Captain Stanhope’s HM Frigate Pegasus fell in with several French men-of-war less than 60 leagues from the Chesapeake Bay on September 6 and 7.554
A British man-of-war captured a 44-gun French ship bound from Martinique to Nantes and sent her to Lisbon before September 8. Upon request from the French ministry, the Portuguese laid an embargo on the French ship.555
Captain Biggs’s HMS Amphitrite and Captain Rogers’s General Monk captured an American prize on Saturday, September 8. Captain de la Peyrouse’s Astrée chased them the following day and recaptured the prize.556
The Spanish made several unsuccessful sallies on the island of Minorca before the Duc de Crillon, a French general in the Spanish service, landed on the island with 8,000 Spanish troops. They took possession of it except for the Citadel (St. Phillips), to which the enemy withdrew, on Thursday, September 11. They captured three British frigates and more than 100 merchantmen and privateers along with all sorts of provisions and merchandise.557
A fleet of about 90 French merchant vessels arrived at Martinique under convoy of two frigates on Monday, September 17. On their 18-day passage, they captured a 44-gun British man-of-war and two sloops and brought them to Martinique.558
Two English custom house cutters took Robert Burnet’s Dunkirk cutter mounting 18 9-pounders and brought her to Poole during the week of September 23. As the Dunkirk cutter was too fast and of superior strength to either of the British cutters, the British formulated the following stratagem: the smaller revenue cutter would head toward the Frenchman and the other would give chase, firing her bow chases, at intervals, loaded only with powder. When Captain Burnet noticed the largest cutter had a union flag flying, he headed to give protection to the one she chased. He was astonished to find one cutter firing a broadside on his bow and the other on his quarter. Finding all resistance ineffectual, he ordered his colors to be struck.559
Captain Luke Ryan’s privateer Tartar took a large French merchant ship and brought her to Beaumaris before September 27. She was bound from France to the West Indies.560
Captain Falkner’s privateer Seven Sisters arrived at St. Mary’s, Scilly with the French ship Aimable Marie on Thursday, September 27. She was bound from La Rochelle to the West Indies with bale goods. She separated from the convoy in a storm on September 23 and had to throw part of her cargo overboard to keep from sinking.561
The St.-Malo frigate Aigle took three British ships belonging to the Québec fleet before September 29. One was the Admiral Rodney, another the General Vaughan.562
Captain Man’s HMS Cerberus captured the French privateer Duc de Rettisac, of 26 6-pounders and 116 men, and sent her to Plymouth before September 29.563
Before October 2, 1781, a British frigate captured a French privateer of 24 guns and 150 men after a smart engagement. The Jersey privateers Fox and Tartar also captured two large French merchant ships. They were bound from La Rochelle to Saint-Domingue with bale goods and were part of a fleet of 20 vessels which sailed under convoy of four ships-of-the-line but became separated.564
Captain Waters’s Crown privateer Nancy captured the French privateer Dalon and brought her to Waterford by October 6. The Dalon carried 14 guns, 6- and 9-pounders, 90 men, and seven hostages.565
Captain Duncan’s HMS Medea, returning to England from New York, fell in with commander Edward M’Carty’s privateer brig Black Princess in latitude 50.26 N longitude 11 W on October 9. After a five-hour chase and firing several shots which carried away her main topmast, the Black Princess struck. She carried 26 guns, 24 of which were 9-pounders, the other two 12-pounders, and a crew of 179 men. She threw 22 of her guns overboard in an attempt to escape. Her crew was committed to prison in England. The Black Princess is referred to as a French privateer, but she was one of Benjamin Franklin’s privateers.566
Before October 13, two Jersey privateers took a large French ship bound from Nantes to the West Indies with bale goods. The HM Frigate Carysfort took a large ship and brought her to Sandy Hook. She was bound from Boston to Martinique with masts, some of them large enough for 74-gun ships. She also took a ship bound from Cadiz to Boston. The privateer Sea Dragon, belonging to Seaford, captured a French lugsail privateer. She had just taken a corn vessel bound to London and ransomed her for 1,000 guineas.567
Commodore Johnstone’s British fleet fell in with six Dutch East India ships off the Cape of Good Hope on the way to St. Helena on Sunday, October 14. The fleet captured five of the homeward-bound Dutch ships and the French frigate Monsieur, which convoyed them along with a 64-gun ship. They burned one of the vessels. The ships had an estimated value of £100,000 each.568
Captain Folger’s schooner Antelope arrived at Baltimore on October 15 and reported that the French and Spanish fleets commanded by the Comte de Guichen and Don Luis de Cordova were cruising between Ushant and Cape Clear. The fleet of 48 ships-of-the-line had taken a number of rich British merchantmen from the West Indies.569
The 18-gun privateer Squirrel captured a small French privateer lugger, mounting eight 6-pounders and six swivels, off Scilly before October 16. The privateer had just taken a coasting vessel and ransomed her for 60 guineas.570
Before October 18, two English cruisers captured two French vessels of 500 tons each laden with clothing for the French troops in the West Indies. They sailed under a convoy of a 40-gun frigate and were taken the day after they sailed from France. The frigate returned to La Coruña in a shattered condition after engaging one of the British cruisers.
The 18-gun English privateer Amazon and the 12-gun privateer Jason captured the 40-gun French frigate La Bellipotent after an engagement of 1½ hours and brought her to Madeira in such a shattered condition that she could barely stay afloat.571
The South Carolina navy frigate South Carolina had several problems with her crew after she sailed to La Coruña. There were a series of desertions, including one that involved the French sailors stealing a jolly boat and rowing to shore under a hail of musket fire. Commodore Alexander Gillon had to quell a mutiny of his French sailors and Luxembourg marines at La Coruña and some of his men were seriously wounded. He rebuilt his crew with Irish deserters from the Spanish Army and sailed from Spain on October 17. He captured the Venus near the Madeira Islands on Saturday, October 21. The Venus was bound from Newfoundland to Lisbon with 1,600 quintals of saltfish. She was slower than the South Carolina, so Commodore Gillon ordered her towed behind the frigate. He also placed the French crew that had mutinied in La Coruña on board the Venus.
The South Carolina then sailed to St. Croix and toward Charleston in December. Commodore Gillon did not know whether the city was still in British hands or not and decided to risk taking a look. The South Carolina sailed past Sullivan’s Island and entered the harbor on December 31. When she saw three British men-of-war approaching, she left by way of the south channel and headed south toward a Spanish port.572
The Comte de Grasse’s squadron, in the Chesapeake Bay for the siege of Yorktown, captured the following prizes:
• the Cormorant, of 13 guns and 130 men;
• the Queen Charlotte, of 13 guns and 50 men;
• the Sandwich, of 12 guns and 119 men;
• the Good Intent, of 10 men;
• the Worthy, a pretended flag with six men on board;
• the Loyalist, of 24 guns;
• the HM Frigate Iris, of 32 guns;
• the HM Frigate Richmond, of 32 guns;
• a sloop, of 100 men;
• two transports with provisions and stores.573
Admiral de Grasse’s fleet captured Admiral Rodney’s HMS Sandwich and two 74-gun ships with a convoy of 35 vessels bound from the West Indies to Europe. They were taken to Brest.574
The French frigates Hermione, Surveillante, and another vessel captured the Phillip bound from Porto to New York with a cargo of wine, oranges, and lemons and a large quantity of delicacies and dried preserves. Captain de Latouche gave his officers a large portion of the boxes and kept most of them in reserve as gifts for captains of the fleet and his lady friends.575
The French fleet captured a vessel bound from Bristol to Cork on Saturday, November 3, 1781 and sent her to France.576
The French captured the HMS Iris, in company with the Richmond and the Guadeloupe, on November 10. The Iris was an American-built vessel, called the Hancock, and taken by the 44-gun HMS Rainbow July 7–8, 1777. She was a fast sailer and had taken so many prizes in America that the officers all made fortunes.577
Captain John Bazeley’s HMS Amphion captured a French brig with clothing for the Continental Army and sent her to Sandy Hook, where she arrived on Wednesday, November 28. The HMS Centurion captured a small French brig bound from New London to Philadelphia with provisions before November 29.578
Captain Lutwidge’s HMS Perseverance captured M. de Chabond’s French cutter Alart, carrying 18 guns (12 18-pounders, two 9-pounders, and four 6-pounders) and 124 men, after an 18-hour chase and sent her to New York on Wednesday, December 12, 1781. She formerly belonged to Liverpool and was bound from Rhode Island to Martinique.579
France decided, in the summer of 1781, to send reinforcements of ships and supplies to Admiral François de Grasse who was then in the West Indies. However, the supplies and transports could not be gathered until the end of the year. Rear Admiral Luc Urbain de Bouexic, the Comte de Guichen, and his fleet of 12 ships-of-the-line would accompany this convoy until it was past the Bay of Biscay and would then proceed to Cadiz. The squadron had increased by five ships destined for de Grasse and another two bound for the East Indies by the time of departure on December 10.
The Comte de Guichen sailed from Brest with 1,062 soldiers and 548 sailors. They had spent several days in heavy squalls and some of the vessels lagged behind the rest of the fleet. The weather was improving rapidly as he sailed with a southeast wind. As the weather cleared, the French could see a fleet of 12 ships-of-the-line, one ship of 50 guns, four frigates, and a cutter to the windward. This was Rear Admiral Richard Kempenfelt’s fleet, which had left England on December 2 in search of Guichen and his convoy.
The HMS Victory sighted a frigate 159 miles west of Ushant soon after daylight on Wednesday, December 12, and observed several ships-of-the-line a considerable way ahead of her at 10:30 AM. The Victory tried to cut them off and succeeded in part.
Guichen deployed his ships ahead and leeward of the convoy. As Kempenfelt’s fleet attacked, the vessels of the convoy dispersed in all directions. When the Victory got among the convoy, the 84-gun French ship Triomphant, which had kept up with them, bore down to join their squadron. She passed close to the Edgar, the leading British ship, and gave her a smart raking fire which had little effect. The Edgar responded with a broadside to the enemy’s stern.
The 74-gun Active defended the lagging vessels and fought the British for 1½ hours before they captured 14 French vessels, mostly supply ships. They could not take possession of all of them as evening and stormy weather were approaching. They captured 15 prizes that had a considerable value in financial terms but were even more important in naval and military terms. The captured ships were chiefly laden with artillery and ordnance and had more than 900 troops on board. They included:
• Lieutenant Pierre Scolan’s 350-ton frigate Emilie, carrying 31 sailors, 149 soldiers, including a colonel and a lieutenant of infantry, and a cargo of 10,000 bullets, bar iron and brass, sailcloth, threads, and 16 pieces of cannon. She was taken to Portsmouth.
• Sieur le Coudrais’s 390-ton Guillaume Tell, carrying 33 seamen and a cargo of bullets, soldiers’ uniforms, accoutrements, flints, grenades, bombs, 535 barrels of powder, each weighing 200 pounds, bar iron, rum, and provisions.
• Jacques François Brisson’s 160-ton Sophia, carrying 22 seamen and loaded with biscuits, 8-inch bombs, grenades, 29 chests of arms, provisions, cordage, and sailcloth. These ships were from Brest and taken to Portsmouth.
• Lieutenant Sieur Videaux’s 300-ton London, carrying 48 seamen and 201 soldiers and a cargo of sheet lead, several chests of small arms, ammunition for the artillery, soldiers’ uniforms, bales of cloth, four months of provisions for the soldiers and six for the seamen, and some merchandise for a private account.
• Lieutenant Sieur Pomelle’s 300-ton Minerve, carrying 38 seamen and a cargo of bombs, bullets, 55 chests of small arms, 10 cases of ammunition for the artillery, and a quantity of biscuits and merchandise for a private account. The London and Minerve were both from Brest and taken to Milford.
• The Amitié Royal, carrying 60 seamen and 111 soldiers, with a cargo of 230 barrels of wine, 100 barrels of beef and pork, and a great quantity of other provisions, 20 tons of ball, 150 muskets, 20 tons of musket cartridges, tents, and other military supplies. She was from Brest and taken to Tenby.
• Sieur Dupois’s 600-ton Abondance, carrying 90 seamen and 248 soldiers and a cargo of artillery, ammunition, and provisions. She was from Brest and taken to Plymouth.
• Sieur de Sourde’s 190-ton Héros, carrying 30 seamen and an unknown cargo. She was from Brest and taken to Plymouth.
• Sieur Jean Baptiste Tierenier 240-ton Victoire, carrying 21 seamen and a cargo of 350 barrels of wine, 250 half barrels of pork, and 32 pipes of brandy. She was from Brest and taken to Plymouth.
• Sieur Jacques Boutel’s 500-ton Mercure, carrying 45 seamen, some officers, 10 valets, and a cargo of 100 bales of cloth, 150 jars of oil, 80,000 bricks, 3,500 barrels of flour, 60 barrels of wine, various merchandise, and four carronades.
• Jean Baptiste Harinondes’s 400-ton Généreux, carrying 40 seamen, 193 soldiers, and a cargo of 100 barrels of wine, 60 barrels of flour, 30,000 bricks, wine, brandy, beef, pork, biscuit, and various other articles. She was from Brest and taken to Plymouth.
• Sieur François Carousin’s 160-ton Marguerite, carrying 20 seamen, one officer, and a great quantity of soldiers’ uniforms, wine, brandy, wet and dry provisions. She was from Brest and taken to Plymouth.
• Sieur Pierre le Vigot’s 250-ton Sophia, with 30 seamen and a cargo of bronze cannons, bullets, cartouches, field magazines, trunks, muskets, and provisions. She was from St.-Malo and taken to Plymouth.
• The 350-ton Africain, carrying 40 seamen, 160 soldiers, and a cargo of 100 barrels of red wine, 12 barrels of brandy, 30 chests of firearms, and a great quantity of other provisions. She was from Brest and taken to Plymouth.
The British fleet formed a line of battle at daylight the next day, but, as the enemy force was so much superior, the British declined to engage. The Triomphant was seen in the French line, missing her main topmast. Captain Sir Richard Pearson’s HMS Arethusa arrived at Spithead on Monday afternoon, December 17.
The British captured another vessel, which was sent to Falmouth. They also sank two or three French transports. They captured a total of 1,062 soldiers and 548 sailors. The remaining convoy ships were either lost or dispersed by a severe storm a few days later. Only two ships-of-the-line, the 84-gun Triomphant and the 74-gun Brave, and five transports continued the voyage to the West Indies. The others returned to Brest.580
A British frigate captured a brig bound from Lorient to Philadelphia with silks and other valuable dry goods and sent her to Philadelphia, where she arrived on Wednesday, December 19. The frigate parted company with a French brig laden with naval stores two days earlier. The French brig was bound from the West Indies when she was captured by Captain Ross’s privateer brig Perseverance.581
The Crown privateer Fox took the French prize La Marie and brought her to Clyde before December 25. She was bound from Nantes to Saint-Domingue.582
General Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown did not end the war. It dragged on for another year and a half before the peace treaty was signed. John Bazeley’s HMS Amphion captured M. de Barras’s (nephew to Admiral Comte de Barras) copper-bottomed sloop-of-war Bonetta and sent her to New York, where she arrived on Thursday, January 10, 1782. She was captured by the French fleet in October 1781 at the surrender of Yorktown. She sailed from the Virginia Capes on January 1, 1782 with 110 French soldiers and sailors on board besides her crew. The French troops on board had been left in the hospitals at Yorktown when the Comte de Grasse’s fleet sailed for the West Indies. The Bonetta was bound from Martinique to deliver those troops and was taken off Cape Hatteras on January 3.583
A 50-gun French frigate was chasing a British ship off the back part of Guernsey and captured her before January 7. The frigate was bringing her prize to Betancos (Betanzos, Spain). In the strong wind, she ran on a rock with such force that she broke apart in half an hour in sight of the people on shore. The prize was taken into the harbor. Another French ship, which was in company, took up part of the crew; the rest drowned.584
The Crown frigate Stag took the very successful French privateer Terror of England before January 8.585
A French fleet of 10 ships-of-the-line captured Captain Christie’s 50-gun HMS Hannibal off the north end of Sumatra on January 17 or 18. The British fleet only numbered eight ships-of-the-line.586
Crown forces captured four large French merchantmen bound from Saint-Domingue to Nantes and brought them to Newfoundland before January 23.587
A French brig captured the HMS Greyhound, with Lord Charles Cornwallis on board, off the coast of Scilly before January 24. The captain of the brig took out several English sailors into his own vessel and put eight Frenchmen and a prize master into the Greyhound, with directions to head to the first French port. Before they came near the French coast, a violent storm arose and the vessel was in danger of being lost. Lord Cornwallis proposed to the master to restore the ship to the command of the Englishman, pledging his honor that it would be returned. The Frenchmen complied and the vessel was brought to Torbay where Captain McBride received Lord Cornwallis. The Greyhound was returned to the Frenchmen.588
The Boston privateer Renown, carrying 14 9-pounders and 65 men, captured Captain McEvers’s ship Venus, bound from New York to Lisbon, and sent her to Martinique before January 26.589
A French privateer entered the port of Luanco with a captured British frigate on Sunday, February 17, 1781. The prize, which formerly belonged to the Dutch, was headed to Gibraltar with provisions.590
John Gerardeau, a French gentleman from the east end of Long Island, sailed from Baltimore on Monday, February 18, in a small schooner called the Sally. She was loaded with 80 barrels of flour for Yorktown. The next day, the New York vessels Jack-o’-Lanthorn, carrying 20 men and three guns, and the Sukey, carrying 30 men and four guns, took her off the horse shoe near Yorktown. Mr. Gerardeau had only two men besides himself in his schooner. They were taken on board the privateers and replaced by two crewmen from the privateers with orders to proceed to New York.
En route, one of the privateer’s crewmen ordered the Frenchman to do some business aloft, but he did not understand him; neither did he understand the duty of a seaman. The privateer’s man began to beat him with a rope’s end for disobedience. The Frenchman picked up a club and knocked the man over. The helmsman ran toward him with the tiller, but the Frenchman evaded him by dodging around the mast, gave him the first blow, and threw him overboard. He regained control of the vessel. Being ignorant of navigation, he headed before the wind and ran on a shoal on the back of Long Island at night. He made a fire as a signal and was taken off by a whaleboat in the morning. His vessel was beaten to pieces by the sea.591
Captain Chenard’s St.-Malo privateer Duc de Chartres took the Pallas, of about 350 tons, from New York on Wednesday, February 20, and brought her to Brest.592
The HMS Garland, Amphion, and Centurion captured the French armed ship Persévérance and sent her to New York where she arrived on February 22. She was bound from Cape François to France with 200 hogsheads of sugar, 200,000 pounds of coffee, and cotton. She was one of 150 vessels which sailed from Cape François on January 13 under convoy of six ships-of-the-line.593
A Dunkirk privateer captured the Nelly, from Tortola and Cork. She was ransomed for 5,000 guineas and arrived at Milford before February 26.594
The Jersey privateer Sprightly took the French ship Elizabeth and brought her to port on March 1, 1782. She was bound from Nantes to Saint-Domingue with 4,000 muskets, 16 barrels of gunpowder, and other stores. She was one of the convoy that sailed from Nantes on February 28.595
The French frigate Eméraude arrived at Newport on Tuesday, March 26, after a 42-day passage from France. She sailed in company with a fleet of 150 vessels bound to the West Indies. Seven of them were ships-of-the-line. The Eméraude brought about £80,000 in specie to pay the French troops. She retook three prizes and attempted to get into the Chesapeake Bay with them, but she was chased by a British 64-gun ship which was up the bay under French colors. She sank her prizes after taking out some of the most valuable articles. One of the prizes was said to be worth £10,000. She then attempted to get into the Delaware Bay but was prevented by a British 54-gun ship and some frigates in the river. She then headed to Rhode Island.596
The 50-gun Jupiter and the 32-gun Mercury, part of Commodore Johnstone’s British squadron, took a 13-gun French privateer off Beachy Head and sent her to Gosport before March 11.597
The French privateer Madame captured Captain Gibbons’s Sandy Point before March 15. She was one of the last outward-bound vessels of the West India fleet. La Madame also took three other vessels belonging to the same fleet.598
Commander Kergorica de Emmaria’s French frigate Sybil took the New York privateer brig Delight in the Chesapeake Bay on Friday, March 22. She arrived at New York the week of April 1, 1782.599
A French frigate carried the privateer Swiftsure to Toulon before March 28. She was wholly manned by Irish and had five men killed and 15 wounded.600
A French frigate captured a Crown privateer in the Chesapeake Bay before April 6, 1782. The French frigate had her guns housed and was mistaken for a merchantman. The privateer did not realize her mistake until it was too late. After exchanging the privateer’s crew, the French sent her off on another cruise.601
Before April 8, the French frigate Sybil took the New York privateer brig Lark in the Chesapeake Bay. The Lark carried eight 6-pounders and 24 men, and was brought to Yorktown.602 Several French and Dutch vessels were captured near Jersey and sent to different ports. Two French lugsail privateers took three vessels bound from Dublin to Bristol and Liverpool. One was taken to Havre de Grace (Le Havre) and the other to Dunkirk. The privateer General Conway captured a large Dutch ship off Jersey. She was bound from St.-Malo to Amsterdam with bales of silk and other goods and two French families and their effects. She was taken to Jersey along with a small French sloop which was in company.603
Captain Moore’s Dublin privateer Fame captured two French vessels bound from Marseilles to Saint-Domingue on the Forehand, on the Barbary coast, before April 8. They were Captain Fougne’s Marianna Wype and Captain Bernard’s Activité. Their cargoes were valued at 8,000 livres each. The Fame captured two more of the five vessels which sailed from Marseilles together.604
A 36-gun French frigate sailed from Brest in company with about 40 transports and some men-of-war. She retook three brigs on the New York coast that had been captured by Loyalist men-of-war and privateers. As they were of little value, the crews were taken out of the vessels which were scuttled and sunk before April 16.605
Before April 16, the French frigate Sybil took Captain Jesse Turner’s New York privateer Trimmer, of eight 6-pounders and 24 men, and brought her into the York River.606 The British man-of-war Agamemnon captured some French transports with cables and cordage sufficient to completely equip six ships-of-the-line. They also captured 4,000 complete soldiers’ uniforms, some wine and flour.607
Captain Maitland’s 90-gun Queen came up with and captured the 64-gun Actionnaire, armed en flute, on Tuesday night, April 16. She was bound for the East Indies with 11 chests of Dutch money and masts for three 74-gun ships.608
Captain Collins’s Aeolus took Sieur Dugue de Laurest’s French privateer ship Aglae, from St.-Malo, off Cape Cornwall on Thursday, April 18 after a chase of eight hours. She carried 20 guns, 6- and 9-pounders, and 121 men. She had been out six days and had not taken anything.609
Admiral Sir Samuel Hood separated from the fleet with 10 ships-of-the-line, a frigate, and a fireship at 2 PM on Thursday, April 18. A lookout sighted five ships in the Mona Passage (between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico) at 6 AM the following morning, and Admiral Hood gave the signal for a chase at 6:30. The 74-gun Valiant and the 64-gun Belliqueux caught up with the French ships at 2 PM and, after a short engagement, captured the 64-gun ships Caton and Jason, the 32-gun frigate Aimable, and the 18-gun sloop Cérès on Friday, April 19. These ships had escaped through the Mona Passage only the day before. Sir James Wallace’s Warrior was left within gunshot of the Astrea, which mounted 44 18-pounders on one deck. They continued to chase after another frigate, which escaped in the night.610
Vice Admiral Barrington’s HMS Britannia and his British fleet chased a French fleet at 3 PM on Saturday, April 20, about 23 leagues off Ushant. At 12:45 AM, Captain Jarvis’s 80-gun HMS Foudroyant engaged the French commodore’s 74-gun and 700-man ship Pégase for between three-quarters of an hour to an hour and a half. When Captain Jarvis’s Foudroyant came alongside her, the Pégase surrendered. Captain Jarvis was slightly wounded in the hand in the close engagement. The Pégase was convoying a fleet of 18 vessels laden with stores, provisions, and ammunition, in company with the 74-gun Protecteur, the 32-gun Andromache and the two-decker Auctionnaire, armed en flute. They left Brest on April 19 and were bound to Isle de France.
The Pégase arrived at Spithead and the following prize vessels arrived at Plymouth:
• La Fidélité with 187 troops and stores;
• La Bellone with 147 troops and stores;
• La Lionne with 180 troops and stores;
• Le Duc de Chartres with stores and arms.611
Captain Conway fell in with the 14-gun French lugger Le Barnadine about 10 leagues south of Scilly on Tuesday, April 23. He took her and retook a 10-ton Scottish lugger which she had captured.612
Admiral Barrington fell in with another outward-bound French fleet of men-of-war and transports on Thursday, April 25. He took four ships-of-the-line, three frigates, and 17 other vessels with stores and troops.613
The Weymouth privateer Surprize took the 200-ton French transport Henry before May 15, 1782. She was bound from Brest to the Isle of Rhee with cannons, 200 tons of gunpowder, and ammunition. She was intended to go under convoy with 34 other vessels bound to the East Indies. She had on board 100 officers and soldiers or sailors who were taken to Weymouth.614
Captain Newel’s HMS Princess Caroline and the HMS Zebra fell in with and took the large French privateer Tartar from Port-au-Prince about May 25. She was quite new, mounted 24 guns, and had a crew of 200 men when she sailed. But, having manned three small prizes taken in her six-week cruise, her crew consisted of 180 men when she was taken. All but three or four were put aboard the British ships, and between 60 and 70 British sailors were put on board the Tartar. The following day, a violent gust of wind overset her and she sank off Tybee in seven fathoms of water. Most of the crew were below and were immediately drowned. Others saved their lives by clinging to the upper parts of the masts and rigging. Of these, 14 made a sort of raft and pushed off from the wreck and probably landed somewhere near Beaufort, South Carolina.615
The French frigate Hermione sailed from Newport on June 16 to convoy, from Dartmouth, a prize Irish brig which she had taken on her cruise prior to her engagement with the HMS Iris. The prize arrived at Newport on Friday, June 23.616
Captain Ingersoll, on his outward-bound journey from Salem, Massachusetts, in a four-gun letter of marque brig, took a sloop laden with naval stores and brought her to Cape François where she was sold.
On his homeward-bound journey, Captain Ingersoll took two vessels before June 20. One was bound to Long Island with lumber; the other was a small sloop loaded with rum and sugar. She was retaken in sight of a New York privateer, carrying eight carriage guns and a crew of 20, which had taken her earlier. After manning these two prizes, Captain Ingersoll had only four crewmen left. He gave chase to the privateer in order to deceive her regarding the weak state of his vessel. His ruse succeeded and the privateer sailed away, leaving Captain Ingersoll to proceed to port with his prizes.617
The combined French fleet met a British fleet of 18 vessels in latitude 47.36 N and 15.20 W on Tuesday, June 25. The fleet was escorted by the 50-gun HMS Portland, the 32-gun Oiseau, the 24-gun Danae, and the sloop Merlin. It was destined for Québec and Newfoundland. The French ships took the 18 vessels but could not come up with the ships that convoyed them.618
Captain Edward Pellew’s HMS Artois was sailing down the coast of Ireland, headed to Dublin, on Sunday, June 30. She sighted a cruiser in the southeast quarter about 14 leagues south by west of Dublin at noon and immediately gave chase. The cruiser hoisted French colors at 5 PM and fired a few stern chases. Finding the Artois was almost alongside her, she struck her colors. She proved to be the Prince de Robecq, carrying 22 12- and 9-pounders and 173 men under Lieutenant de Frégate M. Pierre Vanstable. She was almost new and had been 12 days out of Dunkirk but had taken nothing.619
The French, Spanish, and Dutch fleets totaling 46 ships-of-the-line joined forces and were cruising in the English Channel where they fell in with and captured 22 out of a fleet of 26 vessels bound to Québec at the beginning of July 1782. Only four vessels escaped.620
The English privateer Liverpool took a French East Indiaman valued at £40,000 and took her to Ireland before July 3.621 British cruisers captured two large French ships laden with tobacco and sent them to London before July 6.622
Captain Hall’s New York privateer schooner Surprize took Captain Baker’s Whig schooner Luck in latitude 36 N, longitude 60 W on Monday, July 8, and sent her to New York on Saturday, July 13. She carried four guns and 12 men and sailed from the Chesapeake Bay to Cape François in company with 16 merchantmen under convoy of the French frigate Sybil. She left the fleet two days after their departure.623
Captain McBride’s Artois arrived at Plymouth with four prizes before Tuesday, July 16. They were part of a convoy of 23 vessels, consisting of transports full of troops, several store ships, and victuallers under the protection of the 74-gun ship Pégase and the 60-gun ship Protecteur. They were bound from Brest to the East Indies. After the vessel struck to the Artois, Vice Admiral Barrington chased the rest of the fleet and captured 13 of them.624
Captain de Montperoux’s French ship Le Dauphin Royal, M. de Bordeleau’s 50-gun Le Sagittaire, and M. Angle’s 50-gun Expériment sailed from Cape François on Tuesday, July 9, and arrived at Fort Royal Bay on Sunday night, July 21. En route they captured the 20-gun Liverpool ship Pitt and brought her with them.625
A French fleet of 13 ships-of-the-line, three frigates, and a cutter sailed off Cape Henry on Sunday, July 28. Commander Elliott Salter’s 36-gun HMS Santa Margaretta chased Vicomte Montgulote’s 30-gun (12- and 6-pounders), 44-man French frigate Amazone at daybreak on Monday, July 29. The Amazone was accompanied by six large ships which veered and chased the Santa Margaretta until 3 PM when they tacked and headed west. Captain Salter lost sight of the large ships and pursued the Amazone, hoping to bring her to action. The Amazone also tacked to meet the Santa Margaretta.
The action began at 5 PM. When they came within a cable’s length of each other, the Amazone opened fire from her starboard guns. The Santa Margaretta held her fire until she could rake her at the moment of veering. When the opportunity presented itself, the Santa Margaretta fired her starboard guns and closed to within pistol range. The action continued for 1¼ hours before the Amazone struck her colors. Vicomte Montgulote was killed at the beginning of the action, and the Amazone lost her main and mizzenmasts and had 4 feet of water in the hold.
When the British took possession of the Amazone, they transferred the prisoners to the Santa Margaretta and repaired her damage so they could get out of range of the great ships. The Santa Margaretta towed the Amazone all night. Early the following day, she saw 13 French ships-of-the-line bearing down upon her. Captain Salter transferred all his men and officers from on board the prize and would have sunk the Amazone if he could have removed all the prisoners. They numbered a great many, 50 of whom were badly wounded. The Santa Margaretta’s mast was shot through several places; the foremast and fore, main and mizzen topmasts and several of the yards were damaged, and she was hulled in several places. Every sail was unfit for service, shot full of holes, and torn in tatters. The first broadside killed midshipman Dalrymple, son of Sir John Dalrymple. The Santa Margaretta lost five men killed and 17 wounded. The Amazone lost 70 killed and more than 70 wounded. Every officer was either killed or wounded before she struck. A small breeze sprung up, preventing the British from taking possession and she escaped with much difficulty.
The British also captured:
• Lion of 500 tons, 10 guns, and 260 men;
• Grand Sarpedon of 600 tons, 10 guns, and 50 men;
• Bellona of 500 tons, 10 guns, and 250 men;
• Fidélité of 500 tons, 8 guns, and 234 men;
• Duc de Chartres of 350 tons, 10 guns, and 30 men;
• Superbe of 600 tons, 16 guns, and 60 men;
• Honore of 400 tons, 10 guns, and 30 men;
• Villa Nova of 900 tons, 20 guns, and 44 men;
• Amphion of 900 tons 30 guns, and 44 men;
• Marquis de Castries of 600 tons, 16 guns, and 30 men;
• six other vessels.
The captured soldiers belonged mostly to the Regiment de Suisse. The vessels were laden with all kinds of provisions and naval and military stores destined for Mauritius.626
Captain McKown’s 12-gun ship Molly took two prizes on her passage from Liverpool to Jamaica. One was a Spanish schooner with wines, the other a brig from Bordeaux. The Molly ran aground on the Diamond, coming into the road to St. John’s, Antigua, on Thursday afternoon, August 8, 1782. She was lost but most of her cargo was saved and her prizes got into port safely.627
The Comte de Vaudreuil’s fleet of 13 French ships-of-the-line and four frigates from the West Indies arrived at Boston on Friday and Saturday, August 9 and 10. They brought in a retaken French frigate of 36 guns which had struck to a British 44-gun ship after a severe conflict. The British were going to burn her but were prevented from doing so by a couple of Whig frigates which came up in time. They also brought in Captain Phipps’s 12-gun ship Allegiance bound from the Penobscot to the West Indies, the General Greene from New York, and three or four other vessels.628
The HM Frigate Foudroyant captured the 74-gun Le Pégase before August 9. She was put into commission in the British Navy at Portsmouth and the command given to Captain George Berkeley.629
The French frigate Emeraude arrived in the Chesapeake Bay from Boston about mid-August. On her passage, she took the 16-gun British sloop-of-war Polecat, formerly the Navarre of Philadelphia.630
The Glasgow privateer Favourite took a French merchant ship bound from Bordeaux to Martinique. The captain destroyed the dispatches and all his papers before he was taken and carried into the Clyde before August 19.631
Two French frigates captured the 50-gun Experiment and brought her into the Chesapeake Bay before August 29. She was a new ship.632
Captain Boyd’s Québec, bound from Québec to London, took a French privateer of 13 guns and carried her to Peterhead before August 30. Also, the Liverpool privateer Raven took the French privateer Mollineux, carrying 18 9-pounders and 94 men, and took her to Scilly.633
The French captured three 74-gun British men-of-war and all the English companies’ ships about early September 1782.634
A French privateer, commanded by a man known as Laughing Dick, of Essex, and his crew of 16 men, mostly English, captured a sloop off Margate at 7 AM on Monday, September 2. They brought her a few miles out to sea, put a few men on board, and sailed in search of more prizes. When she got as far as the Reculvers, a gun was fired from the fort and three armed boats, with only two rounds of ammunition, went off in an attempt to retake the sloop. The privateer, upon seeing this, hoisted all her sails and returned to take care of her prize. The boats and the privateer came up with the sloop at about the same time. A few guns were fired and the privateer, after sailing round and round her for some time, took her men out in a boat belonging to the sloop and then left. The boats immediately took possession of the sloop and brought her safely into the harbor.
The privateer came in sight again soon afterward, apparently intending to capture a vessel laden with ordnance stores a short distance from her. Three boats, well-manned and armed, went off to engage the privateer about 2 PM. They came up with her in the Queen’s Channel. One of the boats exchanged a few shots with her. A British cutter appeared at 4 PM. The privateer sailed away and the boats returned safely into port.635
Captain Stout’s Crown letter of marque Triumph arrived at Montego Bay on Tuesday, September 3. On his passage, Captain Stout fell in with a French brig mounting 18 guns and full of men which he engaged for three-quarters of an hour before she sheered off. The Triumph received little or no damage, except in her sails and rigging. The brig probably had a number of killed and wounded as her crew attempted to board the Triumph twice and were much exposed to the Triumph’s fire.636
The two French frigates Aigle and Gloire were not more than about 200 leagues from the shores of North America, at 39° 10’ latitude and 67° 53’ longitude, the night of September 4. The lookout announced, about midnight, that he discovered a large ship which turned out to be the Hector, a 74-gun vessel commanded by Captain John Bourchier. The French had lost her in the battle of April 12, 1782, which is now known as the Battle of the Saints. She was the lead ship of a fleet returning to England from the West Indies. The Gloire fired the first shots and Captain de Latouche hurried to her assistance, but it took him more than three-quarters of an hour to get into position. Meanwhile, the Gloire fought the Hector alone.
The Gloire continued to maneuver to find the best position before firing her broadsides. Captain de Latouche placed himself between the two vessels about 4:15 AM and joined the fight. He thought the Hector’s crew was ready to board the Aigle so he let them because he had 500 fighting men aboard with several army officers eager for a fight. As one of the Hector’s yards got caught in the Aigle’s mizzen shrouds, Captain de Latouche fired a broadside and ordered his men to board the Hector, which attempted to escape without firing a single shot. The vessels were so close together that the artillerists fought each other with their rammers. As the two ships separated, they renewed the combat at musket range. The Hector’s rigging was so badly damaged that she could maneuver only with great difficulty, permitting the Gloire to continue fighting for almost three-quarters of an hour without receiving any return fire.
The French would have retaken the Hector but the lookouts discovered a number of vessels to the windward. It was the rest of the British fleet coming to the Hector’s assistance under full sail. Captain de Latouche, according to his orders not to chase any ships and to avoid any action that would deter him from his mission, gave the signal to regroup. However, the Gloire was at half musket range from the Hector, and Captain de Vallongue considered it too dangerous to execute the maneuver which would force him to expose his stern to the large enemy vessel. He preferred to engage in combat. The Hector fired a volley, which the Gloire returned into the Hector’s stern.
The Aigle lost four men killed and 13 wounded, four mortally, in the two-hour and 50-minute engagement. The Gloire had only two killed and two wounded. The Aigle received five cannonballs in her masts and 70 in her sails. The Gloire was hulled a few times. The sails and rigging of both frigates were damaged but not seriously enough to affect their sailing.
The Hector had nine men killed and 33 wounded, many of whom would die in subsequent days. She had received 85 shots in her sides in the harbor at Port Royal, Jamaica, on April 12 which were plugged up, and a number of shots in her hull in this three-hour action. Her masts were tottering, her sails were torn to shreds, and she had been hulled several times. Captain Bourchier was severely wounded in the arm and back. He attempted to sail to Halifax but the winds toppled his masts on September 17 and he lost his rudder. The officers kept the desperate crew at the pumps by force of arms for 14 days when she fell in with a privateer snow belonging to Tortola. The Hector foundered about 300 leagues from the shore and almost all on board perished. The surviving officers and men were forced to abandon her and seek safety. Captain McLean’s HMS Lord Hood discovered some survivors near the Grand Bank of Newfoundland on October 3 and managed to save them at great risk. He entered the harbor of St. John’s, Antigua, 10 days later and landed the Hector’s remaining 250 crewmen who had been without water or provisions for several days.
Meanwhile, eight British ships-of-war, under Admiral Pigot, chased the Aigle and Gloire to the Delaware Capes on Thursday, September 5. They were bound from France to Philadelphia with £90,000 in cash for the French army. the British might have captured the two French frigates had it not been for the treachery of a pilot who was taken by Captain de Latouche in the Raccoon, a small English sloop-of-war. The Gloire touched ground at the Shears, but got over after receiving some damage and reached Philadelphia. The Aigle ran aground near the upper part of the Shears.
The passengers got on shore safely with most of the cash. Captain de Latouche, who commanded the Aigle, finding he could not save his ship, cut away her masts and scuttled her. But some of the British frigates raked the Aigle before Captain de Latouche could land his crew. The Aigle also had on board the crew of a New York privateer, formerly the Charming Sally, which she had taken in sight of the British fleet. Some of the prisoners concealed in the hold plugged the holes and prevented the vessel from sinking. She was taken to Sandy Hook where she arrived on September 24.637
The French frigate Aigle sighted land, a brig, and three ships of two and three masts Thursday morning, September 12. The Aigle, in company with the Gloire, captured the British brig of war Raccoon, carrying 14 guns and 72 men, near Cape James at the southern entrance to the Delaware Bay. The northwest wind forced them to tack to enter the bay. Captain de Latouche hoisted signals which he agreed upon with the coastal pilots the previous year. The entrance to the bay was filled with sandbars that marked channels of different depths. It was very risky to attempt to enter without a pilot. As night fell, about 9 PM, Captain de Latouche decided to anchor, three leagues east of Cape James. He sent his boat ashore to search for a pilot at Lewistown (Lewes, Delaware), but the wind dashed the boat against the bluff. Most of the sailors were drowned and the officer escaped with great difficulty.
Five vessels appeared to the southeast at dawn on the 13th. The wind was from the northeast. Captain de Latouche immediately set sail and rapidly approached the entrance to the bay. A British frigate and two other vessels chased the French. The Aigle, Gloire, and Raccoon entered under small sails and with probe in hand. Captain de Latouche soon learned that there was an excellent river pilot on board the Raccoon. He immediately offered the pilot 500 Louis d’or if he would take charge of the frigates and bring them to safety. He threatened to hang the pilot if they went aground.
Under instructions from the pilot, the two frigates turned around to gain entry to the correct channel but found it blocked by the British. Captain de Latouche decided to go up a channel which proved to be a dead end. The British hesitated to engage in this dangerous channel and dropped anchor to await the high tide. The Gloire’s boat went ashore that morning and returned with some pilots who considered the situation hopeless.
Captain de Latouche decided to put ashore the dispatches from the court, the money, and the passengers he had aboard. The Aigle ran aground and the outgoing tide lay her on her side, rendering her artillery useless. The frigate had to be scuttled to avoid falling into enemy hands. Captain de Latouche had the masts cut and ordered the master carpenter and master caulker to make three large holes in the hold wide enough to render the ship inoperable. An enemy frigate approached athwart the Aigle to cannonade her. She opened fire at 8:30 PM, killing three men and wounding five. Captain de Latouche attempted in vain to return fire with his stern chases, which fired three shots to no avail. For the safety of his crew, he ordered them to lie prone on deck and had all of the sick and wounded brought up. He thought of blowing up the Aigle by setting fire to the powder magazine but he decided not to do so. His boats escaped with about 40 men. Latouche and his officers were taken aboard the HMS Vestal and then aboard the 64-gun HMS Lion in the middle of the night.638
The officers and passengers of the two French frigates Aigle and Gloire were landed on the starboard shore of the Delaware River on Tuesday, September 17. The Baron de Vioménil sent his boats back to the frigates, about 3 leagues away, with a request to send the treasure contained in the two frigates to him. Even though they were in greater danger than before, they carried out their business with great difficulty. Two boats, containing about 100 armed Loyalists each, attempted to take those in charge of the money. They had almost taken it when the boats of the Aigle came up and prevented them from doing so. The Loyalists sheered off in a hurry. The money was sent to Philadelphia under the care of the aide-de-camp and six officers of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and Lauzun’s Legion.639
The crew of a French privateer tried to get near shore within 2 miles of Galloway to seize some live cattle before September 9. They ran aground and were stuck until the privateer Duke of Portland and a sloop took possession of the privateer. By this time, the crew had left her. The privateer was a new vessel and carried 16 guns, 9- and 12-pounders, and was brought to Galloway.640
The Jersey privateers Recovery and Friendly returned to port with two prizes on September 9. One was a French ship bound from Rochelle to Amsterdam with woolen cloth and silks; the other was the St. Adonus de Didymus, a Spanish ship from Cadiz, with a cargo of wool and cochineal. The two prizes were worth at least £40,000.641
The British captured the 1,064-ton French frigate Hébé and brought her to Plymouth on Tuesday, September 17. She mounted 38 guns but was fit to carry 46.642
M. de Vaudreuil took Captain Casey’s ship Thomas bound from the Penobscot River to Jamaica. She had a cargo of lumber and was later retaken by commander McNamara Russel’s HMS Hussar. She was ordered to New York but was unfortunately wrecked off Cape Sable before September 19. The crew was saved but the vessel was totally lost.643
A privateer brig, under French colors, chased Captain Carr’s Parnassus and captured her after a short engagement on Tuesday, September 24.644
British cruisers took the large French ship Sophie, of 24 guns and 140 men, and sent her to New York on Thursday, September 26. She was bound from France to Philadelphia with clothing for the French troops.645
The privateer Comte de Vaudreuil, from Bordeaux, took a ship bound to New York with provisions and sent her to Boston about November 1, 1782. She captured 12 other prizes during the month of October and sent them all to Boston.646
The HMS Jason took the 22-gun Whig ship Jolly Tar and sent her to New York on Thursday, October 3, 1782. She was bound from Baltimore to Havana with flour and tobacco under convoy of the French frigate Emeraude. The Jason also took a brig belonging to the same convoy with a similar cargo which arrived at New York on the evening of October 3.647
Captain de Latouche’s French frigate Hermione captured the 11-man brig Anna off Ushant on Saturday, October 9. She had a cargo of sugar, rum, and Campeche wood from Jamaica. Two days later, the Hermione captured the four-man sloop Marie. She was bound to Lisbon with a cargo of dried fruit and wine from Malaga. The Hermione also captured the six-man brig Pelican on Monday, October 12. She was bound from Portugal to Newfoundland with salt.648
British cruisers captured two large French privateers, which had been cruising on the coast of Ireland for some time, and sent them to Waterford before October 10.649
Robert Steriker’s Dover letter of marque Martha took Captain Guillaume Ripner’s Dunkirk privateer Adventurer and brought her to Dover harbor the week of October 13. The Adventurer carried 10 3-pounders and 40 men. Her captain had been captured eight times during the war.650
Captain John Butchart’s HMS Argo captured the French Dauphin, en flute, bound from Rochefort to Martinique on Wednesday, October 23. She mounted 32 9-pounders and had a crew of 348 men. Her cargo consisted mostly of provisions and artillery for the French islands. She also had linens and India goods on board. She was brought to Carenage, Saint-Domingue, on October 24.651
Before October 28, a squadron under the command of M. Suffren took Captain Cox’s HM Sloop-of-War Chacer in the East Indies. She was believed to be bound from Bengal to Madras with money on board. Also, the East Indiaman Chapman captured the French transport Oreston in the road of Negapatam (Nagapattinam). The Oreston mistook it for a friendly port. She had on board the surgeon of the 50-gun Hannibal captured by de Suffren as well as the French Surgeon General and 14 assistants.652
A French privateer took Captain Season’s Dispatch bound from London to Fowey and another ship bound from Ipswich, Massachusetts, to Plymouth, England, between Start Point and the Brawle on Sunday, November 10, 1782.653
The Guernsey privateer Hannibal captured a French packet boat before November 14. She was bound from Boston to Brest with dispatches which were thrown overboard before she struck. She was brought to Lisbon where she sank soon afterward. The crew were taken out a few minutes before she sank.654
The Jersey privateer Discovery took a large Whig prize bound from Philadelphia to Amsterdam with 540 hogsheads of tobacco, 60 barrels of rice, 30 casks of indigo, and a quantity of furs. The Discovery brought her to Jersey before November 16. Her captain and nine crewmen were French; the rest of the crew were from Boston.655
The Crown privateer Hibernia captured the 10-gun French privateer Duc de Valois with a vessel from Elsineur, Denmark, under convoy. She brought them to Sligo before November 20.656