Marshall formerly of the privateer Success. According to a newspaper account the Prince Frederick was "a fine brigantine" and "is reckoned to be a prime sailor".
Her officers on this cruise were: First Lieutenant Ebenezer Trowbridge, formerly master on the Charming Betty, Second Lieutenant Alexander McDonald (or McDaniel), who had held that office on the Prince William, Master John Amory, who had been captain's quartermaster on the Charming Betty, Mate John Mundun, who had served as second lieutenant on the Defiance, Captain's Quartermaster Paul Tew, who had
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served in that capacity on the Revenge in 1744, Gunner Caleb Jeffers (or Jeffries), Boatswain Thomas Goodman and Car- penter John Martindale, from the Queen of Hungary.
The Prince Frederick sailed southward to the West Indies, passing beyond the Greater Antilles and the Leeward and Windward Islands to Barbadoes. She engaged two French privateers within sight of Barbadoes, and after a "very smart" action, the smaller of the French vessels was "obliged to run away on the careen with both pumps going", as the Prince Frederick had shot her hull full of holes below the water-line. The other vessel struck her colors three times, but seeing some unexpected advantage raised them again and continued the fight. Finally an "unlucky shot" weakened the foremast of the Prince Frederick, so that Captain Marshall was forced to shorten sail and the Frenchman was enabled to escape. Some gentlemen of Barbadoes generously refitted the Prince Fred- erick, and presented her with a couple of six-pounders in lieu of one of the privateer's guns, which had split during the engagement and killed one man and wounded several others.
On April 7, 1746, Capt. Peter Marshall of the brigantine Prince Frederick and Jonathan Johnson, captain of the brigan- tine Dolphin of New York, made an agreement to cruise in consort against the French and Spanish. On May 27, 1746, off Cape Samana on the island of Hispaniola, the privateer consorts sighted the French letter-of-marque ship (or snow) St. Jacques, 16 guns. The Prince Frederick attacked her first, and was soon joined by the Dolphin. The battle lasted about an hour (although one account says eight hours), the vessels exchanging eight or nine broadsides, after which the St. Jacques struck her colors. The gun-fire had been unusually effective, and Capt. Jonathan Johnson of the Dolphin was mortally wounded during the fight. He was shot through both thighs,
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and died within an hour. Julien de la Motte, captain of the St. Jacques, was shot through the arm, and so seriously injured that he was put on shore, and two of the crew of the St. Jacques were killed. The Prince Frederick lost her master, John Amory, and two others killed, and had 14 men wounded. The St. Jacques came from St. Malo, and was bound for Cape Francois with a crew of 50 men and a cargo of wine, oil, coal and dry goods. Lieutenant Thomas Randal succeeded Johnson as commander of the Dolphin, and Lieutenant Ebenezer Trow- bridge, of the Prince Frederick, was appointed captain of the St. Jacques, receiving his instructions on June 2. He was to keep company with the two privateers if possible, but in case he was separated from them, his orders were to go to New Providence, if he was south of 25° N, or to go to New York or Newport, if he was north of that latitude, when separated from the others. Philip Webster was mate on the Dolphin at the time of the engagement, and John Rowlong was one of the prize crew, that brought the St. Jacques to Newport. Robert Hogg witnessed the agreement, so was probably one of the crew of the Dolphin. The Prince Frederick and the St. Jacques arrived at Newport on Tuesday, June 24, 1746.
Capt. John Dennis was cleared by the action of the Rhode Island General Assembly at its June session in 1746, and was soon given the command of the brigantine Prince Frederick, which had returned to Newport, on June 24, from a six months' cruise under Capt. Peter Marshall. Captain Dennis filed his outfitting return on July 19, showing that the brigantine had a crew of 100 men and provisions for six months.
The other officers of the Prince Frederick were: First Lieutenant Ebenezer Trowbridge, Second Lieutenant Alex- ander McDonald, Master's Mate John Mundun and Carpenter John Martindale, all of whom served in the same offices on the
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preceding cruise, Master Henry Stevenson, Surgeon Antoine Vigneron, formerly of the Caesar and later a noted Newport physician, Gunner Godfrey Hanley, who seems to have signed up on the Defiance in June, but to have changed to the Prince Frederick, and Boatswain William Woodward from the Defiance.
The Prince Frederick, Captain Dennis, cruised in the West Indies, Captain Dennis' favorite stamping ground, and attacked a French privateer in company with her prize, a ship of 16 guns, which had been taken from the English. The action lasted several hours. Two of the Prince Frederick's crew were killed, and eight, including Captain Dennis, were wounded, but later recovered. The French privateer was much shattered, but escaped. The prize ship was retaken by Captain Dennis and carried into St. Kitts.
On September 4, 1746, the Prince Frederick fell in with and took the French sloop Postillion, 60 tons, 4 guns, commanded by Jean Baptiste Romanel. She had a crew of ten men, a cargo of sugar, cotton, negroes and pieces-of-eight, and was bound for Martinique. Captain Romanel was so ill, that Captain Dennis put him on shore at Dominica. John Mon- dan (or Mundun), chief mate of the Prince Frederick, was placed in charge of the Postillion, and brought her to Newport, where she was condemned on October 27.
Captain Dennis in the Prince Frederick continued on the cruise, and captured a French privateer of 8 guns in the vicinity of Antigua sometime around November, 1746. This aroused his interest in French privateers, and he captured five more during the next few weeks, carrying all six of them into St. Kitts. In order to reward him "for his good service therein", some gentlemen of St. Christopher took up a subscription, in order to present Captain Dennis with a handsome purse.
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On November 29, 1746, Captain Dennis in the brigantine Prince Frederick, off the island of Dominica, captured the French sloop Cezard, 40 tons, 2 carriage and 4 swivel guns, commanded by Thomas Marchand. She had on board about 25 Spaniards and Frenchmen, who were landed on Dominica, and a cargo consisting of sugar, cocoa and indigo. Lieutenant Daniel Beebe of the Prince Frederick was placed in charge of the Cezard, and brought her to Newport, where she arrived before January 6, 1746-7, and with her cargo was valued at £10,000. The "News-Letter" states that Captain Dennis had taken nine prizes on this cruise, that four of these prizes were privateers, and that two of these privateers had more men than the Prince Frederick.
Late in 1746 the government of Martinique, annoyed by the activity and success of Captain Dennis, fitted out, "in an extraordinary manner", a privateer of 14 guns and 140 men, and sent her out to capture the Prince Frederick. The two vessels met, and after a "smart engagement", which lasted four hours, the French privateer surrendered and was carried into St. Kitts. Captain Dennis was slightly wounded in this engagement. Upon his arrival at St. Kitts, Captain Dennis was "highly caressed by the General and other Gentlemen of the Island, who, as an acknowledgment of his eminent services, presented him with a Golden Oar and a purse of 500 pistoles". The French privateer was sold, and soon sent out as an English privateer.
During the winter of 1746-7, while Captain Dennis in the Prince Frederick was cruising off and on in sight of Martinique, he sent a messenger, by a vessel from St. Eustatia, to the governor of Martinique, asking him to send out two of his best privateers, and adding that in that case, he (Dennis) "would show him some Sport". The governor of Martinique accepted
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the challenge with good grace, and fitted out a snow and a sloop, "in an extraordinary manner," to follow the phraseology of those days. The snow mounted 16 carriage guns, carried a crew of 240 men, and, in addition, a number of gentlemen's sons, who went out as volunteers, in order to share in the honor of bringing in Captain Dennis. Unfortunately, instead of falling in with Captain Dennis, they sighted and chased what they thought to be a rich English merchantmen, but which proved to be the privateer Leostaff (Lowestoft) of Bristol, Captain Fielding, with her guns run in and her ports closed to deceive the enemy. The Lowestoft let the Frenchman overtake her, then opened her ports, ran out her guns, disabled the sloop with a broadside, and in a short time captured the snow.
The "News-Letter", for April 2, 1747, reports that a Rhode Island privateer took a French privateer sloop from Martinique that had a crew of 114 men. This doubtless refers to one of Captain Dennis' captures already mentioned.
On January 4, 1746-7, the French sugar fleet, 103 sails in all, under convoy of a 54 gun ship and a frigate, passed within sight of the island of St. Kitts at about seven o'clock in the morning. Captain Dennis, in the brigantine Prince Frederick, and Cap- tain Woolford, in a privateer snow, who happened to be at St. Kitts, immediately made sail and went in chase. At Io o'clock they could still be seen from the top of Brimstone Hill, far out on the horizon, pursuing the French fleet. Two or three of H. M. ships also joined the chase. Captain Dennis had the good fortune to cut one of the vessels out of this fleet and to bring her northward as a prize, both vessels being expected at Newport early in April, 1747.
The brigantine Prince Frederick was soon prepared for another cruise. First Lieutenant Ebenezer Trowbridge was advanced to the command, Alexander McDonald, formerly
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second lieutenant, became first lieutenant, and Daniel Beebe, the quartermaster, became second lieutenant. The other officers were Master Seth Harvey, Mate . . Brown, probably James Brown, who had been mate on the Prince William, Captain's Quartermaster Mark Anthony DeWolf, who had served as clerk on the famous voyage of the Prince Charles of Lorraine in 1744, Gunner Richard Smith, Boatswain Thomas Austin, who had served in this capacity on the Fame in 1745, and Carpenter John Martindale, who had served on the preceding cruise of the Prince Frederick. The outfitting return was dated May 22, 1747, and states that the Prince Frederick carried a crew of 115 men and provisions for 6 months.
The Prince Frederick seems to have captured a prize, of which the command was given to Seth Harvey, but this vessel must have been retaken by the French, for Seth Harvey was a prisoner of war at Petit Goave early in 1748.
On December 21, 1747, when off Martinique, the Prince Frederick, Captain Trowbridge, captured the French sloop Victorieux, 70 tons, 4 guns and 13 men, commanded by Jean Baptiste Romanel, and bound from Grand Terre for Martinique with a cargo of sugar and cotton valued at £16,720-14-5. After the crew of the Victorieux were put on shore at Dominica, Daniel Beebe, second lieutenant of the Prince Frederick, was given the command of the prize Victorieux, and touching first at St. Kitts, brought her to Newport, where she was libelled in April, 1748.
About May 18, 1748, near Martinique, the Prince Frederick captured the snow Success, Capt. Francis Grinne, which offered no resistance. She was an English-built vessel of 150 tons, mounting 4 carriage guns, laden with a cargo of sugar, coffee, and cotton, and manned with 23 men, all of whom, except Captain Grinne, were placed on board of a Danish vessel.
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Capt. Daniel Fones, who commanded the Tartar so successfully in the Louisbourg expedition in 1745, was first lieutenant on the Prince Frederick at this time, and Roger Bow was captain's clerk. The Prince Frederick convoyed the Success, to St. Kitts and thence to Newport, where they arrived on July 1, 1748. This vessel was taken after the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, but of course Captain Trowbridge, being at sea, had no knowledge that peace had been negotiated.
In April 1748, the Prince Frederick recaptured, from the French prize crew and took into St. Kitts, a ship, formerly commanded by Capt. Benjamin Kent of Boston, bound for Jamaica, and taken near St. Thomas by the French.
THE SECOND Fame.
After the loss of the privateer schooner Fame, Wilkinson and Ayrault fitted out a privateer ship of 250 tons, mounting 24 carriage guns and 24 swivels, and named her the Fame, after their former privateer. Her admiralty return is dated Jan- uary 31, 1744-5, and shows that she carried provisions for nine months. Her officers were Capt. Thomas Thompson, Master Arthur Fleming, Surgeon Samuel Nixon, Captain's Quartermaster Caleb Phillips, Second Lieutenant Elias Ayrault Mate John Pelham, Gunner John Ellison, Carpenter John Godfrey and Boatswain Thomas Boaz.
Before the Fame sailed, negotiations were begun between her owners and the Province of Massachusetts, which resulted in her being chartered by that province for the Louisbourg expedition. Fleming was advanced to the office of first lieutenant, Pelham to that of master, and the second lieu- tenant, the carpenter and the boatswain resigned. The officers and crew, in addition to those already mentioned, were: Second Lieutenant Ellr Baughlt, Second Mate Benjamin
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Darrell, Third Mate John Nisbett, Boatswain Thomas Arm- strong, Steward William Peck, Carpenter Israel Hales, Mate William Engs, Carpenter Joseph Kittle, Gunner's Mate James Lewis, Boatswain's Mate Thomas Austin, Steward's Mate James Lepp, Carpenter's Mate John Perry, Doctor's Mate Andrew Watson, Cooper Abijah Gearns, Carpenter's Second Mate Gill Pratt, Armorer George Knox, Benjamin Clark, David Olverson, John Huxham, William Tucker, Ebenezer Taylor, Amos Jefferson, John Rolfe, Cornelius Smith, John Ellery, Peter Gullison, Alexander Rutlee, Thomas Wheel- wright, Thomas Knight, Nicholas Vale, Thomas Collins, Robert Killey, William Ellery, George Gibbs, Samuel Bostman, Demino Basques, Thomas Russell, Roger Vickary, Jacob Walters, Thomas Powars, Randall Davis, Portsmouth Rhodes, Daniel Hart, Daniel Langworthy, Edward Humphrys, David Dure, Alexander Soper, Amos Spencer, Jacob Cain, John Northam, William Ranel, Joseph Lester, Richard Thomas and John Huxham (son of Thomas).
The Fame was ordered to Cape Ann in the latter part of February, where she was joined by the Prince of Orange and the Boston Packet early in March, and sailed in company with these vessels for Louisbourg. She participated in the battle with the Renommée on April 19, and a few days later, on April 24, chased a French sloop ashore and captured her. The Fame took part in the chase of the Marie de Grâce on April 30, and on May 4 was in the fleet that sailed eastward to ravage the coast of Cape Breton Island. On June 4 she sailed in company with the Massachusetts to the relief of Annapolis. Upon her return to Louisbourg, she took on board a number of sick soldiers, and on July II sailed for Boston, convoying five or six transport schooners, carrying troops and prisoners, and arrived safely on the 28th. Four of her crew, Essex men, Thomas Russell, John Vickary, Roger Vickary and Thomas
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Armstrong, were discharged at Boston. The Fame then sailed back to Newport, where she arrived on August 7 and was discharged from service.
She was "built of Spanish Cedar, Mahogany and Madeira", had a "double deck", and her dimensions are given as 79 ft. keel, 261/2 ft. beam and II ft. 9 in. hold. Admiral Warren, in I745, referred to her as "the Rhode Island ship who draws but little water". Her owners are reported to have received £32,620-5-o from the Province of Massachusetts, and £2,053-13-4 from the subscription of Rhode Island merchants for her service in the Louisbourg expedition.
After being refitted and provisioned, the Fame with 170 men under Captain Thompson, sailed on a cruise as a real privateer, not leased to a province. She captured a small prize, on which Captain Thompson placed a prize crew with orders to bring the vessel into Newport, but unfortunately, in February 1745-6, this prize was cast away on the back of Cape Cod.
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