The Guide to the American Revolutionary War at Sea: Vol. 5 1780

By Norman Desmarais

The Guide to the American Revolutionary War at Sea chronicles more than 10,500 actions -- far more than other naval histories. Vol. 5 documents 1155 of them which occurred in 1780. It includes the actions of the Continental and state navies, the French and British navies, the actions of American and British privateers and those of their

• Language: English
• Publisher: Revolutionary Imprints
• Release date: Nov 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9780692801239

Norman Desmarais

Norman Desmarais, professor emeritus at Providence College, lives in Lincoln, RI and is an active re-enactor. He is a member of Le Regiment Bourbonnais, the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment and the Brigade of the American Revolution. He is editor-in-chief of The Brigade Dispatch, the journal the Brigade of the American Revolution and the author of Battlegrounds of Freedom, the 6-volume The Guide to the American Revolutionary War, and The Guide to the American Revolutionary War at Sea and Overseas (in preparation) which covers more than 10,500 actions. He has also translated the Gazette Françoise, the French newspaper published in Newport, RI by the French fleet that brought the Count de Rochambeau and 5800 French troops to America in July 1780. It is the first known service newspaper published by an expeditionary force. Norman has also written a number of articles for the Journal of the American Revolution, the Online Journal of Rhode Island History, and The Brigade Dispatch

Book preview

Thank you for evaluating PDF to ePub Converter.

To get full version, you need to purchase the software from: http://www.pdf-epub-converter.com/convert-to-epub-purchase.html

The Guide to the American

Revolutionary War at Sea

Vol.  5

1780

Norman Desmarais

Revolutionary Imprints

Contents

Abbreviations …………………………………………

Newspapers………………………………………

1780 ………………………………………………… …..

Notes………………………………………………….

Abbreviations

AAS: American Antiquarian Society.

Allen: Allen, Gardner Weld.  A Naval History of the American  Revolution. Boston and New York: Houghton

Mifflin Company, The Riverside Press Cambridge, 1913.

Allen. Privateers:  Allen, Gardner Weld.  Massachusetts privateers of the Revolution. [Boston]: The

Massachusetts Historical Society, 1927.

Almon:  The  Remembrancer, or impartial repository of public events.  Almon, John, Pownall, Thomas.

London: J. Almon, 1775-1784.

APS: American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia.

AVCR: Dow, George Francis.  American Vessels Captured By the British During the  Revolution and War of  1812: The Records of the Vice-Admiralty Court at Halifax, Nova Scotia. Salem, Mass.: The Essex Institute,

1911.

Barneville:  Barneville, Brisout de, Journal de Guerre de Brisout de Barneville,  Mai 1780-0ctobre 1781,

French-American Review. 3 (OctoberDecember 1950) 217-278.

BNA: British National Archives.

Boatner: Boatner, Mark M. Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. 3d ed., New York: McKay, 1980.

Claghorn: Claghorn, Charles Eugene.  Naval officers of the American Revolution: a concise biographical dictionary. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1988.

Clark: Clark, William Bell.  George Washington's Navy: being an account of His Excellency's fleet in New

England waters. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1960.

Clinton: Clinton, Henry.  The American Rebellion: Sir Henry Clinton’s Narrative of His Campaigns, 1775– 1782, with an appendix of original documents. Edited by William B. Willcox. New Haven: Yale University  Press, 1954.

Clowes: Clowes, William Laird.  The Royal  Navy: a history from the earliest times to 1900. London:

Chatham, 1996. 7 vols.

Coker:  Coker, P. C.  Charleston's maritime heritage, 1670-1865: an illustrated history. Charleston, S.C.:

CokerCraft Press, 1987.

Commager: Commager, Henry Steele.  The spirit  of 'seventy-six; the story of the American Revolution as told by participants. edited by Henry Steele Commager and Richard B. Morris. New York, Harper & Row  [1967].

Davies: Davies, K.G. Documents of the American Revolution 1770-1783. (Colonial Office  Series) Shannon:

Irish University Press, 1972.

Faibisy: Faibisy, John D. "A Compilation of Nova Scotia Vessels Seized During the American Revolution and

Libelled in the New England Prize Court." in NDAR, X, 1201-1210.

Force: Force, Peter.  American archives: consisting of a collection of authentick records, state papers, debates, and letters and other notices of publick affairs, the whole forming a documentary history of the origin and progress of the North American colonies; of the causes and accomplishment of the American revolution; and of the Constitution of government for the United States, to the final ratification thereof. In

six series. [Washington, 1837—1853.

Fowler: Fowler, William M., Jr.  Rebels Under Sail: The American Navy during the Revolution. New York:

Scribner, 1976.

Fremont-Barnes:  The Encyclopedia of the American Revolutionary War: a political, social, and military

history. Gregory Fremont-Barnes, Richard Alan Ryerson, editors. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2006.

Gardiner: Gardiner, Robert, ed.  Navies and the American Revolution, 1775–1783. London: Chatham, 1996.

Gregory, Richard Alan Ryerson, eds.  The Encyclopedia of the American Revolutionary War: A Political,

Social, and Military History. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2006.

Gibbes: Gibbes, Robert Wilson.  Documentary History of the American Revolution. New York: D. Appleton  & Co., 1855 (3 vols: 1764–1776, 1776–1782, 1781–1782). reprinted New York Times & Arno Press, 1971.

Griffiths: Griffiths, John William.  To Receive  them Properly : Charlestown prepares for war, 1775-1776.

Thesis (M.A.) University of South Carolina, 1992.

Hattendorf: Hattendorf, John B. Newport, the French Navy, and American Independence. Newport: The

Redwood Press, 2005.

HCA: Great Britain. High Court of Admiralty.

Hermione: Log of the Hermione. Captain Louis René Madeleine Le Vassor de Latouche-Tréville. Archives  Nationales de la Marine, Paris. B4 158. Published as Journal de la frégate du Roi l'Hermione de 32 canons  (extraits) Commandée par M. de La Touche, Lieutenant de Vaisseau. La campagne, commencée le 23 janvier 1780, finie le 26 fevrier 1782. in Tott, François de; Latouche-Tréville, Louis René Madeleine Le  Vassor; Bois, Jean-Pierre.  Deux voyages au temps de Louis XVI, 1777-1780 la mission du baron de Tott en  Égypte en 1777-1778 et le Journal de bord de l'Hermione en 1780. Rennes: Presses Universitaires de  Rennes, 2005

Howe’s prize list 1777: The following is a List of Vessels seized as Prizes, and of Recaptures made, by the  American Squadro n, between the 27th of May and 24th of October, 1777, according to the Returns received by Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Howe, in  The  London Chronicle., Tuesday, December 2, to Saturday,  December 6, 1777.

Johnson: Joseph Johnson. Traditions and Reminiscences of the American Revolution in the South.

Charleston, 1851, reprinted, Spartanburg, SC: 1972.

Kaminkow: Kaminkow, Marion and Jack,  Mariners of the American Revolution. Baltimore: Magna Carta

Book Company, 1967.

Kell: Kell, Jean Bruyere.  North Carolina’s Coastal Carteret County During the American Revolution, 1765–

1785, A Bicentennial Project of the Carteret County Bicentennial Commission . Era Press, 1975.

Laurens Papers:  Laurens, Henry; Hamer, Philip M.; Rogers, George C. and others.  The papers of  Henry  Laurens. Columbia: Published for the South Carolina Historical Society by the University of South Carolina  Press, 1968-2003.

Latouche: Monaque, Rémi.  Latouche-Tréville, 1745-1804: l'amiral qui défiait Nelson . Paris: SPM, 2000.

LC: Library of Congress.

List of Vessels seized, 1778: List of Vessels seized or destroyed by His Majesty’s Ships stationed in  Chesapeake Bay, and on the Parts of the American Coast Southward thereof, according to the Accounts transmitted to the Viscount Howe, since the Date of the General Return of Captures made by the  American Squadron of the 25th of October 1777." in the  London Gazette., Tuesday, June 2, to Saturday,  June 6, 1778.

MacKenzie: MacKenzie, Frederick.  Diary of Frederick MacKenzie, Giving a Daily Narrative of  his Military  Services as an Officer of the Regiment of Royal Welsh Fusiliers during the years 1775-1781 in  Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. Cambridge, Mass., 1930;(Eyewitness accounts of the  American Revolution). [New York]: New York Times, [1968, c1930].

Maclay: Maclay, Edgar Stanton.  History of American Privateers. New York: B. Franklin, [1968].

Mackesy: Mackesy, Piers.  The War for America, 1775–1783. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1993.

Marines: Smith, Charles R.  Marines in the Revolution. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1975.

Mass. Arch: Massachusetts Archives, Boston.

Mays: Mays, Terry M.  Historical Dictionary of the American Revolution. Scarecrow Press: Lanham, MD,

1999.

McCrady: McCrady, Edward.  History of South  Carolina in the Revolution, 1775-1780. New York: Paladin

Press, 1969 (reprint of 1901 ed.).

McManemin: McManemin, John A. Captains of the privateers during the revolutionary war. Spring Lake,

NJ (91 Maple Dr., Spring Lake 07762): Ho-Ho-Kus Pub. Co., 1985.

MHS: Massachusetts Historical Society.

Middlebrook:  Middlebrook,  Maritime Connecticut During the Revolution.

MM : Mariners Museum, Newport News, Virginia.

Montresor: Scull, G. D.  The Montresor Journals. ed. and annotated by G.D. Scull: [New York, Printed for the Society, 1882]; July 1, 1777, to July 1, 1778.

Mooney: Mooney, James L.  Dictionary of American naval fighting ships. Washington: Navy Dept., Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S., 1959-1981.

Morningstars:  Smith, Gordon Burns.  Morningstars of Liberty: the Revolutionary War in Georgia, 1775–

1783. Milledgeville, Ga. Boyd Publishing, 2006.

Moultrie: Moultrie, William.  Memoirs of the American Revolution so far as it related to the States of North and South Carolina and Georgia.  New York, 1802; (Eyewitness accounts of the American Revolution). [New  York]: New York Times, [1968].

NBBAS: O’Kelley, Patrick.  Nothing but Blood and Slaughter. Booklocker.com, 2004.

NDAR: United States. Naval History Division.  Naval documents of the American Revolution. William Bell  Clark, editor; with a foreword by President John F. Kennedy and an introd. by Ernest McNeill Eller.  Washington: Naval History Division, Dept. of the Navy: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1964-.

NJ Archives:  Documents Relating  to the Revolutionary History, State of New Jersey. Edited by William S.  Stryker. Trenton: The John L. Murphy Publishing Co., 1901. Also referred to as Archives of the State of New  Jersey.

Neeser: Neeser, Robert Wilden. Letters and papers relating to the  cruises of Gustavus Conyngham: a captain of the Continental Navy, 1777-1779. Port Washington, N.Y. Kennikat Press, [1970].

NRAR: Lincoln, Charles Henry (ed.).  Naval Records of the American Revolution, 1775-1788. Washington:

GPO, 1906.

N. S. Arch .: Nova Scotia Archives, Halifax.

Onderdonk: Onderdonk, Henry.  Documents and Letters Intended to Illustrate the Revolutionary Incidents of Queens County: with Connecting Narratives, Explanatory Notes, and Additions. New York: Leavitt, Trow,

1846;  Hempstead, L.I.,  L. Van de Water, 1884.

Parker: Parker, John C.  Parker’s Guide to the Revolutionary War in South Carolina: battles, skirmishes and murders. Patrick, S.C.: Hem Branch Publishing, 2009.

Paullin : Paullin, Charles Oscar,  The Navy of the American Revolution, Cleveland: The Burrows Brothers

Company, 1906.

Peckham: Peckham, Howard Henry.  The Toll of Independence: engagements & battle casualties of the

American Revolution . edited by Howard H. Peckham. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1974.

Prince:  The Autobiography of Yankee Mariner: Christopher Prince and the American Revolution. Edited by

Michael J Crawford. Washington, D.C.: Brasey's, 2002.

R.  I.  Arch.: Rhode Island Archives, Providence.

RIHS: Rhode Island Historical Society, Providence.

Ripley: Ripley, Warren.  Battleground: South Carolina in the Revolution. Charleston, SC: Evening Post, 1983.

Searcy: Searcy, Martha Condray.  The Georgia-Florida contest in the American Revolution, 1776-1778.

University, Ala. University of Alabama Press, c1985.

Selesky: Selesky Harold E., editor in chief.  Encyclopedia of the American Revolution, 2nd ed.   Detroit:

Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2007.

Simms: Simms, William Gilmore.  The Life of Francis Marion. New York:  H.G. Langley, 1844.

Smith: Smith, Samuel Stelle.  Fight for the  Delaware, 1777. Monmouth Beach, NJ: Philip Freneau Press,

1970.

TJP: Julian p. Boyd, ed.  The Papers of Thomas Jefferson . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1952.

UVL: University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville.

Ward: Ward, Christopher.  The  War of the Revolution. New York: Macmillan, 1952.

Newspapers.

AG:  The American Gazette or the Constitutional Journal.

AJ:  The American Journal and General Advertiser.

BEP:  The Boston Evening-Post and the General Advertiser.

BG:  The Boston-Gazette, and Country Journal.

BN:  Boston News-Letter, Published as  The Massachusetts Gazette: And the Boston Weekly News-Letter.

BP: Boston Post.

CC:  The Connecticut Courant, and Hartford Weekly Intelligencer.

CG:  Connecticut Gazette.

CG&UI:  The Connecticut  Gazette; And The Universal Intelligencer.

CJ:  The Connecticut Journal, and the New-Haven Post-Boy.

CJWA:  Continental Journal, Published as  The Continental Journal, and Weekly Advertiser.

CSCHS:  Collections of the South Carolina Historical Society.

EJ:  The Essex Journal and New-Hampshire Packet.

ExJ :  Exeter Journal, published as  The Exeter Journal, or, New Hampshire Gazette.

FJ :  Freeman's Journal, Published as  The Freeman's Journal, or New-Hampshire Gazette.

GG :  Georgia Gazette.

GSSC:  Gazette of the  State of South-Carolina.

IC:  The Independent Chronicle.

IC&UA:  The Independent Chronicle and the Universal Advertiser. Also  The  New-England Chronicle, published as  The Independent Chronicle and the Universal Advertiser.

IG :  The Independent Gazetteer.

IJ:  Independent Journal.

IL:  The Independent Ledger and the American Advertiser.

LCh:  London Chronicle.

LG:  The London Gazette.

MAG : The Massachusetts Gazette or the Springfield and Northampton Weekly Advertiser.

MAH :  The Magazine of American History.

MG :  Dunlap's Maryland Gazette.

MGGA:  The Massachusetts Gazette or the General Advertiser.

MJ:  Maryland Journal or the Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser.

MS:  Thomas's Massachusetts Spy or, American Oracle of Liberty. Later, published as  Haswell's

Massachusetts Spy or American Oracle of Liberty.

NCG:  North-Carolina Gazette.

NEC:  The New England Chronicle: or the Essex Gazette.

NG:  The Newport Gazette.

NHG:  The New-Hampshire Gazette, and Historical Chronicle.

NJG :  The New-Jersey Gazette.

NJJ:  New Jersey Journal.

NM:  The Newport Mercury.

NME:  The Newport Mercury Extraordinary.

NP:  The Norwich Packet and the Connecticut, Massachusetts, New-Hampshire, and Rhode-Island Weekly

Advertiser.

NYG:  The New York Gazette, And The Weekly Mercury, (Gaine's  New  York  Gazette).

NYGNA: The New-York Gazetteer or Northern Intelligencer.

NYJ :  The New-York Journal; or, The General Advertiser.

PA:  Public Advertiser (London).

PAG:  The Pennsylvania Gazette.

PEP:  The Pennsylvania Evening Post.

PG:  The  Providence Gazette; and Country Journal.

PJ:  Pennsylvania Journal.

PL:  The Pennsylvania Ledger: Or The Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, & New-Jersey Weekly Advertiser.

Also  published as  The Pennsylvania Ledger: or the Philadelphia Market-Day Advertiser.

PM:  Story & Humphreys's Pennsylvania Mercury, and Universal Advertiser.

PP:  Dunlap's Pennsylvania Packet or, the General Advertiser.

Prensa:  Maryland Journal, published as  La Prensa.

RG:  The Royal Gazette.

RNYG:  Rivington's New-York Gazetteer; Or,  The Connecticut, Hudson's River, New-Jersey, and Quebec

Weekly Advertiser.

RNYLG:  Rivington's New-York Loyal Gazette.

RAG:  The Royal American Gazette.

RGG:  The Royal Georgia Gazette.

RPAG:  The Royal  Pennsylvania Gazette.

RRG :  Rivington's Royal Gazette.

SCAGG:  The South-Carolina and American General Gazette.

SCG :  South-Carolina Gazette and General Advertiser.

SCWA:  South-Carolina Weekly Advertiser.

SCWG:  The South-Carolina Weekly Gazette.

SG:  The Salem Gazette.

TCG:  The Constitutional Gazette.

VG:  The Virginia Gazette.

WG:  Worcester Gazette.

WI:  The Weekly Intelligencer.

1780

1780

Coast of Africa, Conf.: 0,  21.91389 -25.04459

The French fleet captures Captain Potter's  Hope.

The French fleet captured Captain Potter's  Hope  which sailed in February 1780 bound from Liverpool,  England to Africa. She was sent to Martinique,  French  West Indies. 1

1780

Coast of England,  Conf.: 0,  50.05417 -5.31999

The privateers  Mary  and  Greyhound  retake the  Elizabeth Gunsley.

The privateers  Mary  and  Greyhound  retook Captain White's  Elizabeth Gunsley

and sent her into Mount’s Bay,  England sometime in 1780.2

1780

Coast of Ireland,  Conf.:  1 ,  50.89318 - 18.94305

The  Essex  captures the brig  Betsey and two other vessels.

Captain Cathcart's  Essex  captured three homeward-bound vessels off the coast of Ireland and sent them to Salem,  Massachusetts where they arrived on Friday,  December 29,  1780. One of these vessels was the brig  Betsey.3

1780

Bay of Biscay,  Conf.: 3,  46.00000 - 11.00000

A French frigate captures the British letter of marque  Foxhunter.

A French frigate captured the 250-ton British letter of marque  Foxhunter in  latitude 46 longitude 11 and sent her to Groyne ,  Ireland. She mounted 18  9pounders and was bound from London,  England to New York with a cargo worth  £15, 000. The  Foxhunter  fought bravely for some time but her  captain thought  proper to surrender when his mainmast was shot away.4

January 1780

Atlantic Ocean, Conf.: 1 ,  37.26879 -46.35401

A Connecticut privateer captured a New York brig.

A  Connecticut privateer captured a New York brig in ballast in January 1780.  The  brig sailed from New York to Lisbon,  Portugal on December 20,  1779 in company with a fleet bound to England. She was dismasted in a violent gale  in latitude 35  on December 28 and arrived at Newport,  Rhode Island under jury masts the week of January 23 ,  1780. 5

January,  1780

Egg Harbor,  Conf.: 2,  39.39714 -74.01387

A  British ship  is  driven ashore .

Continental forces drove a 40-gun British ship ashore near Egg Harbor in early

January 1780.6

January 1780

Charleston, South Carolina, Conf.: 3, 32.75147  -79.85895

A packet boat decoys the privateer brig  Lady Crosby.

A packet boat decoyed a 12 -gun, 18-men privateer brig called the  Lady Crosbyinto Charleston, South Carolina in January 1780. The brig was from New York, laden with clothing for the new levies in Charleston.7

Early January 1780

West Indies, Conf.: 2,  14.83278 -59.36524

The British capture the French frigates La Blanche or La Blonde, La  Fortune and the  Aeolus or  Ellis.

British admirals Hyde Parker and Rowley captured three French frigates off  Martinique in early January, 1780. They were  the 36-gun,  220-men  La Blanche or La Blonde; the 40-gun,  240-men  La Fortune and the copper-bottomed 38-gun,  150-men  Aeolus  or Ellis  (formerly a letter of marque from Liverpool,  England).  The prizes were taken to St. Lucia,  British West Indies.8

Before January 1,  1780

Coast of France,  Conf.: 2 ,  49.19212 -7.59766

The privateer  Apollo  is  captured.

The Glasgow,  Scotland privateer  Apollo  was captured and taken to Dunkirk,

France before January 1 ,  1780.9

January 2,  1780

Atlantic Ocean, Conf.: 0,  35.90196 -41.47950

The HMS  Thorn  chases a New York brig.

The HMS  Thorn  saw a vessel on Sunday, January 2,  1780 and gave chase . She proved to be a brig from New York in ballast and under jury mast. The  Thorn  let her go after putting all her prisoners on board. 10

January 2,  1780

Charleston bar,  Conf.: 2,  32.64324 -79.84134

A cutter attacks the Spanish ship  Jesu Maria and Joseph.

January 2,  1780

Capers's Island,  Conf.: 2,  32.35716 -80.65021

The Spanish ship  Jesu Maria and Joseph is driven ashore.

Don Miguel Lorenzo Yinardi's ship  Jesu Maria and Joseph was attacked by a cutter off the Charleston bar,  South Carolina on Sunday afternoon,  January 2,

1780.  She was driven ashore and stranded on Capers's Island that evening. Part  of her cargo of rum was saved under the protection of the Continental frigate

Ranger  which was sent out for that purpose.11

Before January 3,  1780

English Channel,  Conf.: 2,  50.03451 -0.92792/ 50.14377  -0.58735/  49.68952  -3.73902

The French privateer  Marquis de Seignelay captures the HMS  London andthe British merchant ship  Anne.

The British privateer  Harpooner  captures the French privateer  Marquis de  Seignelay.

Captain Cottin's French privateer  Marquis de Seignelay,  from Le Havre,  France, carrying 20 8-pounders and 160 men,  captured the HMS  London. She sailed again on January 3,  1780 and got on the English coast. She met a three-masted ship between 8 and 9 AM and chased her until noon when she came within cannon shot. The English ship then hoisted her colors and fired a gun which the  French ship answered. When the two ships got within pistol range ,  the English fired a broadside.

Captain Cottin,  finding the enemy had 20 12-pounders and 12 4-pound brass howitzers,  considered himself outgunned and surrendered. The English ship proved to be Captain Lionel Hill's privateer  Harpooner  going from London,  England to Plymouth to complete her complement of men,  as she only had 58.  She lost 10 men killed and 15 dangerously wounded,  including the captain. The Marquis de Seignelay  had two men killed and several wounded. She lost her bowsprit  with its sails and rigging.

Unable to keep the sea,  she was obliged to steer for France. On her way,  she captured the 12-ton British merchant ship  Anne going from London to Chester with eight men and laden with sundry goods. She was brought to Cherbourg,  France with 56 prisoners. The  Marquis de Seignelay then sailed for Le Havre with her prize,  arriving on January 11 .12

Before January 5,  1780

Coast of England,  Conf.: 2 ,  49.921134 -6.385533

The letter of marque  Active  captures the French privateer  Le Don  le Roy.

The letter of marque  Active  captured  Captain Le Pignerol's  Le Don le Roy,  a 16-gun privateer within a league of Scilly, England before January 5,  1780. 13

Before January 5,  1780

Celtic Sea,  Conf.: 2,  48.00689 -8.04309

The  Dreadnought  captures  Le Joinville.

The  Dreadnought  captured Captain Leviviers's  Le Joinville  and brought her to  Guernsey,  Channel Isles  before January 5,  1780. She was bound from Marseilles to Le Havre,  France with bale goods. 14

Before January 8,  1780

Off Barnegat,  New  Jersey,  Conf.: 2,  39.25424 -73.00316

The HMS  Vulcan's tender captures the sloop  Success.

The HMS  Vulcan's tender captured the sloop  Success  off Barnegat,  New Jersey and brought her to Barbados on Thursday,  January 8,  1780. She was loaded with lumber from  the Morris River,  New Jersey. 15

Before January 8,  1780

European waters,  Conf.: 1,  44.21031 - 17.96108

The Liverpool privateers  Ulysses  and  Telemachus  capture a large Spanish ship.

The Liverpool,  England privateers  Ulysses  and  Telemachus  captured a large  600-ton Spanish ship from the South  Seas and sent her to Crookhaven,  Ireland before  January 8,  1780. She was thought to have more than £1 ,000,000 in bullion on board. 16

January 8, 1780

See Overseas.  Gibraltar.

January 8,  1780

Off Cape  Finisterre,  Conf.: 2,  42.778 - 10.192

The British fleet captures seven French warships and 1 3 merchant vessels. Admirals Rodney,  Digby and Ross sailed from Portsmouth,  England for Gibraltar and  the West Indies  on December 26 ,  1779. Their seven warships convoyed  15 merchant  vessels . The warships consisted of  a 64-gun ship,  two 3-gun frigates,

two 28-gun frigates,  one 16-gun frigate and a 10-gun frigate.  The merchant and  supply ships separated from Admiral Rodney's force on January 7 ,  1780 and  fell  in with a fleet of 20 unarmed vessels off Cape Finisterre ,  Spain on January 8,

1780.  Admiral Rodney captured  seven French warships and 13 merchant vessels  carrying naval matériel and provisions valued at more than $5,000,000 for the  Spanish fleet at Cadiz,  Spain. Rodney sent the merchantmen to Gibraltar  immediately to provide some supplies to the beleaguered garrison there. 17

See  also  January 16 ,  1780. The British capture six Spanish warships.

January 9,  1780

Atlantic Ocean, Conf.: 1 ,  35.31594 -71.89122

A Whig privateer cutter captures the New York schooner  Diana.

Commander John Parks's  14-gun Whig privateer cutter  Le Chevalier de la

Luzerne (formerly called the  Royal George,  belonging to Glasgow,  Scotland)  from

Thank you for evaluating PDF to ePub Converter.

To get full version, you need to purchase the software from: http://www.pdf-epub-converter.com/convert-to-epub-purchase.html

Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania captured Captain Jeffery's New York schooner  Diana on Sunday,  January 9,  1780. Eight of the  Diana's passengers were sent on board the privateer. The  captain of the cutter and some of his officers went on board the  Diana  and brought her to Bermuda. 18

See  also January 30,  1780. The letter of marque brigantine  Hawke  captures the schooner  Diana.

Before January 11,  1780

Off Surinam,  Conf.: 2,  12.09328 -48.24946

Five Dutch men-of-war capture the HMS  Baffler  and  the Port Antonio.

Five Dutch men-of-war captured the HMS  Baffler  and  the Port Antonio off

Surinam and brought them there before January 11 ,  1780. 19

January 11 ,  1780

English Channel,  Conf.: 3 ,  49.20419 - 5.49464

Admiral Rodney captures a French and an American privateer.

Admiral Rodney captured a French and an American privateer in the chops of the English Channel on Tuesday,  January 11 ,  1780.20

January 11, 1780

Off Morocco, Conf.: 3, 31.99999 - 12.63575

Captain Child's schooner falls in with the HMS  Russel and about 100 other vessels.

Captain Child's schooner fell in with the HMS  Russel and about 100 other vessels in latitude 32 longitude 6, about 40 leagues from land on Tuesday, January 11,  1780.21

January 13,  1780

Atlantic Ocean, Conf.: 1 ,  41.81335 -48.58302

The HMS  Thorn captures the  Sparling.

The HMS  Thorn  sighted a vessel to the leeward on Thursday,  January 13,  1780, gave chase and caught up with her. She proved to be Jonathan Jackson's  Sparling  bound from Liverpool,  England  to New York. She  carried 18  6-pounders and 75 men and was laden with coal,  provisions and dry goods. The two vessels engaged each other for 40 minutes when the  Sparling struck. The  Thorn  lost one man killed and two wounded. The  Sparling had three killed and the  captain,  two lieutenants and seven privates wounded.22

Ca. January 13,  1780

South Carolina coast,  Conf.: 2,  32.33058 -80.15343

The New York brig  Robert engages a Whig cutter.

Captain Nethersall's 14-gun (3- and  4-pounders) New York brig  Robert sailed into the St. John's River in East Florida about January 14,  1780 ,  after a 3  ½ hour engagement with a Whig cutter of 16  6-pounders between Charleston,  South

Carolina and Tybee,  Georgia bars. The brig lost her bowsprit and had her rigging and sails almost torn to  pieces . She received so much damage to her  hull that

she had six  feet of water in her hold when the cutter bore away and got into  shallow water,  thereby saving herself from capture. Captain Nethersall had his

lieutenant,  boatswain and two or  three of his crew killed and some wounded,  two

at the end of the action. He was reduced to the necessity of loading his guns with  cutlasses and crowbars and even broken pieces of the carboule and iron pots  which were  used as langrage.23

January 16,  1780

Near Sandy  Hook,  Conf.: 2 ,  40.35223 -73.69347

A party of 40 men capture two schooners and one sloop.

Major Lee detached Captain Patten and 40 men on Saturday morning,  January  15,  1780. They departed Burlington,  New Jersey in sleighs and were alongside a guard ship anchored in the ice near Sandy Hook,  New Jersey before the following morning. Finding that the ice around the ship was cut for several yards so that they could not board her,  they retired a small distance  unnoticed. There, they surprised two schooners and one sloop,  captured the crews ,  burned the vessels and returned with their prisoners and plunder without any loss.24

January 16,  1780

Near Gibraltar, Conf.: 2,  35.884364 -4.692488

The British capture six Spanish  warships: the  Fenix,  the  Diligente or Vigilante, the  Princessa, the  Justro,  the  Janero and the  Minorca. The  San  Julio and the  San Eugenio are driven ashore.

Admiral Rodney encountered a Spanish squadron,  consisting of 11 ships of the line and two 26-gun frigates  under the command of Admiral Don Juan de  Langara off Algeciras or  off Cape St. Vincent,  100 miles southeast of Cadiz,  Spain,  on Sunday,  January 16,  1780. He pursued the squadron and ordered his ships to engage the enemy as they reached the sternmost vessel and in a manner that would put his own ships between the Spanish and their destination,  Cadiz.  Rodney had the advantage of crews with superior seamanship skills.  His vessels had copper bottoms,  giving him an advantage of speed,  making it difficult for an enemy not so fitted to overtake them or to escape from them.

The action began shortly after 4 PM when Rodney's four leading ships engagedthe Spanish. Forty minutes later,  the 70-gun  Santo Domingo blew up,  killing its entire crew. Another vessel surrendered at 6 PM. Even though darkness had fallen and a storm was approaching,  the fighting continued until 2 AM the next day. Six Spanish ships of the line were captured. They were the 80-gun  Fenix,  Admiral Don Juan de Langara’s flagship; the 70 -gun  Diligente or Vigilante; the

70-gun  Princessa;  the 70-gun  Justro,  the 70-gun  Janero and the 70-gun  Minorca.  The 70-gun  San Julio and the 70-gun  San Eugenio were driven ashore and

abandoned. The Spanish may have recovered one of them.  The 70-gun  St.  Laurento and the 70-gun  St. Augustine  escaped to Cadiz but were so badly  shattered they could be of no further service. The four captured ships of the line were taken  to Gibraltar and  were eventually commissioned into the Royal Navy.

Rodney and his convoy (22 ships of the line,  eight frigates,  66 supply ships,  and about 300 transports) reached the Gut of Gibraltar soon afterward and replenished the garrison’s supplies for another year. The store ships meant for  Minorca,  Spain proceeded to that island. When they returned to Gibraltar,  Rodney sailed for the West Indies on February 13,  1780. The detachment originally drawn from the Channel Fleet accompanied him for the first three days

and then returned to Britain. Rodney's victory off St. Vincent did not eliminate

allied operations against Gibraltar. However,  they were mostly limited to  exchanges of artillery fire ,  attempts to tighten or weaken the blockade ,  and  occasional minor sorties by the garrison.25

January 17,  1780

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 1 ,  36.85961 -66.93828

The letter of marque  Queen of France takes the transport schooner  Rebecca.

The transport schooner  Rebecca left New