The Guide to the American Revolutionary War at Sea: Vol. 2 1777

By Norman Desmarais

The Guide to the American Revolutionary War at Sea and Overseas chronicles more than 10,500 actions -- far more than other naval histories. Vol. 2 documents 1496 of them which occurred in 1777. It includes the actions of the Continental and state navies, the French and British navies, the actions of American and British privateers and t

• Language: English
• Publisher: Revolutionary Imprints
• Release date: Nov 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9780692801109

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

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The Guide to the American

Revolutionary War at Sea

Vol.  2

1777

Norman Desmarais

Revolutionary Imprints

Contents

Abbreviations …………………………………………

Newspapers ………………………………………

1777 ………………………………………………… …..

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 Squadron, 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, 17751780. 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-HoKus 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  NewEngland 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, & NewJersey 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, NewJersey, 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.

1777

1777

Banks of Newfoundland,  Conf.: 3,  45.00000 -52.99193

The Whig privateer  Strange is  captured.

The 24-gun  Whig privateer  Strange was captured on the banks of Newfoundland and taken to St. John’s in 1777. 1

1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  36.95454 -44.99389

A  Massachusetts privateer takes Thomas Rutherford's vessel.

A Marblehead,  Massachusetts privateer took Thomas Rutherford's vessel which

loaded at Marseilles, France and was bound to Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania.2

1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  36.31982 -43.14818

The Whig merchant vessel  Venus is  captured.

Nathaniel Ketchum’s vessel  Venus was captured in 1777.  The  High Court of

Admiralty records describe her as  a Whig merchant vessel.3

1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  36.95454 -39.58861

The Whig merchant vessel  Warren is  captured.

Hezekiah Perkins’s  Whig merchant vessel  Warren was captured in 1777 and  taken to New York. High Court of Admiralty records describe her  as an American  merchant vessel,  formerly named the  North Briton.4

1777

Atlantic  Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  34.63800 -39.36889

L’Amitié is  captured.

Julien Dosset’s L’Amitié was tried in the High Court of Admiralty between 1777

and 1779.5

1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  33.50961 -43.19213

The  British capture the  Savage Port Bill.

The British captured Nathaniel Atkins’s Savage Port Bill in 1777 and sent her to  New York where she was tried and condemned. The  High Court of Admiralty records describe the  Savage Port Bill as  an American merchant vessel.6

1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  39.91420 -43.98314

The  British capture the Sea Flower.

The British captured Charles Clunn’s Sea Flower in 1777 and sent her to New  York,  New York where she was tried and condemned.  The High Court of  Admiralty records describe the  Sea Flower as an American merchant vessel.7

1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  34.47249  -40.27073

The  British capture the Sea Horse.

The British captured the Sea Horse in 1777 and sent her to New York where she

was tried and condemned.  The High Court of Admiralty records describe the  Sea

Horse as an American merchant vessel.8

1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  38.62142 -44.07103

The  British capture the Smiling Molly.

The British captured Thomas Eskridge’s Smiling Mollyin 1777 and sent her to

New York where she was tried and condemned.  The High Court of Admiralty

records describe the Smiling Molly as an American merchant vessel.9

1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  38.58708 -40.99486

The  British capture the Susanna.

The British captured James Nicoll’s Susanna in 1777 and sent her to New York

where she was tried and condemned. The  Susanna is described in the  High Court

of Admiralty  records as an American merchant vessel.10

1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  38.48395 -38.09447

The  British capture the Susannah.

The British captured Joseph Walden’s  Susannah  in 1777 and sent her to New

York where she was tried and condemned. The  Susannah is described in the  the

High Court of Admiralty  records as an American merchant vessel. 11

1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  36.74355 -44.90599

The  British capture the Swordfish.

The British captured Supply Kingsley’s Swordfish  in 1777 and sent her to New  York where she was tried and condemned. The  Swordfish  is described in the  High Court of Admiralty  records as an American merchant  vessel. 12

1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  37.65902 -62.74729

The  British capture the Whig merchant vessel  Triumver  [possibly Triumvir]. The British captured Bartholemy Barjeolle’s  Whig merchant vessel  Triumver [possibly  Triumvir] in 1777 and sent her to New York where she was tried and

condemned. The  Triumver is described in the  the High Court of Admiralty  records

as an American merchant vessel. 13

1777 or 1778

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  38.69536 -57.80344

The Whig merchant vessel  Vryheid [Juno]  is  captured.

Adriaan Laernoes’s  Whig merchant vessel  Vryheid [Juno] was captured in 1777  or 1778 and taken  to  New York. High Court of Admiralty records describe her as  an American merchant vessel,  sailing under Dutch colors,  and otherwise known

as the  Juno. 14

1777

Near Stono River,  Conf.: 2,  32.61299 -79.99583

The  British chase a ship ashore.

The British chased a ship ashore near the Stono River sometime in 1777. The ship was bound from Boston,  Massachusetts to Charleston,  South Carolina. 15

1777

European waters,  Conf.: 1,  48.05260 - 19.81322

The  British capture the Three Brothers.

The British captured James Babson’s Three Brothers in 1777,  probably in  European waters. They ordered her to England where she was tried and condemned in the High Court of Admiralty and described as an American merchant vessel. 16

1777

European waters,  Conf.: 1,  47.52113 - 15.15502

The  British capture John Hazard’s  Three Sisters.

The British captured John Hazard’s Three Sisters in 1777 ,  probably in European  waters,  and ordered her to England where she was tried and condemned in the  High Court of Admiralty. She was described as an American merchant vessel. 17

1777

European waters,  Conf.: 1,  48.25782 - 11.90306

British capture John Prole’s  Three Sisters.

The British captured John Prole’s Three Sisters in 1777,  probably in European  waters,  and ordered her to England where she was tried and condemned in the  High Court of Admiralty. She was described as a Danish merchant vessel,  formerly the  Dolphin. 18

Early 1777

West Indies,  Conf.: 0,  15.77191 -63.80372

The  Maryland privateer  Sturdy Beggar captures a large Guineaman.

The Maryland privateer  Sturdy Beggar,  carrying 6 guns and 25 men,  fitted out by the French at Martinique,  French West Indies  captured a large Guineaman in

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early 1777. She was  laden with 300 or 400 slaves,  a quantity of elephant tusks

and gold dust and was sent to Martinique.19

December 1776 or January 1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 1 ,  47.57985 -14.16187

The  British capture Jacob Sales's sloop  Lucretia

Jacob Sales's sloop  Lucretia  was captured by the British in December 1776 or  January 1777. She was bound from Bordeaux,  France to any part of America with a cargo of sulfur,  nitre ,  pins and needles.20

January 1777

Off Cape Sable,  Conf.: 2,  43.26424 -65.50517

A privateer  sloop captures George Thomson's schooner which is retaken.

A schooner,  owned and freighted by George Thomson and  Mr.  William Shaw,  was bound from Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia to the West Indies with fish and lumber in January 1777. A privateer sloop,  of 10 carriage guns and 85 men,  captured her off Cape Sable. A prize master and  five sailors brought her to Boston harbor.  When they arrived  at Nantasket and anchored ,  all the crew went ashore except the mate named Traha and an old man. As soon as the prize crew were on shore,  Mr.  Traha  cut the schooner's cable,  got under sail and carried her safely back to  Annapolis Royal where he delivered her to the proper owners.21

January 1777

Off New York,  Conf.:  1,  39.30352 -66.65873

British warships take prizes daily.

British warships sent prizes  to  New York Harbor daily in January 1777. There was a large number in the harbor by January 20. Some were of considerable value and several of them were laden with ammunition and military supplies.22

January 1777

West Indies,  Conf.: 1,  14.43073 -66.10942

The  HM Sloop  Badger captures the sloop  Ann.

Lieutenant Charles Holmes Everitt’s  HM Sloop  Badger captured the sloop  Annwith her cargo of salt in the West Indies in January 1777. She was sent to  Jamaica where she was tried and condemned.23

Ca. January 1777

West Indies,  Conf.: 1,  22.93514 -60.08168

The  British  privateer  schooner  Try-all captures  the  brig  Three Adventurers. William Jardine’s un-commissioned British  privateer schooner  Try-all,  probably sailing out of Antigua,  British West Indies,  captured Ebenezer Lane’s brig  Three  Adventurers in the West Indies about January 1777. She was sent to Antigua where she was tried and condemned on February 25 ,  1777. The Three  Adventurers sold for £1260.14 and one quarter penny.24

Ca. January 1777

Caribbean Sea,  Conf.: 1,  16.46379 -70.50395

The  HM Frigate  Boreas captures the sloop  Will.

Captain Charles Thompson’s HM Frigate  Boreas capturedthe sloop  Will and her cargo of molasses and coffee ,  probably in January 1777. The sloop was  sent to  Jamaica,  British West Indies. This capture was listed only in a prize list dated  February 26,  1778,  but it but was before March 20,  1777.25

Ca. January 1777

Caribbean Sea,  Conf.: 1,  14.19731 -65.97035

The  HM Frigate  Winchelsea captures the schooner  St. Ann and the sloop Lydia [Lidia].

Commander Nathaniel Bateman’s  HM Frigate  Winchelsea captured the schooner  St. Ann and the sloop  Lydia [Lidia] about January 1777. They were sent to  Jamaica,  British West Indies where they were tried and condemned.26

Ca. January 1777

Caribbean Sea,  Conf.: 1,  15.23863 -66.98109

The  HM Sloop  Hawke captures the brig  Penguin.

Commander Robert Palliser Cooper’s  HM Sloop  Hawke captured the brig  Penguinand sent her to Roseau,  Dominica,  (Commonwealth of Dominica),  probably in  January 1777. The  Penguin was believed to be a recapture. She was condemned in Roseau on February 8,  1777.27

Ca. January 1777

Off St. Eustatius,  Conf.: 3,  17.38422 -63.98430

The  British  privateer sloop  Reprisal captures the schooner  Adventure. Thomas Robinson’s schooner  Adventure was preparing to sail for St. Eustatius,  Netherlands West Indies with a cargo of flour and staves on December 12,  1776.  William Bell’s un-commissioned British  privateer sloop  Reprisal captured her about January 1777 and sent her to Antigua,  British West Indies. She was condemned there on February 5 ,  1777 and sold for £1770.19.4.28

Ca. January 1777

Caribbean Sea,  Conf.: 1,  15.74153 -67.14836

The  HM Sloop  Hawke captures the schooner  Elizabeth

Commander Robert Palliser Cooper’s  HM Sloop  Hawke captured the schooner  Elizabeth and sent her to Roseau,  Dominica (Commonwealth of Dominca), probably in January 1777. The  Elizabeth was said to be a recapture. She was condemned in Roseau on February 8 ,  1777.29

Early January 1777

Sakonnet  Passage,  Conf.: 3,  41.50768 -71.22478

Crown troops board a large brig.

A party commanded by a noncommissioned officer of  Lieutenant Colonel Innis’s company of the Royal Artillery boarded a large brig attempting to escape from the Providence River through the Sakonnet  Passage in early January 1777.Theyset her on fire.30

Early January 1777

Off Fisher’s Island,  Conf.: 2,  41.22455 -72.02341

The  HMS  Flora captures a French snow.

The HMS  Flora captured a French snow laden with salt and dry goods off Fisher’s  Island . The British sent her to Newport,  Rhode Island,  where she arrived about  January 12 ,  1777.31

Early January 1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 3,  33.38000 -72.00000

The HMS  Galatea captures four prizes.

The HMS  Galatea captured four prizes in early January 1777 and sent two of them to St. Augustine,  Florida and took the other two with her.32

January 1,  1777

Warwick Neck,  Conf.: 3,  41.66717 -71.37747

The  HMS  Diamond  runs aground.

After stopping at Naushon Island and Martha’s Vineyard to get supplies and provisions on December 7 ,  1776,  Captain Charles Fielding’s 32-gun HM  Frigate  Diamond  headed to Warwick Neck,  Rhode Island where she ran aground on  Wednesday morning,  January 1 ,  1777. A battery of five 24-pounders fired on her. At the same time,  the crew were attacked by the 12-gun sloop  Providence that continued a brisk fire for three hours ,  until nightfall. The  Diamond  could only bring her aftmost gun on the main deck and one of the quarter deck guns to bear upon her enemy. The battery did not kill anybody,  but seven shots went through the  Diamond’s bottom. Three of them,  five feet below water,  could not be plugged. The battery also cut the head of the mizzentopmast,  the rigging and topmast. After lying aground for 25 hours,  the  Diamond  got off at 1:30 AM on  Friday,  January 3rd.33

January 1,  1777

Off Cape May,  New Jersey,  Conf.: 2,  38.40330 -73.91724

The  HM Frigate  Roebuck captures the schooner  Friendship.

Daniel Rhodes’s schooner  Friendship was inbound from Môle Saint-Nicolas,  Saint Domingue [Haiti] ,  heading for Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania with a cargo of molasses and sugar. She was off Cape May,  New Jersey,  on Wednesday,  January  1 ,  1777 when Captain Andrew Snape Hamond’s  HM Frigate  Roebuck spotted her at 1 PM in squally,  rainy weather and gave chase. The  Roebuck fired several shots at 7 PM that halted the  Friendship. She was sent to New York escorted by the  HM Sloop  Falcon and delivered to an anchorage at Sandy Hook,  New Jersey

on January 9,  1777. The Friendship was tried and condemned in the New York

Vice Admiralty court in 1777.34

January 1,  1777Off the western islands

,  Conf.: 0,  25.46429 -74.12538

The privateer  schooner General Putnam  engages the British ships  Nancy and  Betsy.

Captain Stephen Mascoll,  in the  General Putnam,  a privateer schooner from

Salem,  Massachusetts, engaged the British ships  Nancy  and  Betsy  on

Wednesday,  January 1 ,  1777. Captain Mascoll was killed with  James Masury, one of his men, a struggle    as they tried to board a large ship off the western islands. After ,  the schooner sheered off.35

Week of January 1 ,  1777

Newport,  Conf.: 3,  41.48864 -71.34782

The British  recapture a large ship.

A large ship thought to be one captured by the Continental frigate  Alfred ran  to  Newport,  Rhode Island,  not knowing that the British were now in possession of that place and was retaken before January 9,  1777.36

Before January 2,  1777

Massachusetts coast,  Conf.: 0,  41.42358 -69.09643

A Massachusetts privateer takes two prizes.

A Massachusetts privateer took  two prizes and brought them  to  Cape Ann before  January 2,  1777. One of them had more than 1500 firkins of butter on board and  was bound from England to Gibraltar to supply the garrison there.37

Before January 2,  1777

From Cork,  Ireland,  Conf.: 0,  40.09005 -66.14935

Whigs capture William Penterick’s Crown vessel  Providence.

William Penterick’s  Providence was bound from Cork, Ireland with a cargo of provisions when she was captured by the Whigs. The HM Frigate  Liverpoolrecaptured her on Thursday, January 2, 1777.38

January 2,  1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  39.60083 -68.32464

The  HM Frigate  Liverpool recaptures the  Providence

See Before January 2, 1777. Whigs capture William Penterick’s Crown vessel

Providence.

January 2,  1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 2,  38.654793 -70.910783

The  HM Frigate  Phoenix captures  the  brig  Ranger.

Captain Hyde Parker’s HM Frigate  Phoenix sighted James Renown’s brig  Rangerabout 207 miles southeast of Sandy Hook, New Jersey  at 7 AM on Thursday,

January 2,  1777. The  Phoenix ran the  Ranger down by 8 AM. The  Ranger had been captured by an unknown  Whig privateer. Captain Parker removed the four-man prize crew and replaced them with a midshipman and four sailors.39

January 2,  1777

Near Sunbury,  Georgia,  Conf.: 3,  31.75922 -81.26978

Captain Kelly’s small armed vessel decoys Captain Woodruff’s row galley  Georgia and is beaten off.

A small armed vessel commanded by a Loyalist Captain Kelly (or Kebly) and fitted out at St. Augustine,  Florida came into an inlet near Sunbury,  Georgia  disguised as a trading vessel from Cape François  [Cap Haitien, Haiti] on  Thursday,  January  2 ,  1777. She decoyed Captain Woodruff,  commander of the row galley  Georgiastationed there,  and two of his crew. Meanwhile,  other Loyalists from the vessellanded on Sapello and robbed Mrs. Mackay's plantation of several slaves. When the  deception was discovered,  the alarm was given and a party of the row galley’s crew landed,  pursued them,  and took seven of them prisoners. The raider put out to sea after receiving several shots from the galley. She soon escaped,  taking advantage of the favorable wind.40

January 3,  1777

The Connecticut privateer sloop American Revenue captures the schooner  Two Brothers.

See December 27,  1776. The Connecticut privateer sloop  American Revenuecaptures the schooner  Two Brothers.

Before January 4,  1777

Rhode  Island,  Conf.: 2,  40.20541 -65.80258

The British capture a vessel loaded with rum.

The British captured a vessel loaded with rum at Newport,  Rhode Island before  January 4,  1777.She was previously taken by the privateer  Game Cock.  The sloop was dispatched  from Providence,  Rhode Island to Block Island on  November 13,  1776as a flag of truce. She had a number of prisoners to exchange for an equal number of prisoners on board a British ship. As the ship had gone on a cruise,  the sloop returned to Providence on  Sunday,  January 5,  1777 after waiting some time for her to return. The British fleet which recently arrived at  Newport brought her there. The officer who went with the flag of truce was detained as a prisoner on board the  commodore's ship  outside Newport.  When he was permitted to return,  he was informed that Lord Howe had sent an equal number of prisoners to New London,  Connecticut. They were obliged to give their paroles on leaving New York. The British used the sloop to carry provisions and supplies to the ships in the harbor and,  when they delivered her up,  they plundered her of almost every article on board.41

January 4,  1777

Off Cape Henlopen,  Delaware,  Conf.: 3,  38.983359 -74.779143

The  HM Frigate  Pearl captures the sloop [schooner]  Betsy.

The  HM Frigate  Pearl sighted the sloop [schooner]  Betsy 21 miles northeast of  Cape Henlopen,  Delaware at 6:30 AM on Saturday,  January 4,  1777. The  Pearlcaptured  the  Betsy at 8 AM. She was bound from Cap François (Cap Haitien),  St. Domingue [Haiti],  French West  Indies to Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania and was sent to St. Kitts,  British West Indies. She was variously identified as a sloop or as a schooner.42

Before January 4,  1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  33.05621 -64.00083

Rhode Island privateers take a brig.

Captain Jones's Providence,  Rhode Island privateer  Retaliation  and Captain  Dennis's Newport privateer took a brig and sent her to a safe harbor before  January 4,  1777. She was bound from Scotland to New York via Antigua, British  West Indies with dry goods  valued at £8000.43

Week of January 5,  1777

Off New York,  Conf.: 2,  40.07855 -72.34762

The  HMS  Roebuck retakes the privateer  Lexington. The Crown forces take many prizes.

Many prizes  were  sent to New York Harbor in the course of the week of January  5,  1777. Some of the frigates with copper bottoms outsailed everything they saw and the swiftest Whig privateers  found it impossible to get away from them.  Captain Hamond's HMS  Roebuck retook the privateer  Lexington,  one of the fastest Whig vessels which they had fitted out and converted into a tender for the King’s service.44

See also December 20,  1776.  The  HMS  Pearl captures the  Lexington.

Before January 6,  1777

Gulf of Mexico,  Conf.: 0,  25.72378 -85.75643

William Smith’s schooner  Little John is  captured by an unknown  Whigprivateer.

William Smith’s schooner  Little John  was proceeding from the Mississippi River to the Leeward Islands with a cargo of lumber and staves when she was captured by an unknown Whig privateer. The prize master was ordered  to take her  to  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The  Little John  was well on her way when the British frigates stationed at Cape Henlopen sighted her at 8 AM on January 6, 1777,  21miles southeast of the cape. The windy weather made for a rough pursuit and the  Pearl lost a sailor overboard, who drowned during the chase. The  Pearl and the  Perseus captured the Little John a short time afterward and brought her to  Antigua, British West Indies.45

January 6,  1777

Cape Henlopen,  Conf.: 3 ,  38.620955 -74.784808

The  HM Frigate  Pearl and  the  HM Frigate  Perseus recapture  the  schooner

Little John.

See Before January 6, 1777. William Smith’s schooner  Little John is captured by an unknown Whig privateer.

January 6,  1777Atlantic Ocean

,  Conf. : 3 , 16.78333 -46.51667

The HMS  Brune  retakes the ship  Duncreath.

The HMS  Brune  retook master James  Crichton’s [Creighton] ship  Duncreath (or  Duntreath) on Monday,  January 6,  1777. She was bound from St. Augustine,  Florida to Grenada, British West Indies with timber.46

See November 27,  1776.The Massachusetts Navy brig  Tyrannicide  captures the bark or snow  John,  and the ship  Duncreath (or  Duntreath).

January 7,  1777

Cape Henlopen Lighthouse,  Delaware,  Conf.: 3,  38.678736 -74.958014

The  HM Frigate  Perseus captures the sloop  Speedwell.

The  HM Frigate  Perseus sighted John Hazard’s  or  Abraham Outten’s sloop  Speedwell at 8 AM on Tuesday,  January 7,  1777 and captured her at 4 PM ,  after an  8-hour chase . The  Speedwell was en route from Georgia to Philadelphia with a cargo of rice,  indigo and  skins when she was captured. She was sent to Antigua where she was condemned.47

January 7,  1777

Portuguese Coast,  Conf.: 3 ,44.100153,  -8.273880

HM Frigate  Thetis captures the brigantine  Triton.

James Tiletson’s [Tileson] [or  John Chandler] 120-ton brigantine  Triton,  from  Newburyport,  Massachusetts,  sailed from Boston,  Massachusetts bound for  Bilbao,  Spain with a cargo of fish,  oil,  candles,  beeswax and furs on Friday,  December 13 ,  1776.  The  Triton was 33 miles northwest of Cape Ortegal,  Portugal on Tuesday,  January 7,  1777 when she fell in with Captain Mitchell Graham’s  HM Frigate  Thetis which captured her and took her to Plymouth,  England where they arrived on January19. She was tried and condemned in the High Court of  Admiralty in 1777. John Chandler,  an officer aboard the  Triton,  escaped from prison and arrived at Dunkirk,  France in March 1778.48

Before January 8,  1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  39.56139 -69.91606

A Whig privateer  takes an Irish brig.

A Whig privateer took an Irish brig before January 8,  1777. John Stanley,  Esq. went to St. Eustatius, Netherlands West Indies with a  memorial to demand restitution of the brig.49

January 8,  1777

Off Sandy Hook,  New Jersey,  Conf.: 3,  39.224181 -71.197498

The  HM Frigate  Roebuck captures  the  Continental Navy trading sloop  Fly. Master James Wilson’s Continental Navy trading sloop  Fly was a longtime blockade runner owned by Clark & Nightingale of Providence,  Rhode Island. This sloop had imported a cargo of gunpowder from the West Indies for  General  George  Washington’s army at Boston in September 1775. In March 1776,  the same master,  in what was probably the same vessel,  was at Port-au-Prince,  Saint-Domingue [Haiti] ,  on Continental account,  to purchase munitions.  Apparently the  Fly was returning from yet another voyage from Martinique,  French West Indies to Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania when Captain Hyde Parker,  Jr.’s  HM Frigate  Roebuck sighted her at 7 AM as she approached  the  Delaware  Bay  on  Wednesday,  January 8,  1777. The  Roebuck captured her at 10 AM along with her cargo of 400 barrels of gunpowder and 150 small arms. She was sent to New York where she arrived around February 1 .50

January 8 or 9,  1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  26.27039 -68.48674

The  HM Frigate  Mermaid captures the sloop  Dartmouth.

James Littlefield’s sloop  Dartmouth sailed from Boston,  Massachusetts sometime after December 13 ,  1776 bound for the French West Indies with a cargo of lumber and staves. The  HM Frigate  Mermaid captured her on Wednesday or  Thursday,  January 8 or 9,  1777 and sent her to Antigua,  British West Indies.51

Before January 9,  1777

Coast of Spain,  Conf.: 2,  45.31799 -10.21989

The sloop of war  Zephyr takes Captain Ward's  Argo and Captain Lebras's schooner  Betsey.

The sloop of war  Zephyr  took Captain Ward's  Argo  and Captain Lebras's schooner  Betsey and brought them to Lisbon,  Portugal on Thursday,  January 9,  1777.  The  Betsey  was bound from New England to  Bilbao,  Spain with 1100 quintals of bachalaw.52

January 9,  1777

Madeira,  Conf.: 2,  32.71912 - 16.31128

Two New England privateers attack the  Royal Charlotte.

Two New England privateers attacked Captain Elphinstone's  Royal Charlotte  off the  east end  of Madeira on Thursday morning,  January 9,  1777. A smart engagement ensued,  but the privateers were not strong enough to take the  Royal  Charlotte which arrived safely in the harbor of Fonchalin on the island of Madeira after a quick passage of  nine days from Portsmouth,  England.53

January  10,  1777

Narragansett,  Rhode Island,  Conf.: 2 ,  41.44034 -71.43784

The  HMS  Amazon burns a grounded brig.

Captain Maximilian Jacobs,  aboard the HMS  Amazon  anchored off Hope Island, saw a vessel aground on the Narragansett shore on Wednesday morning,

January 10,  1777. He weighed anchor and went after her. He fired several guns at her. Militiamen on shore fired at the ship with three cannons. One man was wounded in the shoulder. Captain Jacobs sent a barge to set the brig on fire at  4  PM. The vessel was an unidentified brig from Providence taken below East  Greenwich.54

January 10,  1777

Off Cape Henlopen,  Delaware,  Conf.: 2,  38.409783 -74.362521

The  HM Frigate  Roebuck captures  the  sloop  Peggy.

Alexander Thompson’s 20-ton sloop  Peggy was en route to Philadelphia from  Savannah with a cargo of rice,  indigo,  hides and leather on Friday,  January 10,  1777,  when she fell in with Captain Andrew Snape Hamond’s  HM Frigate  Roebuck some  48 miles southeast of Cape Henlopen. The  Peggy was spotted at  4 AM and captured soon afterward. The  Roebuck took her to Antigua where she was condemned.55

Ca. January 10,  1777

Off Bermuda,  Conf.: 2,  32.34725 -64.34126

The  HM Frigate  Galatea captures the  ship  Good Intent.

The  HM Frigate  Galatea captured David Burch’s ship  Good Intent while the  Galatea and the  HM Sloop  Nautilus  were en route from New York to Bermuda around Friday,  January 10,  1777. The  Good Intent was taken  to  Bermuda. This was the second time that Burch had been captured by the British.56

Ca. January 10,  1777

Cape Finisterre,  Spain,  Conf.: 2,  42.82457 -9.51520

The HMS  Raisonable  takes the  Whig privateer  Dorton.

The HMS  Raisonable  took the  Whig privateer  Dorton  off Cape Finisterre,  Spain about January 10,  1777. She mounted 18 9-pounders and 14 swivels and had a crew of 119 men and $9000 on board .

The Dorton may have been James Hodges’s 300-ton three-deck ship  Zachariah  Bayley (Zachariah Bailey  or  Zachary Bailey) taken by the privateer  Yankee in the  Gulf of Florida on Saturday,  June 22 ,  1776 and converted.  The  Dorton's crew were put on board the 90 -gun guardship  Ocean. Her Captain was tried for his life is a pirate. 57

See also June 22,  1776.  The Massachusetts privateer sloop  Yankee captures the  Zachariah Bayley.

January 11 or 20,  1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 2,  47.00000 -20.00000

The ship  Aurora is  captured.

The 200-ton ship  Aurora (formerly the British transport ship  Oxford,  captured on May 26,  1776) was chartered for the Secret Committee of the Continental  Congress by October 7,  1776. She was nearly ready to sail by November 12,

1776,  when John Hancock asked Virginia Governor Patrick Henry to expedite  her sailing.  She was given a sailing permit on December 2,  1776. Master John  Hutchinson was sailing her from Cumberland (on the York River),  Virginia to  Nantes,  France,  with a cargo of412 hogsheads of  tobacco and staves.

William Turner,  boatswain of the ship,  previously found the English sailors willing to assist in seizing the ship and taking her to England. He  caught  Captain  John Hutchinson and a Mr. Hall in the captain's cabin and secured them there on January 11 or 20,  1777. Three or four English sailors were on deck while the  Whigs were aloft,  changing sail. The Englishmen picked up loaded muskets and ordered the  Whigs down,  one by one. Turner took charge and steered for  Liverpool,  England,  arriving there on the morning of January 28 or 29,  1777.  The secret dispatches aboard were seized and turned over to the British government. The eight  Whigs were thrown in jail as prisoners. The vessel was tried and condemned on March 12 ,  1777. The sale of the cargo brought between  £28, 600 and £30,000. The captors supposedly received two thirds of the value. 58 See also May 26,  1776. The Andrew Doria  captures the  Oxford  and  Crawford.

January 11 ,  1777

Off Cape Henlopen,  Delaware,  Conf.: 3,  38.673347 -74.848323

The  HM Frigate  Roebuck captures  the  brig  Adventure.

Captain Lawrence Sandford’s Virginia Navy trading brig  Adventure sailed from  Cap Nicola Môle,  [Môle Saint-Nicolas]  Saint-Domingue [Haiti] for Dunkirk,  France,  with a cargo of tobacco sometime after October 18,  1776. Captain  Sandford either went to the West Indies or carried false papers showing that he had cleared from there. As the  Adventure returned to America,  Captain Andrew  Snape Hamond’s  HM Frigate  Roebuck,  16 miles southeast of Cape Henlopen, spotted her to the southeast at 7 AM on Saturday,  January 11 ,  1777. The  Roebuck chased the  Adventure but could not stop her until Hamond’s men fired several shots at the  Adventure.

The Roebuck escorted the  Adventure to Antigua where she was condemned on  February 18,  1777 and her cargo of 11 , 200 pounds of gunpowder and sail cloth was purchased by the government to prevent the  Whigs buying it again at a public sale. Sandford was in Alexandria,  Virginia by May 30 ,  1777.59

January 11 ,  1777

West Indies,  Conf.: 1,  24.69860 -79.79337

The  HM Frigate  Unicorn captures  the ship  Othello.

The  HM Frigate  Unicorn captured George Dunbar Sweet’s  ship  Othello on her way to Havana,  Cuba in ballast on Saturday,  January 11 ,  1777.60

Ca. January 11 ,  1777

Off the Virginia capes,  Conf.: 2,  36.88958 -72.78711

The HMS  Phoenix burns a Nantucket brig.

The HMS  Phoenix burned a Nantucket brig off the capes of Virginia about

Saturday night,  January 11 ,  1777.61

Before January 12,  1777

Mobjack Bay,  Conf.: 2,  37.31928 -76.35988

Two or three British  ships of war take several prizes.

Two or  three British ships of war arrived at Williamsburg,  Virginia the week of  January 12 ,  1777. They took several prizes in Mobjack Bay and brought them to Hampton  Road.62

January 12,  1777

Off Sandy Hook,  New Jersey,  Conf.: 3,  39.125957 -70.908184

The  HM Frigate  Phoenix captures  the  sloop  Royal George.

The  HM Frigate  Phoenix sighted Jeremiah Burrows sloop  Royal George at 10 AM on Sunday,  January 12 ,  1777 and captured her 189 miles southeast of Sandy

Hook,  New Jersey at 4 PM . She was bound from Bermuda,  British West Indies to Virginia with a cargo of salt. The master and crew were removed and the sloop

scuttled.63

January 12,  1777

Off Cape May,  New Jersey,  Conf.: 3,  38.991799 -74.694492

The  HM Frigate  Perseus recaptures the snow  Thomas.

The Continental Navy brig  Andrew Doria captured Thomas Nicholson’s 72-ton snow  Thomas,  mounting six guns and six swivels ,  on Thursday,  December 12  1776. Lieutenant Joshua Barney was put aboard as prize master. The  HM  Frigate  Perseus recaptured the  Thomas 12 miles east by north of Cape May with her cargo of logwood,  fustic and mahogany on Sunday,  January 12,  1777 after a  4-hour chase. Barney and the prize crew were landed at Charleston,  South  Carolina after being generally well-treated by the British. 64

See also December 12,  1776 .The Continental Navy brig  Andrew Doria captures the snow (or brig)  Thomas.

January 12,  1777Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0

,  38.35027 -55.17033

The  HM Frigate  Roebuck captures  the  brig  Felicity.

Captain Andrew Snape Hamond’s  HM Frigate  Roebuck captured Vincent

Simeone’s 140-ton brig  Felicity on Sunday,  January 12 ,  1777. The  Felicity was bound from Guadelupe,  French West Indies to Miquelon Island [St. Pierre and

Miquelon],  with a cargo of molasses,  wine and cordage and was escorted to

Antigua,  British West Indies  where she was acquitted.65

January 12,  1777

Caicos Islands,  Conf.: 2,  21.18436 -71.93864

The  HM Sloop  Badger captures  the  sloop  Sea Nymph.

Captain Woodhouse’s Philadelphia sloop  Sea Nymph was bound from Cap  François [Cap Haitien] ,  Saint-Domingue [Haiti] for North Carolina with a cargo of gunpowder,  wine and salt when Lieutenant Charles Holmes Everitt’s  HM Sloop  Badger sighted her south of the Caicos Bank on Sunday,  January 12,  1777. She was captured and sent to Jamaica where she was tried and condemned.66

See September 4, 1776. The Continental Navy sloop  Providence captures the brigantine  Sea Nymph.

Ca. January 12,  1777

Atlantic Ocean,  Conf.: 0,  29.13053 -75.54215

The privateer  Boston  captures two Guineamen,  three ships and a schooner. Captain William Brown's privateer  Boston  captured two Guineamen,  a ship and a schooner,  about January 12 ,  1777 and ordered them to North Carolina. They had 140 slaves board,  many of whom perished after their arrival. He also captured a ship bound to Jamaica with a quantity of cash on board and a large ship laden with provisions and sea coal.67

Before January 13,  1777

Off Nova Scotia,  Conf.: 1 ,  42.56720 -61.25993

The  HM Brig  Hope  and a transport ship capture Captain Samson's armed brig  Independence.

Commander George Dawson’s  HM Brig  Hope  and a transport ship captured  Captain Samson's armed brig  Independence and brought her to Fort  Cumberland before January 13 ,  1777. The  Independence  engaged the  Hope  for some time. When the  Hope came alongside the  Independence,  soldiers concealed on board instantly rose up and fired a volley of small arms into the  Independence, forcing her to strike her colors. Captain Sampson might have captured the  Independence  had his men stood their quarters. He reportedly killed two or three of them for leaving their station.68

See also before March 21 ,  1777. The Privateer  Boston recaptures the

Before January 13,  1777

Massachusetts coast,  Conf.: 0,  41.75283 -64.59977

The armed vessels  Union,  Washington and  Tyrannicide take several prizes. The  Whig armed vessels  Union,  Washington  and  Tyrannicide took several prizes and