USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island privateers in King George's war, 1739-1748 > Part 14
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The French schooner Societé, Joseph Brisson, master, hailing from Cape Francois in the Island of Hispaniola, put into Newport, through pretense of wanting provisions or being aleak. She was permitted by the authorities to refit and recruit, and soon sailed. After she sailed, it was suspected that she was on some secret and illegal design, and the colony sloop Tartar was ordered to go in quest of her. On June 20, 1740, John Easton marched through Newport, accompanied by a drummer "making Proclamation through the town by Beat of Drum for Hands to go on board the Colony Sloop Tartar to cruise in Quest of the French schooner". The Tartar was soon manned, and sailed on her first cruise on June 20, 1740, being commanded by Col. John Cranston.
The Tartar 'came up with the Societé off the "back side of the Island", seized her, and brought her back to Newport. She was declared a prize, and the proceeds from her sale, about £460, were divided among the crew of the Tartar.
On Monday, June 23, 1740, Captain Hazard, when about a league from Southampton, Long Island, was chased by a sloop of about 70 tons, which fired six shots at him. Hazard's vessel, being the better sailor, fortunately escaped, and reached Newport in safety on Wednesday. The colony sloop Tartar was immediately ordered out to rid the coast of this Spanish privateer, and at seven o'clock, Thursday morning, the drum-
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mer went through Newport beating up for volunteers to man the Tartar. In less than four hours she was under sail with a crew of II0 volunteers. She was commanded by Col. John Cranston, and was armed with 12 carriage and 12 swivel guns. Capt. Godfrey Malbone ordered his privateer sloop, the Charming Betty, commanded by Capt. James Collingwood, and manned with 70 men, to accompany the Tartar on the expedition, "that there may be no compliments wanting on our side to welcome this DON upon our coast and to show him the way into our harbour". The two vessels sailed from Newport at noon, but failed to catch the Spaniard.
Col. John Cranston, on account of his age and his multi- farious duties, (he was captain of Fort George and a member of the committee on munitions and of the committee on managing the colony sloop), retired from the command of the Tartar, and on July 29, 1740, Capt. Benjamin Wickham was chosen to succeed him. Captain Wickham, it will be remem- bered, had served as captain of Malbone's privateer, the Charming Betty, in 1739 and in the early part of 1740.
The Tartar, Captain Wickham, convoyed the two Rhode Island transports, the brigantine Marygold, 45 tons, John Green, master, and the snow Greyhound, 108 tons, Robert Oliver, master, to New York, sailing from Newport on Sep- tember 13, and reaching New York in a few days. These transports carried the Rhode Island soldiers, two companies of 100 men each, who were to serve in the disastrous West Indian expedition against Cartagena. They joined the New York contingent, and were convoyed to southern waters. After leaving the transports there, the Tartar returned to Newport, and was hauled up on shore for the winter.
The year 1741 threatened to be a warlike one, so in January the General Assembly ordered that the Tartar "be rigged and
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graved by the last day of March". This work having been completed on time, the Assembly, on April I, ordered that she be fitted for a cruise, and that a captain, lieutenant, master, gunner, boatswain, carpenter, cook and twelve sailors be enlisted for service on the Tartar, and that her crew be increased by volunteers or impressed men to the number of 100, when- ever she should be sent to sea. On May 16 the Tartar was in Newport harbor, and fired 77 guns in celebration of Admiral Vernon's victory at Cartagena. The May General Assembly ordered that the Tartar should be supplied with provisions and stores out of the sloop Olive Branch, Capt. Aaron Sheffield, that had just returned from her cruise to Annapolis on the colony's service.
On Monday, May 25, 174I, news was received from New York that two Spanish privateers were cruising off the coast, and drummers were immediately sent through Newport, beating up for volunteers. The Tartar was hastily made ready to sail, and the next day, Tuesday, May 26, sailed under the command of Captain Wickham, manned by "about 100 stout men". She cruised westward along the south shore or "back" of Long Island as far as New York, and then back eastward to Marthas Vineyard. She did not, however, fall in with the Spanish vessels, and returned to Newport on the afternoon of June 3. Only a short time elapsed before another Spanish scare.
On June II, Captain Ray of Block Island sent an express to Governor Ward to inform him that a Spanish privateer snow had been lying off and on Block Island since Sunday. The governor immediately ordered the drum. to be beaten for volunteers, and the Tartar to be sent out against the Spanish snow. The St. Andrew, which happened to be in Newport Harbor at the time, was taken temporarily into the colony's
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service and ordered to cruise in consort with the Tartar. On June 12, the Tartar, commanded by Captain Wickham, manned with "90 stout men" and "having three Anchors a Peak", sailed from Newport in company with the St. Andrew, Captain Davidson, with a crew of seventy men. Captain Davidson was placed under Captain Wickham's orders and the two vessels were ordered to cruise for a period not to exceed ten days.
On October 6, 1741, the Tartar was ordered on her first long cruise to foreign waters. She was to carry the reinforce- ments to Cuba and then take a brief privateering cruise in southern seas. There was a great deal of delay in despatching these troops. Daniel Beebe was first lieutenant on the Tartar at this time and Jonathan Clark was master. Walter Crans- ton, son of the Tartar's former captain, John Cranston, was appointed second lieutenant on her on December 17, and on December 21, John Godfrey, son of John and grandson of Cap- tain John Godfrey who served with such distinction in King William's War, was appointed master in place of Jonathan Clark, who refused to serve on the Cuban voyage. As an added inducement for sailors to enlist on the Tartar, it was announced that such sailors would not only be paid regular wages, but that they would also be entitled to divide half the proceeds of any prizes taken during the voyage.
At last on December 27, 1741, the Tartar sailed from Newport, carrying fifty-three Rhode Island sailors. In the Windward Passage she spoke H. M. S. Litchfield, Captain Cuzack, from whom it was learned that the English army had left Cuba and returned to Jamaica. The Tartar therefore headed for Jamaica, where she arrived on January 17, 1741-2, and "met with a kind and handsome Reception from the General and Admiral". Captain Wickham landed
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the soldiers at Jamaica and on February 8 sailed for home, having received orders to return direct to Newport and to omit the proposed privateering cruise.
During the year 1742, the Tartar was commanded by Captain Wickham, and made several short cruises along the southern New England coast. One of these cruises was in May, when the Tartar sailed as far south as the "Capes of Delaware", but sighted no enemy vessels, and returning reached Newport on May 17. She sailed on another cruise on August 10, having at this time a crew of 95 men. Her work was that of a coast guard. No records of the Tartar's activities in 1743 have as yet been discovered .*
On May 1, 1744, Philip Wilkinson was chosen captain of the Tartar, but was succeeded on June 19 by Capt. Daniel Fones. John Stafford was chosen lieutenant, and Peter Brown of Westerly served as cook from July 11 to September 6. As a result of negotiations between the two colonies, the Rhode Island colony sloop Tartar and the Connecticut colony sloop De- fence cruised in consort during the summer of 1744, that they might be a "terror" to any small French privateer that might ap- pear on the coast. Owing to the danger from wandering French marauders, the Tartar was kept in commission until November I.
About this time the armament of the Tartar was increased by the addition of two carriage guns. On February 3, 1744-5, the General Assembly ordered the Tartar to be immediately equipped for service in Governor Shirley's proposed expedition against Louisbourg. Daniel Fones was chosen captain and was commissioned by Governor Wanton on February 23. William Pinnegar was chosen lieutenant, but was succeeded by John Cahoone on March 4. William Loud, formerly of the Young Eagle, served as master and William Keais as mate.
*John Brett of Newport served as surgeon on the Tartar before 1743.
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John Bissill of North Kingstown, James Mott of West Green- wich and Thomas Spencer served on the Tartar in this expe- dition, and Mott died on shipboard. Connecticut asked to have the Tartar sail as convoy of the Connecticut troops, and it was at first planned to have the Connecticut contingent stop at Newport or meet the Tartar off Block Island. However there was so much delay in starting that the Tartar went to New London where she arrived about April 7.
The Connecticut vessels accompanied by the Tartar sailed on April 14 and on the 23rd off Popes Head or Cape Sable fell in with the 30-gun French frigate Renommée, Captain Kersaint. Captain Fones described the affair in these words :-
"We met with a ship on our passage which proved to be a French man-of-war of near 40 guns and after we had given him two of our bow chasers, he saluted us with four broad- sides to the number of at least 60 cannon. The ship went so well that we were obliged to weaken our vessel to get clear of him, which we effected after 8 hours chase."
Other accounts of the battle relate that the Tartar's jib halliards were cut by the enemy's gunfire and that she received no other damage, although it was found necessary "to cut down the waist of the sloop in order to make her sail better" by which means she escaped, being able to sail to windward better than the Renommée. If the Tartar had not engaged the Renommée and drawn her away from the Connecticut fleet, she would probably have destroyed or captured many of the vessels. Governor Walcott described the Tartar as "a prime sailor" and referring to the Renommée, wrote :- "If this ship had engaged our fleet, it is probable that both guard sloops would not have been able to withstand her; and if we had had no convoy but Capt. Prentice, it is likely that we should have been ruined by her."
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00
Tartar Carro harbour Apr 2.6. 1745
The line Inform you that weight Safe into this harbour thistoday we fit boxe Ship a which proof@lowe a french man of War of Near 40 yum and after we ha given him two of our low light Saluted in with four Broadway y Number of at Least bo coman of Ships wish to well if we went out To when our Vil to get har ofte we Cfieber after 8 hours Chapo; we are this day going in half of him in Company with foot hows. Gomore Happen with 3 other Ships of War are gone To Cpu Britains of fleet to Sail from leave was first wird all Ладножения this in hast pull
LETTER OF CAPT. DANIEL FONES GIVING AN ACCOUNT OF THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE TARTAR AND THE RENOMMÉE From original in Rhode Island State Archives
Courtesy of Society of Colonial Wars
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The Tartar arrived at Canso on April 25 and the next day sailed again in consort with the Shirley galley, Captain Rouse, in quest of the Renommée. They overtook her west of Georges Bank and attacked her, but she easily outsailed the Shirley and escaped. The Tartar then returned to the fleet, which was now off Louisbourg, and cruised to the eastward block- ading the harbor. On May 18 Captain Fones sighted a brigantine and the Tartar pursued her into Scatarie Bay, and took her. She was the Deux Amis, 80 tons, Capt. Dominick Chatson, bound from St. John de Luz or Bayonne for Louis- bourg with a cargo of wine, brandy, oil, nets, cordage and salt.
The Tartar sailed from Louisbourg on June 6, touched at Canso on the 7th and proceeded through the Gut of Canso to join the Resolution and the Bonetta in an attempt to prevent the reinforcements from Annapolis reaching Cape Breton Island or Isle Royal, as the French called it. On June 15 near Tack- quamnash in Askmacouse Harbor, Famme Goose Bay, they sighted smoke to leeward at about six o'clock in the morning. The Tartar and the Bonetta went in pursuit, believing it to be from the fires of the French and Indian troops.
Soon after they had disappeared from sight, two sloops, two schooners, a shalloway, and about fifty Indian canoes appeared. The wind having dropped, the Resolution was left helplessly becalmed, and was easily surrounded and attacked by the lighter craft. Captain Donahue and his vessel were dangerously near capture, when a freshening breeze brought back the Tartar and the Bonetta. When these vessels brought their guns to bear on the French and Indians, many were killed. The enemy then retreated into shoal water, the Resolution pursuing them at pistol-shot range until she ran aground, but later she was floated. The French and Indians retreated up the narrow creeks and sought refuge in the woods.
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They were under the command of M. Marin, a Canadian officer, and were about 1200 in number, being the reinforce- ments sent from the siege of Annapolis Royal to the relief of Louisbourg. This defeat which they suffered at Famme Goose Bay prevented their crossing to Cape Breton Island and reaching Louisbourg. Two days after this repulse, the forces under Pepperell entered the city of Louisbourg.
The fleet under Fones cruised for another week in order to prevent a second attempt of the reinforcements to cross to Cape Breton Island, and then, on the 22d, Captain Fones despatched the Bonetta, Captain Becket, to Canso with news of the defeat of Marin.
M. Du Chambon, the French commander at Louisbourg, wrote in regard to this battle :-
"Ils s'y embarquérent environ 3 à 400 dans un bateau de 25 tonneaux et dans environ une centaine de canots. Comme ils étoient dans la baie à doubler une pointe, ils furent attaqués par un bateau corsaire de 14 cannons et autant de pierriers; cet officier soutint l'attaque avec vigueur, et dans le temps qu'il étoit au moment d'aborder le corsaire pour l'enlever, un autre corsaire de la même force vint au secours de son camarade, ce qui obligea le dit Sieur Marin d'abandonner la partie et de faire côte.
"Cette rencontre lui a fait perdre plusiers jours et il n'a pu se rendre sur les terres de l'Isle Royale qu'au commence- ment de juillet, après que Louisbourg a été rendu; si ce détache- ment s'étoit rendu quinze ou vingt jours avant la reddition de la ville, je suis plus que persuadé que l'ennemy auroit été contraint de lever le siege de terre, par la terreur qu'il avoit de ce déteachment qu'il pensoit être au nombre de plus de 2500."
The "corsaire" was the Resolution and the "autre cor- saire" the Tartar.
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On June 29 Captain Donahue and a landing party from the Resolution were ambushed by Indians at Fustic, about a league west of the Gut. The Tartar, which happened to be within musket shot of the shore, tried to cover the landing party, but they were all either killed or captured. The Tartar and Resolution reached Canso on July 7 and Louisbourg on the 8th.
The Tartar immediately returned to the Bay of Vert, and went to the Isle de St. Jean, to seize the island and to bring away prisoners and hostages. A party landed at St. Peters on the Isle de St. Jean, devastated the establishment of le sieur Roma and another estate, belonging to M. la Joie, and routed a guard of fifteen French soldiers commanded by Dupont Duvivier. The English followed the retreating Frenchmen into the trackless woods, where the French, re- inforced by a number of Indians, turned on their pursuers and killed 28 of them. The Tartar returned to Louisbourg before July 16, and on the 25th convoyed off the coast to a distance of 60 leagues the French Malouin ship, which had been cap- tured when Louisbourg fell and which now was carrying refugees to France. On her return from this service the Tartar sighted a large French ship and, hoisting French colors, lured the stranger towards the harbor of Louisbourg. H. M. S. Chester and Mermaid came out of the harbor and captured the Frenchman, which was the Heron, an East Indiaman of 24 guns from Bengal.
On August 7 the Tartar was sent on a cruise along the coast, to investigate the conditions at Canso and to escort Governor Shirley to Louisbourg if she should meet his ship, which how- ever she failed to do, and returned to Louisbourg on the 15th, perhaps bringing the deputation of priests and agents from the Isle de St. Jean. On August 23 the Tartar sailed on another mission, this time she convoyed the schooner Elizabeth
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with troops and stores to Newfoundland and then returned to Louisbourg on September 9, where she remained for about two months before being discharged from service.
In 1746 it was at first planned to have the Tartar and Defence cruise in consort as coast-guard vessels as they did in 1744, but in June the Assembly decided to withdraw the Tartar from coast-guard service and to use her as convoy for the transports in the Canadian expedition. Meanwhile she continued to make short cruises along the coast. On October 3 the Tartar was ordered to cruise to the west of the Isle of Sable and if possible communicate important despatches to Admiral Lestock who was expected to pass that way.
Upon returning from this service, Captain Fones resigned his command of the Tartar, which was given to Capt. Ben- jamin Wickham. Fones evidently had enough experience the preceding year with expeditionary forces and Wickham seems to have felt the same way after his experience of 1741 and so refused to serve. Captain James Allen was then appointed, but profiting by the experience of others also declined to serve. Eventually Peter Marshall was induced to accept the office of captain of the Tartar for this expedition.
On November 4, 1746, the Tartar, commanded by Captain, now called Commodore, Peter Marshall, sailed from Newport convoying the three Rhode Island transports, the brigantines Leopard and Neptune and the snow Africa. These Rhode Island vessels flew as a mark of distinction "a broad blue vane with a white ball" at their main top-gallant mast-heads. They touched at Tarpaulin Cove and then proceeded to Holmes Hole (Vineyard Haven), where the Africa was driven ashore in a storm on the night of November 5.
On November 19 off Cape Pog, Nantucket, the entire fleet were driven ashore by a violent storm, but upon being lightened
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all except the Neptune were floated. The transport sloop Ranger, in a battered condition and short of supplies, joined the fleet on December 13. Disheartened by the storms, the cold weather, the disasters and the sickness prevalent among the troops, a Council of War on December 21 decided to abandon the expedition and the fleet thereupon returned to Newport, where it arrived on January 2, 1746-7. Over £12000 had been expended on this expedition.
On May 6, 1747, Daniel Fones was again chosen captain of the Tartar and Daniel Vaughn was chosen lieutenant. She was used for coast-guard work and the season proved unevent- ful. The Tartar went into winter quarters as usual, and in May, 1748, was ordered to be put in commission. James Holmes was chosen captain and Daniel Vaughn reappointed lieutenant. The Tartar on May 21, sailed from Newport manned with a crew of 65 men, and on the following day chased a schooner that appeared off Block Island. The Tartar over- took the schooner near Point Judith and fired a couple of shot at her, whereupon the schooner struck. She was a "pretended flag-of-truce" from Leogane. Captain Holmes placed Lieu- tenant Vaughn on board the prize as prize master.
Lieutenant Vaughn, after taking charge of the schooner, took his orders from a Mr. Right, who seems to have been on the prize when she was taken. Right derived his authority from a paper which he carried which purported to be a priva- teer's commission issued to Captain Haydon. Under Right's direction Vaughn piloted the schooner up the west passage around the north end of Conanicut into Coddington's Cove on Rhode Island, where some of the vessel's cargo of sugar was unloaded secretly and illegally. A legislative inquiry followed in which the officers of the Tartar were censured, but not punished. The war having ended, the Tartar was sold at
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auction about the first of November, 1748, for £6910. She had cost £8679 in 1740. A detailed account of the Tartar, and many documents relating to her, are printed in the volume entitled "The Tartar", that was issued in 1922 by the Society of Colonial Wars in Rhode Island.
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CHAPTER XIII
LETTER-OF-MARQUE SHIPS
In the early eighteenth century a distinction was made between the privateer and the "letter-of-marque ship". They differed in purpose rather than in powers, commission or law. The former was understood to mean a vessel that cruised solely in quest of prizes, while the latter was a merchant- trader with authority to capture enemy vessels. The crew of a privateer received no wages, their pay being the division of what was left from captures after the expenses of the voyage had been deducted. The crew of a letter-of-marque ship received wages as any merchant marine sailors and also shared in the proceeds of any capture. As the letter-of-marque ships did not cruise in quest of prizes, such captures were few and far between.
In addition to the privateers sent out from Rhode Island during the first year of the war, the following armed letter-of- marque ships were commissioned:
The brigantine Mary, 100 tons, 6 carriage and 6 swivel guns, owned by Samuel Holmes and Samuel Rodman of Newport, and commanded by Capt. Thomas Stodder of Newport, who was commissioned on September 15, 1739.
The sloop Amy, 85 tons, 4 carriage and 6 swivel guns, owned by Charles Bardin and Joseph Silvester of Newport, and .commanded by Capt. Thomas Child of Newport, who was commissioned September 22, 1739.
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The sloop Patience, 90 tons, 4 carriage and 10 swivel guns, owned by Robert Taylor and Daniel Ayrault of Newport, and commanded by George Scott of Newport, who was commis- sioned September 29, 1739.
The sloop Endeavor, 100 tons, 4 carriage and 6 swivel guns, owned by John and Peleg Brown of Newport, and commanded by Capt. Thomas Wickham, (brother of Capt. Benjamin Wickham), who was commissioned on December II.
The sloop Lovely Betty, 90 tons, 2 carriage and 6 swivel guns, owned by Godfrey Malbone and William Mumford of Newport, and commanded by Capt. Philip Wilkinson, Jr. of Newport, who was commissioned on January 14, 1739-40.
The brigantine Lucy, 120 tons, 2 carriage and 6 swivel guns, owned by Jonathan Thurston and William Read of Newport, and commanded by Joseph Ladd of Little Compton, "now residing at Newport," who was commissioned on January 22, I739-40.
The snow Providence galley, 125 tons, 10 carriage and 6 swivel guns, owned by John Wright and Benjamin Hazard of Newport, and commanded by Isaac Doubt of Boston, "now residing at Newport," who was commissioned on January 26, 1739-40.
The sloop Ranger, 60 tons, 4 carriage and 2 swivel guns owned by Job Almy and William Ellery of Newport, and commanded by Job Snell of Newport, who was commissioned on March 10, 1739-40.
The sloop Prince of Wales of Maryland, 90 tons, 4 carriage and 4 swivel guns, commanded by George Watkins of Nanti- cock River, Maryland, "now residing at Newport," who was commissioned on April 18, 1740. John and Peleg Brown of Newport went bond, and may have been interested in this vessel.
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THE Triton.
The ship Triton, a vessel of 220 or 230 tons, mounting 14 or 24 carriage guns and 6 swivels, was built in 1741, and was owned and fitted out by John Banister of Newport. She was "well contrived for close quarters", and was, in February- 1741-2, laden with a cargo for Cape Fear, and manned with many of the experienced privateersmen from the crew of the new Revenge, which had recently returned to port. A letter-of- marque was issued to the Triton, and Capt. William Jackson Bonfield was placed in command. Banister states that the reason that he fitted the Triton out in this manner was that he planned to sail on her himself. He adds that he had also arranged to have the privateer bilander Young Eagle, Captain Rouse, the brigantine Italian Packet, 12 guns, Capt. Joseph Harrison, the privateer Victory, Captain Powers, and the ship Roman Emporor, Capt. Richard Mumford, sail in company with the Triton. With this fleet, Banister should have been well protected, but local matters prevented his making the voyage. On March 29, some of the Triton's crew deserted, but she sailed on the 30th in company with the Italian Packet. Thomas MacFarlan sailed as mate on the Triton, and in May 1742 was appointed master of the Italian Packet.
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