USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island privateers in King George's war, 1739-1748 > Part 3
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Captain Dept of the Hampton Court sent his lieutenant on board the Revenge. Off Crooked Island, Captain Fox sighted five or six large warships standing to the northward, which were probably Admiral Vernon's squadron, but Captain Fox did not dare to approach them for fear they might be Spaniards. The prize, which was condemned at Newport the Monday after she arrived, was laden with baled goods, 17,000 pieces-of- eight, cocoa, arms and ammunition and carried twenty or thirty good negro slaves. The vessel and cargo were estimated as worth not less than £20,000. The captain and gunner on the prize were French, and the sloop was said to have been fitted out at Curacao by some Jews. The crew confessed to selling powder to the Spaniards, and a considerable quantity of pistols were found hidden in the bales of goods.
THE New Revenge.
In the summer of 1741 John Banister and his associates fitted out a second privateer called the Revenge, and in order to distinguish her from the old Revenge of 80 tons, Banister often spoke of her as the New Revenge. She was a sloop of II6 tons, 14 carriage and 12 swivel guns. The command of the New Revenge was given to Capt. James Allen, who had so successfully commanded the old Revenge, and he soon signed up a crew of 120. On August 19, the new Revenge was "in such readiness that upon advice of a French War" she could be sent to sea in 48 hours. She must not be confused with the second privateer sloop Revenge of Newport of 115 tons, which was owned by Freebody and Norton, and was at this time cruising under the command of Captain Norton.
The Revenge, Captain Allen, sailed from Newport on Sep- tember 17 or 18, 1741 convoying the brigantine Italian Packet, Captain Harrison, for Cape Fear. On the 20th, in a storm, the
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Italian Packet lost her mast and had to put back to Newport. The Revenge proceeded to the Capes, where she was spoken by a vessel, which reached Newport before September 30. Referring to Captain Allen, Banister wrote: "I hope he will have the fortune of redeeming the honour Norton lost us." This evidently refers to Captain Norton's refusal to chase two Spanish privateers on August 5, news of which reached Newport by this time.
The Revenge, Captain Allen, cruised along the north coast of South America, and off the coast of Caracas captured a valuable Dutch prize that had been trading with the Spaniards. She was the schooner Three Sisters, laden with rum and molasses, which reached Newport on November 26, 1741. This vessel and cargo were valued at £20,000. On November 17, 1741, Captain Allen captured a French sloop trading with the enemy on the Spanish coast, and sent her into Charleston, where she is said to have arrived before the end of the year. She was valued at £9,000. During this cruise the Revenge chased ashore a Spanish snow laden with wine, both the vessel and cargo being lost. She captured two Spanish launches, took out their cargoes, and sunk them. Continuing north- ward Captain Allen attacked and captured off Cuba (given in some accounts erroneously as off Cape Fear) the Spanish privateer sloop Great Royal, 100 tons, 16 or 20 carriage guns and 8 swivel guns. This prize is also described as a fine Bermuda-built richly-laden Dutch sloop of 80 tons, mounting Io carriage and 10 swivel guns, (still another account says 12 carriage and 12 swivel guns). She is said to have been trading on the coast of Caracas and to have hailed from Curacao. One account states that she fired three shots at the New Revenge without showing any jack, and with the fourth shot set her jack. The captain intended to fire a broadside into Captain Allen's sloop, but was prevented by a negro, who
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DI I
le balla para fegy ticulares
A SPANISH SHIP OF THE PERIOD From a Spanish sea-pass of 1745 In the Society's Library
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New-Port, Rhode-Ifland, May 1. 1741 T HE Sloop Revenge, burthen about One hundred an fifteen Tons, or there-abouts, mounting about Twenty-fou Guns large and fmall, Capt. Benjamin Norton, Comman being bound on a cruifing Voyage againft the Spaniards: If Gentlemen Sailors or others, have a mind to take a Cruize in f Sloop let them repair on board of faid Sloop now lying at Mr. bert Taylors Wharff, where they may fec faid Articles of Agn ment and be kindly received. Said Sloop wants a Doctor at prefe
ADVERTISEMENT FOR ENLISTMENTS ON PRIVATEER REVENGE THAT APPEARED IN THE BOSTON POST-BOY FOR MAY 11, 1741,
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knew the New Revenge and told him that if he fired they would all be cut to pieces by Captain Allen. These various news- paper accounts may have confused the Great Royal and the Three Sisters. The Revenge and her prize sailed northward in consort and off the "Capes of Virginia", Captain Allen cap- tured another Spanish ship. He loaded the captured privateer out of this ship with cocoa, baled goods and cash, and brought her to Newport to be condemned. The Revenge would have taken two more Spanish sloops, if she had not sprung her bowsprit. The Revenge and the Great Royal arrived at Newport on January II or 12, 1741-2. John Burke, William Bennetland and William Dunbar served under Captain Allen on this cruise. Profiting by this training and experience, the two latter were to become privateer captains themselves, and the former to become first lieutenant of a privateer. The day before they took the last prize John Wright's "poor man Sillyman died".
In April 1742 the sloop (new) Revenge was ordered to go on a merchant voyage to Amsterdam with Robert Bridges as captain, and with Captain Von Heinen (probably Capt. Solomon Von Heinen) as supercargo. Later Banister sold his interest in the new Revenge to Captain Von Heinen.
Capt. John Freebody and Capt. Benjamin Norton of Newport who had become the chief owners of the sloop Revenge early in 1741, fitted her out in May for a privateering cruise,1 and on June 2, 1741, Captain Norton received a priva- teer's commission from Governor Ward. She is usually described as 115 tons, but is called 100 tons in her bond. She must not be confused with the privateer sloop Revenge of Newport, 80 tons, which was at sea at this time, nor with the
1. Many of the papers relating to this cruise are printed in J. F. Jameson's "Privateering and Piracy in the Colonial Period".
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privateer sloop (new) Revenge, 116 tons, which sailed in September while this Revenge was still at sea.
The crew of the Revenge, when she sailed from Newport under the command of Captain Norton, were: Master Elisha Luther, Captain's Quartermaster Peter Vezian, Mate John Gillmore, Boatswain James Avery, Gunner John Griffith, Pilot Edward Sampford (alias Sanford,) Carpenter Robert Little, and mariners Humphrey Walters, Duncan Mckenley, James Barker, Thomas Colson, John Holmes, James Ogleby, Andrew Wharton, Samuel Webster, Joseph Frisle, John Swan, Ben- jamin Blanchard, Alexander Henry, John Brown, James (Machon) McGown, Timothy Northwood, George Densey, John Smith, Gideon Potter, John Bennett, John Taylor, Felix Burn, Joseph Farrow, William Austin, William Frisle, William Higgins, John Wyatt alias Wright, Captain's negro and Drummer Richard Norton, Cook Edward Almy, Mate's negro Samuel Kerby, Cook's mate Daniel Walker (a negro), a man named Price and a "shilling crazy fellow". At New York the following men were added to the crew: Lieutenant William Stone, Doctor William Blake, mariners: John Waters, John van de Hyder, Edward Webster, Tulip May, Jeremiah Har- mon, John Webb, William Jackson, Barney or Bryan Mc- Keeney, Joseph Marshall, Evan Morgan, Ephraim Read, Ralph Gouch (or Couch), Peter McKenckings, Quinten Som- merwood, Mathias Sollen, Flora Burn, Samuel Henderson, William Ramsey, Thomas Grigg, John Wild, Samuel Boundett or Bourdeld, James Welch and John Gregory, and Lieutenant Stone's servant, a negro, called John or Joseph.
James Ogleby was appointed gunner's mate, and on July 12th, Duncan Mckenley was chosen company's quarter- master. He is described as a fit person for that post. "He wetted his commission by giving the people a tub of punch."
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Daniel Walker became cook's mate, and John Holmes became boatswain's mate.
Seven men enlisted at New Providence, viz: Sam or James Jennings (a negro), John Arnold, Nathaniel Gwinn, Richard Righton, James Hayes, Thomas Fryer and Samuel Nixon.
John Evergin of North Carolina was on the prize taken July 28, and joined the crew of the Revenge. John Elderidge, Robert Paterson, John Greenshaw, Thomas Sinclair, Law- rence Willson, James Hadley and John Bruman also joined the crew of the Revenge, having been taken on the prizes.
George Benson, Indian George, one Tallady, Andrew Field- ing, one Daniel, and John Ryant were enlisted at New York, but left the Revenge before she sailed. Edward Sanford is reported to have died on board the privateer Humming Bird.
On March 9, 1741-2, John Adams, James Forsyth, Robert Paterson, John Greenshaw, James Avery and Thomas Sinclair, assigned their interest in the Revenge's prizes to Freebody and Norton. Avery was in the crew of the Revenge on this cruise, and probably the others were also in her crew. They may have been men enlisted from the prizes.
Captain Norton made his return to the Admiralty Registrar on May 13, 1741, but considerable delay occurred before he sailed. At 4 a. m. on Friday morning, June 5, 1741, Capt. Benjamin Norton went from Taylor's Wharf, Newport, to the Revenge, which lay off Conanicut, and at 6 o'clock Capt. John Freebody, the principal owner of the Revenge, came on board with several sailors. The anchor was weighed immediately, and the sloop, manned with a crew of 40 men, made sail for New York to get more sailors, a doctor, some provisions and other stores. The wind being contrary, the Revenge was
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obliged to put back into the bay, and anchored off Conanicut about 8 o'clock in the evening.
Saturday morning the Revenge got under way again at 4 o'clock and with a light breeze sailed over to Block Island, where she came to anchor at 7 p. m. "over against the £10,000 pear" .* At four the next morning she was again under way, and after sailing all day and all night anchored at 9 o'clock Monday morning in Huntington Bay. They sailed from Huntington Bay at three in the afternoon, and reached White Stone at eleven in the evening. The Revenge fired a gun and beat a drum to let them know she was a privateer, and the ferry boat soon came off and spoke her. The ferryman said that they could get no sailors at New York as they had all been taken on the two country (province) sloops. At midnight the Revenge anchored at the Two Brothers, and during the follow- ing afternoon an account was taken of all the provisions on the vessel together with the cost, and a list of the crew was made. A man named Price asked leave to go to New York, which by the way they usually spoke of as "York", to see his wife, and the captain set "a shilling crazy fellow ashore, not thinking him fit to proceed" on the voyage.
At 5 o'clock Wednesday morning Captain Freebody started for New York in the pinnace, and returned at I o'clock with news that the Governor refused to let them beat up for volun- teers as the city was already "thinned of hands by the two country sloops", and as he expected that more recruits would be needed for the West Indian expedition. Three of the crew, that went up to New York in the pinnace, deserted, and at four in the afternoon, Edward Sanford, the pilot, went ashore in a canoe with four of the crew without leave. When he came aboard again the captain talked with him and found that he was a mutinous, quarrelsome fellow, and so ordered him to
* Pier
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bundle up his clothes and go ashore for good. He took five of the crew with him when he went. After this, the quarter- master read the articles of the agreement to the 29 men that still remained out of the 41 that had sailed from Newport. These men signed the papers and became legally bound for the voyage.
On Friday the quartermaster went up to New York with a letter from Captain Norton to Captain Freebody, and returned at about three in the afternoon with orders for the vessel to go to New York. The Revenge weighed anchor at 5 a. m. on Saturday the 13th, and sailed up to New York, saluting the town with 7 guns, as she dropped anchor at 7 o'clock. Seven was a lucky number that day, for they enlisted 7 men for the voyage. On Wednesday the Revenge dropped down the harbor to the Narrows and anchored, and on Thursday the pilot came on board with four of the men that deserted with Sanford. At 2 p. m. the captain ordered the gunner to deliver arms to all that had none, and twenty-five men, who were armed, began target practise, firing at a buoy, "supposing him to be a Spaniard". The quartermaster comments, "I hope to God their courage may be as good, if ever they meet any".
At 10 a. m. on Saturday June 20, H. M. S. Squirrel, Capt. Peter Warren, arrived from Jamaica. Four years later he was to lead the Colonial forces against Louisbourg and win not only the capture of the city, and the honor of knighthood, but the affection of the American colonists, who named the town of Warren, Rhode Island, in honor of him. The Revenge saluted the Squirrel "with three guns, having no more loaded", and the Squirrel returned the salute with one, whereupon the crew of the Revenge gave three cheers, which the crew of the Squirrel returned. Captain Warren told Captain Norton that if he would come to New York, he would put him on a "route" which would be of service to his voyage.
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On June 23, Captain Norton went to New York with a letter asking Davidson to go as mate on the Revenge. This refers to Capt. Charles Davidson of the St. Andrew. It had been planned to have the St. Andrew and Revenge sail in con- sort on this cruise, but lagging enlistments prevented it. The letter was sent to Captain Potter, probably John Potter who, Sheffield states, had an interest in the Revenge in 1742, and perhaps had purchased it as early as this. Captain Norton returned on board the Revenge at four in the afternoon, and brought with him as a new recruit, John Waters, clerk of a Dutch church. On Wednesday morning the pilot came on board with news that Captain Freebody had found a doctor on Long Island, who had offered to go on the Revenge. The doctor and Mr. Stone came on board at 6 p. m. to see Captain Norton, who had gone to New York. They did not stay, but went up to New York to see him. The doctor was a drunkard and wanted too much pay, so Captain Norton would not hire him. Irritated by the delays, the crew became quarrelsome on Thursday morning, and an unpleasant, if not dangerous, situation seemed to be developing. Under the date of Friday, June 26, the quartermaster wrote: "The most remarkablest day this great while. All has been peace & quietness." On Saturday, Captain Norton went to New York at 10 o'clock in order to take his leave of Captain Freebody who was going to start for Rhode Island, and returned on board at 2 p. m. with two barrels of pork. Captain Love in the Bermuda privateer sloop Anne, came into the harbor about an hour later.
Three of the crew of the Revenge went on shore and dis- appeared on July 2, but the next morning they could be seen on board the privateer Humming Bird. The owners of that privateer had made them drunk and had then enticed them on board that vessel. About Io o'clock in the morning Captain Norton saw the canoe of the Humming Bird going ashore with
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the kidnapped members of the Revenge's crew in her and also Joseph Farrow, who had come from Rhode Island on the Revenge and to whom Captain Norton had given a suit of clothes. Farrow had deserted from the Revenge and signed up as boatswain on the Humming Bird. Captain Norton manned the pinnace of the Revenge and sent her after the canoe, which she overtook as it was returning from the shore. Farrow and the three deserters were dragged from the canoe into the pinnace and brought back to the Revenge, but later in the day the Humming Bird's canoe came alongside the Revenge, and Farrow jumped into it and escaped. The pinnace, which at that time was hauled up on the tackles, was hastily let down into the water to go in chase, but the plug was out, and she almost filled with water, the sailors who jumped into her being "green hands and raw". In the confusion the canoe got back safely to the Humming Bird. When the men from the Revenge finally went to demand Farrow, the other priva- teersmen got out their arms and would not allow them to board. The captain of the Humming Bird then came on board the Revenge and asked the reason for the disturbance. Cap- tain Norton told him the reason and forbade him to carry Farrow away. But if he should carry Farrow away, Norton vowed that when he ever chanced to hear of him in the West Indies, he would go 100 leagues to meet him, and take ten for one, and break up his voyage, and send him to his owners and give his people a good dressing.
The next day, July 4, the Humming Bird weighed anchor in the morning and started for Philadelphia, but new trouble was brewing. At 4 p. m. the lieutenant and two sergeants belonging to Captain Rigg's company came on board the Revenge in search of some soldiers, who were supposed to be on the Humming Bird, which was then lying off Coney Island. They wanted the Revenge to go in chase, but the wind and
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tide being contrary, they were forced to give up the project. At 6 o'clock a ship from Lisbon came in, and also a sloop from Turks Island. The ship, appearing to be a lofty vessel, was thought to be a 70 gun man-of-war, and as there were several men among the crew of the Revenge, who had deserted from the navy, Captain Norton hoisted "a vief"* in the Jack and lowered the pennant as a signal for the pinnace, which had gone ashore, to return. The deserters planned to go ashore in the pinnace, and so escape the expected press-gang search. The crew of the sloop and the ship saw the signals on the Revenge, and judging her to be a man-of-war's tender impress- ing men, quitted their own vessels and went ashore to hide in the bushes. That night Captain Norton gave the crew a pail of punch "to recover them of their fright".
On Sunday, July 5, the Revenge "shipped a hand" early in the morning, and the mate went ashore to get water. The Revenge weighed anchor in the afternoon and pulled nearer in shore in order to be out of the current. During the past month the crew had consumed 91/2 barrels of beef, one barrel of pork, and 14 barrels of bread. She then had on board 491/2 barrels of beef, 29 barrels of pork and 40 hundred weight of bread. On Monday the Humming Bird returned and also the two New York country sloops commanded by Capt. Richard Langdon and Capt. George Cunningham. The crew of Captain Langdon's sloop gave three cheers as they came alongside the Revenge, which the crew of the Revenge returned, after which Captain Norton went to New York again to get a ship's doctor. A sailor came on board the Revenge to enlist, but went away without signing the papers. On Tuesday, July 7, William Blake, formerly on Captain Cunningham's sloop, enlisted as surgeon on the Revenge, and his chest and goods were taken on board at 6 p. m., when Captain Norton returned from
* Weft.
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Thomas Gifth
James Clarke Bamalas Mon
This Thompson 7
John Dennis
John Grifith
John gal
John robin for
Charles Dourofon.
SIGNATURES OF RHODE ISLAND PRIVATEERSMEN
From State Archives
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another trip to New York. Two days later they careened the Revenge, scrubbed her, and "gave her boot tops".
The foregoing account gives us a good idea of the trouble and time it took to fit out and man a privateer. The Revenge had been held up over a month at New York waiting for a doctor, and at last sailed at 2 p. m. on July 13 in a fresh west-south-west gale, and was soon rolling along in a "great swelling sea". The crew were given their gun stations, three at each quarter deck gun and its opposite, and four at each of the deck guns and its opposite. At 3 p. m. on the 14th they set their shrouds up, and at about five the next morning they sighted a sail. All hands were called on deck, and the sloop was made ready for action. The Revenge fired a bow chaser which brought the other vessel to, but she was only a sloop from Nantucket.
Uneventful days slipped by until July 28, when at about 5 a. m. in latitude 31° 59' N. and Longitude 73° 6' W, the Revenge spied a sail under her lee bow and bore down on her. When within gunshot the Revenge fired one of her bow chasers, and the other sloop immediately lowered all her sails and ran astern of the Revenge. The master of the prize came aboard and reported that the sloop was a British vessel formerly owned by Thomas Haday, that had been taken on July 5 off Obricock (Ocracoke), North Carolina, by a Spanish privateer commanded by Don Pedro de Estrada. The sloop was loaded with pork, corn, beef, oil, pitch, tar, beans, live hogs and a horse, and had a crew of seven men. At II o'clock Jeremiah Harmon was sent on board the prize as master, with John Webb as mate and four men as a prize crew. The signal orders were: "For signal, hoist your Dutch jack at mast head; if we hoist first, you answer us, & do not keep it up long." The two vessels were to cruise in consort.
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At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon the Revenge sighted another sloop and gave chase, but as the wind dropped to a calm, the Revenge was forced to get out her oars. She finally overhauled the other vessel, and fired a bow chaser at her, whereupon the sloop tacked suddenly and escaped in the fog and night. The Revenge also lost sight of the prize in the fog, but picked her up on August I. Meanwhile the two English- men, found on the prize, signed up as crew on the Revenge, and Captain Norton treated the crew to a pail of punch on August I.
Two days later the Revenge went in chase of a schooner, and fired Io shots at her, but the schooner sailed away, and being faster than the privateer escaped. On the 4th the lookout at the masthead sighted a fleet of five sails early in the afternoon, and the Revenge immediately gave chase, following them all that afternoon and night. The next morning the chase con- tinued, and the Revenge set her spritsail, topsail, and square sail. One of the ships, mounting 12 guns, and a sloop of 8 guns waited for the Revenge, which took in all her small sails and hoisted her pennant as she approached them. The ship fired six shots at the Revenge without effect, and the latter gave her a broadside and then stood away. The sloop tacked and bore down on the Revenge in an endeavor to get her between the two vessels, and then, running alongside, fired into the Revenge. The crew of the Revenge gave three cheers, fired a broadside and a volley of small arms at the sloop and gave three huzzas. The ship continued to fire at the Revenge, which returned a broadside, that shot holes in the ship's side and tore her rigging and sails. The two vessels, which were Spanish privateers, soon sailed away, and Captain Norton refused to follow them, as he said they were not rich enough prizes. Norton is re- ported to have told his men that if they fired one gun more at the Spaniards, he would swear piracy against them. The crew of the Revenge were disappointed, as they wished to
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continue the fight. This engagement took place in 29° 26' N and 74° 30' W. and no one on the Revenge was injured.
Monday, August 10, found the Revenge rushing forward, driven through a rather heavy sea by a stiff northwest breeze. At 5 a. m. she picked up Hog Island and New Providence, and fired a gun to summon a pilot. The pilot boat came out about eight o'clock bringing Jeremiah Harmon, master of the prize, which had arrived the day before. On their way into the harbor the Revenge saluted H. M. S. Rose, the station ship, with seven guns and she returned the salute with three. Soon after this the Revenge ran ashore in front of Major Stewart's house and lay there until the Rose sent over a boat to carry the Revenge's anchor out, by which process they soon warped her afloat. Captain Norton called on His Excellency, the Governor, and later the prisoners were sent ashore in the pinnace.
By Wednesday all the corn had been unloaded, and "a clear hole" had been made "of the prize". At nine that evening a thunderstorm broke, and the Revenge was struck by lightning and badly damaged. The bolt struck the mast and shivered it very much, besides tearing a piece off the hounds. As it fell, it tore up the bitts, broke in the hatchway, and burst through both sides of the sloop, starting the planks under her wale, melting several cutlasses and pistols, and firing off several small arms, the bullets of which stuck in her beam. The crew were "all thunderstruck" and did not notice that the Revenge had sprung a leak. Finally when the master stepped over the side to examine the extent of the damage, he put his foot on a plank that was started, leaving a gap where the water was pouring in. The guns were all carried over to the starboard side "to give her a heel", and then it was discovered that the pumps would not work. "The careful carpenter had ne'er a pump box rigged or fit to work." Had
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