Rhode Island : three centuries of democracy, Vol. I, Part 24

Author: Carroll, Charles, author
Publication date: 1932
Publisher: New York : Lewis historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 716

USA > Rhode Island > Rhode Island : three centuries of democracy, Vol. I > Part 24

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Of privateers fitted out in and sailing from Rhode Island during King George's War there is no complete list. Sheffield, in "Privateersmen of Newport," named vessels and cap-

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tains as follows : 1741-"St. Andrew," Charles Davidson; "Revenge," James Allen; "Went- worth," Esek Hopkins ; "Triton," W. J. Bonfield; "Victory," Joseph Power; "Tartar," Ben- jamin Wickham; "Tartar," Daniel Fry. 1742-"Revenge," Charles Dyer; "Castor," Hugh Wentworth; "Pollux," Richard Woolford; "Fame," John Griffiths; "Young Eagle," Sueton Grant (owner). 1743-"Prince Frederick," William Hopkins; "Mary," William Wilkinson ; "Prince William," William Allen; "Hunter," Michael Clarke; "Prince Frederick," John Den- nis ; "Cæsar," John Griffiths ; "Young Godfrey," Nicholas White; "Triton," Thomas McFar- land. 1744-"Cæsar," John Griffiths; "Success," John Ellis; "Duke of Marlborough," Rob- ert Morris ; "King George," Benjamin Cranston; "Prince William," William Allen; "Prince Frederick," John Dennis; "Revenge," James Allen; "Hector," James Thurston; "Queen of Hungary," Nathaniel Potter; "Phoenix," William Bennett; "Prince Charles of Lorraine," Simeon Potter. 1745-"Molly," Thomas Fry; "Prince of Wales," Thomas Brewer; "Ran- ger," Christopher Bennett ; "Success," Peter Marshal; "Defiance," John Dennis; "Queen of Hungary," Thomas Conklin; "Brittania," William Allen; "Fame," Thomas Thompson; "Queen Elizabeth," Isaac Doubt; "Hector," William Higgins; "Reprisal," John Hopkins; "Duke of Marlborough," Benjamin Carr; "Defiance," John Townsend; "Mary," George Darricott; "King George," Nathaniel Sweeting. 1746-"Charming Betty," Thomas Fry; "Duke of Cumberland," Peter Marshall. 1747-"Patience," Robert Brown; "Prince Freder- ick," Ebenezer Trowbridge; "Defiance," John Sweet; "King George," William Richards; "Mary and Ann," John Maudsley; "Reprisal" (180 tons), William Dunbar ; "Reprisal" (90 tons), Joseph Arnold; "Lee Friggott," Latham Stanton; "Jonathan," John Dennis ; "Henry," Orthaniel Tarr. 1748-"King George," John Maudsley; "Rebecca," Robert Gibbs; "Lon- don," Robert Morris. The privateers were of varying size and different rig and armament. The "Prince Frederick" was a brigantine, mounting eighteen carriage guns, thirty swivels, and eighteen blunderbusses; she carried a crew of 130 sailors, besides officers. The "Reprisal" was a brig, carrying a crew of seventy sailors. Two large privateers; each mounting twenty-two cannon and carrying over 200 men, were built by Godfrey Malbone in 1745. Commanded by Captain Cranston and Captain Brewer, because the horoscope indicated that day, they sailed from Newport on December 24, in spite of a violent winter snow storm that was lashing the coast. Neither vessel was heard of afterward; probably they were wrecked in the storm at sea, with loss of all on board.

Rhode Island privateersmen were captains courageous. The privateer "Revenge" made no less than a dozen captures, including the "Three Sisters," "Great Royal," "St. Joseph," "Dove," "Angolae," "Fortune," "Cæsar," "Brittania," "Asboth," "William Galley," "Compt Toulouse," and a Spanish ship of 350 tons ; the "Prince Frederick," no less than nine, includ- ing "Serena," "Unfrow Sara," "St. Pierre," "Senior," "San Joseph and San Nicholas," "St. Jacques," "Victorine," and two other vessels not named; the "Defiance," no less than eleven, including "Young Johanna," "Snow Willis," "De la Conceptione," "Delaware," "New Brit- tain," "Elizabeth," "Postilion," "Catherine," a French ship, a sloop, and one other vessel. The "Defiance" was a brigantine; on March 21, 1745-1746, she brought into Newport a French ship mounting twenty guns, with eighty-two men, and a cargo consisting of 500 hogs- heads of sugar, 57 hogsheads of indigo and other valuable effects. The French ship, with two other armed vessels, was attacked by Captain Dennis of the "Defiance," who sent a boarding party against the largest vessel. The others sailed away while Captain Dennis was completing the capture. The "Defiance" lost fifteen killed and fifteen wounded. Of those killed seven were white men, and eight were negroes. The enemy had twenty killed and twenty wounded. The fortunes of the privateers, like those of war, were variable. The brig "Cæsar," Captain Griffiths, was wrecked on the west end of Bermuda, and the captain and crew were castaways for three months; after being rescued they sailed on another privateer from Bermuda. The

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similarity of names indicates that many of the vessels captured by privateers were refitted and sent out as privateers with letters of marque issued by Rhode Island. Vessels designed as privateers were of special construction, built long for carrying a heavy armament, and light and narrow for speed and facile manœuvering. They easily outsailed merchant vessels of equal tonnage, and, carrying heavier guns than armed cargo ships, could inflict damage from a range beyond the carrying power of the cannon of the latter. The privateers usually carried large crews, both for the purpose of handling sail quickly in manœuvering and for the purpose of furnishing large boarding parties, whereby to overwhelm the crews of vessels overtaken. From the large crews of the privateers were drafted the prize crews placed on board captured vessels and sometimes dispatched to the nearest friendly port, while the privateer continued its cruise. Crews shared with owners and officers in the division of prize money, a practice that furnished ample motivation for enlistment, for desperate adventure and daring combat. Enlist- ment with successful privateer captains was sought with much rivalry. The opportunity for employment as sailors on privateers drew large numbers of "lusty fellows" to Rhode Island during this period. Other colonists complained that their man power available for enlistment or impressment was depleted seriously by the departure of young and vigorous men for Rhode Island. The rich spoils of privateering were vastly more attractive than the low wages paid for soldiering ; and, besides that, except when engaged in actual combat, the privateer sailors were little oppressed by discipline. They lived a carefree life, were reasonably well fed and cared for in order to maintain physical vigor, and enjoyed the open life upon the ocean. As a rule, a soldier returned from the wars broken in health if service were lengthy, and with little of wealth to reward him for his effort; on the other hand, the privateer seldom returned empty-handed. Even in instances in which privateering ventured into the forbidden realm of piracy, those who returned were not dishonored. On occasion the Governor of Rhode Island did not deny that certain pirates sought by English government officers were in Rhode Island; indeed, he admitted that they probably were on the island of Rhode Island, but asserted his inability to locate and arrest them because they were attended by friends who gave ample warning in moments of danger.

"PRINCE CHARLES OF LORRAINE" -- One of the most famous of Rhode Island privateers was the "Prince Charles of Lorraine," Captain Simeon Potter, which sailed from Newport, September 8, 1744. Of the four owners, Sueton Grant, Nathaniel Coddington, Jr., Peleg Brown and Captain Potter, the first two were killed in an explosion at Newport while they, with John Gidley, who also was killed, were inspecting a privateer. The "Prince Charles" reached Oyapok, at the mouth of the Oyapok River, "twelve leagues to windward of" Cayenne, on October 28, and attacked and captured the fort, with twenty prisoners, six cannon and small arms. Oyapok and Cayenne were both in French Guiana, although the story sometimes told of this voyage of the "Prince Charles" credits Captain Potter with having desolated 1,500 miles of the Spanish Main. He did not reach the Spanish Main; the last South American port touched by the "Prince Charles" before sailing for home was at Surinam, Dutch Guiana. In the assault on the fort, Captain Potter was wounded in the left arm while leading his men. After the fort was taken, houses in the town were plundered and burned, and expeditions were sent up the river to plunder the plantations, meeting little resistance. Leaving Oyapok, the "Prince Charles" sailed for Cayenne. Landing parties were sent up a river in the neighbor- hood; when one of these came to grief, Captain Potter arranged for an exchange of prisoners with the commandant of the fortress, before sailing for Surinam. There the captain sold his plunder at "public vendue," himself becoming the purchaser of much of it. Subsequently the widow of Sueton Grant, one of his partners, sued Captain Potter for misappropriation, but failed to recover. Among those taken captive by Captain Potter, and subsequently exchanged

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was a Roman Catholic priest, a Jesuit missionary, Father Fauque, whose letter to his Bishop contains "an account of the capture of Fort d'Oyabok by an English pirate." A few passages from this letter* follow :

"Their chief was Captain Simeon Potter, a native of New England, fitted out to cruise with a commission from Williams Gueene, Governor of Rodelan, and commanding the vessel 'Prince Charles of Lorraine' of ten cannon, twelve swivel guns and a crew of sixty-two men. " The letter then described a surprise attack on the fort at night. "Our commander, however, fired and wounded in the left arm the English captain, a young man about thirty years of age. What is singular, the captain was the only one wounded on either side." The letter then related the missionary's fears lest there might be a profanation of the Holy Sacra- ment, and his visit to the church at daybreak. "As soon as day dawned I ran to the church, creeping through the underwood; and, although they had sentinels and marauders on every side, I had the good fortune not to be seen. As I entered the sacristy, which I found open, tears filled my eyes when I saw the cupboard for the vestments and linen, where I also kept the chalice and the sacred vessels, broken open and shattered, and many of the vestments scat- tered here and there. I went into the choir of the church, where I saw the altar half uncov- ered, and the cloths thrown together in a heap." Very much to his surprise, Father Fauque found the tabernacle undisturbed, and himself consumed the Host, according to the Church practice, to protect it from sacrilege. On leaving the church he was arrested and was taken to the fort. "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. . . . At length dinner-time came. I was invited." The missionary then related a conversation with Captain Potter, in which the latter explained that the attack had been undertaken as a reprisal against the King of France. Captain Potter refused to negotiate for a ransom of the prisoners and plunder, but offered to entertain a proposal for the surrender of the fort and adjoining territory. The conversation closed with the remark "we must continue our depredations and make reprisals for all that the French have done against us." "They continued, therefore, to transport from our houses furniture, clothes, provisions, all with a disorder and confusion that was remarkable. What gave me the deepest pain was to see the sacred vessels in these profane and sacrilegious hands. . .. On the same day all the silver was packed up and carried aboard the vessel." The missionary related that he remained a captive without undertaking to escape because he had given his parole and also because he "had some slight hope that I might recover the sacred vessels, or at least the vest- ments and other furniture of my church. As soon as it was day the pillage recommenced, with the same confusion and the same disorder as the day before. Each 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 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 which 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 satis- faction, after which they resumed their fantastical rags. They were like a band of monkeys or of savages, who had never been away from the depths of the forest. A parasol or a mirror, the smallest article of furniture a little showy, excited their admiration. This did not surprise me, when I learned that they had scarcely any communication with Europe, and that Rodelan was a kind of little republic, which did not pay any tribute to the King of England, which elected its own Governor every year, and which had not even any silver money, but only notes

*From a translation ; see Professor Munro's "Tales of an Old Seaport."

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for daily commerce." The missionary reported that most of the sailors were drunk and con- tinued drinking, but that the officers remained sober. Captain Potter explained that he regretted the conduct of his sailors, but was constrained to permit them the utmost of liberty. The missionary related a conversation, in the course of which he was asked numerous ques- tions about his religious faith. The missionary was taken aboard the ship, which had run aground on a shoal of the river, and there talked with a member of the crew, and the surgeon, both of whom professed to be Irishmen and Roman Catholics. He was kindly treated by Captain Potter, who was described as "entirely sober," though the members of his crew were, for the most part, drunk. Captain Potter, on November 5, explained to the missionary the ceremonies in observance of Guy Fawkes day. On Sunday the missionary "waited to see some religious service," but was told by Captain Potter "that in their sect each one worshipped God in his own way; that they had among them, as elsewhere, the good and the bad, and that 'he who acted right would be approved.'" The missionary saw Captain Potter take out of his chest a book of devotion, "and I noticed that, during this day and the following Sunday, he occa- sionally looked at it." The Captain told the missionary one day "that he did not wish longer to pursue the business of privateering; that God might today give him property, which, per- haps, might shortly be taken away from him by others; that he was well aware he should take nothing away with him in dying." The missionary continued: "Nevertheless, I should not expect to find more piety in a French, or even in a Spanish, privateer, than I saw in his ship; because these sorts of armaments were scarcely compatible with the exercises of devotion." The missionary described the condition of his church as he revisited it after the raid. "I was not able to restrain my tears and sighs on seeing the altars overturned, the pictures torn, the sacred stones broken in pieces and scattered on every side." His captors explained "that they were very sorry for all this disorder; that it was done contrary to their intentions by the sailors, the negroes and the Indians, in the excitement of pillage and the heat of drunkenness." Neverthe- less, the privateers undertook to frighten the missionary, by a display of force, into revealing the hiding place of an alleged large sum of money, which he was accused of concealing. Fail- ing in that, they burned the village and the church before embarking. The missionary described the sending of parties to attack Macouria and Cayenne, and Captain Potter's preparations to resist an attack on his ship, should that be attempted while the boats were away. "He was thoroughly armed as a privateer : sabres, pistols, guns, lances, grenades, balls filled with bitu- men and sulphur, grape-shot-nothing was wanting." The longboat, with ten men, had been captured by the French. The missionary then understood Captain Potter's reasons for carry- ing his prisoners away from Oyapok; they were held as pawns for exchange or for ransom. Father Fauque was held for a ransom of 2000 piastres. Eventually Captain Potter sent his own prisoners, including Father Fauque, ashore, and the latter negotiated an exchange of pris- oners. In his own stories of his adventures, told subsequently to hero-worshipping audiences, Captain Potter's expansion of this raid reached the proportions of the desolation of 1500 miles of enemy territory. Because of alleged irregularities to the extent of violating laws of civil- ized warfare, an investigation was ordered by the British government in the court of admir- alty. The judge found "nothing in the case but that Captain Potter had been more enterprising and accomplished more in his majesty's service, considering the means at his disposal, than any other of his majesty's subjects." The plunder actually taken, as described by a witness in the admiralty court, included : Seven Indians, three negroes, twenty large spoons or ladles, nine large ladles, one gold and one silver-hilted sword, one gold and one silver watch, two bags of money, chests and trunks of goods, gold rings, buckles and buttons, silver candlesticks, church plate both gold and silver, swords, four cannon, sixty small arms, ammunition, provisions, etc. Shortly after returning from this voyage, the "Prince Charles of Lorraine" was wrecked on the rocks near the ocean entrance to the Seaconnet River.

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In 1746 an escapade of two privateers, the "Defiance," Captain John Dennis, and the "Duke of Marlborough," Captain Robert Morris, was investigated by a committee of the Gen- eral Assembly. Twenty-two Spanish nationals, Creoles, natives of the West Indies, not slaves, had been seized by the Rhode Islanders, and sold as slaves in New England. Under the laws of the war at the time, nationals not slaves and not taken in arms were exempt from seizure. Slaves could be captured as property ; nationals in arms could be taken for resistance. When the French recaptured a ship and the prize crew placed on it by Captain Dennis, the Rhode Islanders were placed at work in chains in Havana. One of the crew was released for the purpose of carrying a message to Rhode Island. While an investigation was being made Dennis was forbidden clearance from Rhode Island. On report by its committee, the General Assembly ordered the Spaniards sought out and returned to Cuba, thus procuring the release of the Rhode Islanders. Captain Dennis was an enterprising and usually a successful priva- teer. In a letter from St. Kitts in August, 1746, he was reported as having retaken from a French privateer an English ship of sixteen guns, and carried her into St. Kitts. The engage- ment lasted several hours, Captain Dennis fighting the privateer and the prize crew on the Eng- lish vessel. Two of his men were killed, and Captain Dennis and seven of his men were wounded. The privateer escaped capture. In June, 1747, he was reported from St. Christo- pher as having taken four or five French privateers near the Leeward Islands, one a vessel mounting fourteen guns and carrying 140 men. In the Old French War he sailed from New- port as commander of the privateer "Foy," and never was reported afterward.

WAR WITH FRANCE-With France drawn into the war in Europe as an ally of Spain, and with the prospect of French activity to follow on the American seaboard, additional pre- cautions were taken in Rhode Island to strengthen the defences of Narragansett Bay and Block Island, and to increase the efficiency of the militia. The Newport Artillery, oldest of Rhode Island chartered commands, had been organized in February, 1741-1742. In 1744 an "artil- lery company of the county of Providence" was chartered. These artillery companies were forerunners of the famous Rhode Island batteries that Rhode Island furnished in large num- ber for the war between the states. Fort George was enlarged, and the fortification on Block Island was strengthened. The colony sloop "Tartar" was refitted and newly armed with heavy cannon, and manned with a crew of ninety sailors. Even before news of the French procla- mation of war reached New England, French privateers from Cape Breton and elsewhere on the French coast began active operations, and almost brought the English and American fish- eries to an end. Raids upon the New England coast by French privateers were anticipated. The colony sloop "Tartar" was ordered on patrol duty, with a sloop-of-war owned by Con- necticut, cruising "as far eastward as Martha's Vineyard and as far westward as Long Island extends, and to continue said cruise from the time of sailing until the first day of October next." Later the patrol was continued to October 30. Captain Daniel Fones and Lieutenant John Stafford were given command of the "Tartar."

In 1745 Rhode Island was invited to send commissioners to a conference called to meet at Albany to consider plans for the common defence; the invitation was received too late to make representation possible. Early in the same year New England prepared to carry the war into French territory as the strategy most likely to insure relief from French raids. An expe- dition against Louisburg, a strong French fortress at Cape Breton, was planned. New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania were invited to participate; they contributed money, but no ships or men. Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts made vigorous and effective prep- aration, sparing no effort to make the enterprise successful. Because of the fact that the colo- nial forces were organized in regiments, included in which were companies of more than one colony, Rhode Island, whose troops were in part assigned to Massachusetts and in part to

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Connecticut regiments, has not been given deserved credit for the relatively large contribu- tions of men made to this expedition. No less than 350 Rhode Islanders served with the troops of Massachusetts, and 150 with the Connecticut forces. The general command was given to William Pepperell, of Maine. Rhode Island was most conspicuous because of the achievements of her sailors. Immediately upon receiving a request from Governor Shirley, of Massachusetts, for aid in the expedition against Louisburg, the colony sloop "Tartar," Cap- tain Daniel Fones, Lieutenant John Cahoone, was outfitted with 130 men. Later the force on the "Tartar" was reduced to ninety, when the colony raised 150 soldiers additional to the 500 with Connecticut and Massachusetts, and hired another vessel to serve with the "Tartar" as a transport. The Governor was authorized to lay an embargo on vessels departing from Narra- gansett Bay "from time to time, and at all times hereafter when the same shall to him appear needful." The purpose of this measure was to prevent the departure of sailors while enlist- ment or impressment was in progress. Arms, ammunition and supplies were purchased, boun- ties for enlistment were offered, and soldiers were promised pay and sustenance, including "half a pint of rum per day." On request of Massachusetts, Godfrey Malbone was permitted to enlist 350 men in Rhode Island to join the troops from Massachusetts and serve under Massachusetts pay; to encourage enlistment for this service Rhode Island offered a bounty. In May 150 additional men in three companies, were enlisted for service with the Connecticut regiment, Rhode Island as before offering bounties. The brigantine "Success" was engaged as a transport. For this quota, failing voluntary enlistment, impressment was ordered of tran- sient seafaring men, of persons having no certain place of abode, and of persons having no visible means of gaining their living. The rendezvous was at Canso, near the strait of the same name separating Cape Breton from Nova Scotia. On the way thither the "Tartar," which, with the Connecticut sloop-of-war, was convoying transports, captured the "Deux Amis," French brigantine. The colony sloop participated in the capture of the ship "Heron," a rich prize. The "Tartar" also fought a brief naval engagement with the "Renommee," a French frigate, carrying dispatches for France, and mounting thirty-six cannon. Having engaged the "Renommee" for the purpose of diverting attention from the transports under convoy to him- self, Captain Fones simulated slow flight, until he had drawn the enemy so far away from the transports as to give the latter a reasonable opportunity for escape. He then led the French frigate on a merry chase until the latter was constrained to abandon the pursuit because its most urgent mission was as a dispatch carrier. The strategy of Captain Fones was completely suc- cessful; he rejoined the transports and convoyed them safely to the rendezvous. At Louis- burg the colonial army under Colonel William Pepperell surrounded the fortress on the land side and a detachment from the West Indian squadron, Commander Peter Warren command- ing, closed the circle on the water side. When Commodore Warren captured the French "Vig- ilante" man-of-war the vessel was sent to Boston to be refitted and Rhode Island was requested to enlist 40 sailors and 200 marines to man the vessel for service during the siege. Bounties were offered by Rhode Island for enlistment of soldiers and sailors ; to insure the securing of forty sailors for the crew a strict embargo was placed on all vessels leaving Narragansett Bay, and the impressment of forty sailors within twenty-four hours was ordered. The task was accomplished.

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Rhode Island : three centuries of democracy, Vol. I, Part 24

Author: Carroll, Charles, author Publication date: 1932 Publisher: New York : Lewis historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 716

Author: Carroll, Charles, author
Publication date: 1932
Publisher: New York : Lewis historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 716