Bockstruck, Lloyd DeWitt. Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants: Awarded by State Governments, (Genealogical Publishing Company, 1996).
Callo, Joseph. John Paul Jones: America's First Sea Warrior, (Naval Institute Press, 2006).
Ervin, Sara Sullivan. South Carolinians in the Revolution: With Service Records and Miscellaneous Data, (Genealogical Publishing Company, 1965).
Hatcher, Patricia Law. Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, Vol. 3 - L-R, (Pioneer Heritage Press, 1988).
Hoyt, Max Ellsworth and Frank Johnson Metcalf. Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications, (National Genealogical Society, 1966).
Johnson, Gerald W. The First Captain: The Story of John Paul Jones, (Coward-McCann, Inc., 1947).
Johnson, Joseph. Traditions and Reminiscences Chiefly of the American Revolution in the South: Including Biographical Sketches, Incidents and Anecdotes, Few of Which Have Been Published, Particularly on the Residents in the Upper Country, (Charleston, SC: Walker & James, 1851).
Lewis, James A. Neptune's Militia: The Frigate South Carolina during the American Revolution, (The Kent State University Press, 1999).
Lorenz, Lincoln. John Paul Jones: Fighter for Freedom and Glory, ( United States Naval Institute, 1943).
Morison, Samuel Eliot. John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography, (Little, Brown and Company, 1959).
Moss, Bobby Gilmer. Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution, (Genealogical Publishing Company, 1983).
Revill, Janie. Copy of the Original Index Book: Showing the Revolutionary Claims Filed in South Carolina Between August 20, 1783 and August 31, 1786, (Genealogical Publishing Company, 1969).
Seitz, Don C. Paul Jones: His Exploits in the English Seas During 1778-1780, Contemporary Accounts Collected from English Newspapers, (E. P. Dutton & Co., 1917).
Thomas, Evan. John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy, (Simon & Schuster, 2003).
Vansittart, Peter. John Paul Jones: A Restless Spirit, (Robson Books, 2004).
Walker, Frank. John Paul Jones: Maverick Hero, (Casemate, 2008).
Walsh, John Evangelist. Night on Fire: The First Complete Account of John Paul Jones's Greatest Battle, (McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1978).
Pension Application of Richard Wall S22032
The post directly below this post and dated "09/11/2015" dealt with the issues and "questions" raised by an examination of the life and Revolutionary War activities of Richard Wall - first a "Cadet of Marines" on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard and later a Midshipman on board the frigate South Carolina. Richard Wall, as was stated in the post below this post, led a very interesting life. In brief, he was born in County Limerick, Ireland; moved to L'Orient, France; signed on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard; was captured and spent time in Forton Prison near Portsmouth, England; was released in a prisoner exchange and returned to America; signed on board the frigate South Carolina as she lay in Philadelphia, PA harbor; was captured along with the frigate and her entire complement of crew and marines on December 20, 1782; paroled on Long Island; returned to Charleston, SC at the cessation of hostilities; married into the free, elite African-American community there; and became quite wealthy and respected in the Charleston, SC community. Several of the issues or "questions" concerning the accounts of his activities during the American Revolution were confirmed by the research of this blog writer. But, two of these issues were left in question - the question of the existence of "Cullen" Lunt, Sailing Master of the frigate Bon Homme Richard, and the silence so many of the sources have on Richard Wall's brother, Gilbert Wall, who was supposedly a midshipman also on board both the frigates Bon Homme Richard and South Carolina. This blog writer has located further evidence concerning both of these men that has shown some light on the two issues cited above. The focus of this post will be to present that information on both of these patriot mariners.
The first mariner that this post will address is Gilbert Wall. There are scant few references to Gilbert Wall in the sources dealing with the frigate South Carolina. He is cited in the section of Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, entitled "Appendix: Crew and Marines of the South Carolina", page 169. His "position" on board the frigate South Carolina is cited as a "midshipman" directly above the citation for Richard Wall which is an identical citation, that of "midshipman". There are no further citations for him in Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia. Also, there are no references to Gilbert Wall in any of the biographies of John Paul Jones. Yet, supposedly, both Gilbert Wall and Richard Wall served on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard as directly cited in Johnson's work, Traditions and Reminiscences, page 132 - "That both of them [Gilbert and Richard Wall], and many others of her crew [the crew of the frigate South Carolina], had been with Paul Jones in the capture of the Serapis..." Again, none of the biographies of John Paul Jones nor the rosters of the frigate Bon Homme Richard at the time of the famous battle cite either Gilbert or Richard Wall as being on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard at the time of the famous engagement with the HMS Serapis. In the case of Richard Wall, this is almost certainly due to his having been captured by the British prior to the battle. But, there is no reason for a lack of mention or citation of Gilbert Wall if he was indeed on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard at the time of the engagement. This point of dispute is covered in the post cited below this particular post and is dated "09/11/2015".
He is supposedly the brother of Richard Wall. But, there is only two references in the sources that cite him as the brother of Richard Wall. The first reference appears in Johnson's work, Traditions and Reminiscences, page 132, and relates the account of the final battle of the frigate South Carolina on December 20, 1782 off Cape Henlopen. This account states that, "Mr. [Richard] Wall also told me, that his brother, Gilbert Wall, was with him in this frigate [ the frigate South Carolina] at this time..." The second reference is found in Drago's work, Charleston's Avery Center, pages 31-32. This particular reference is cited in full here and is as follows:
"Born in the county of Limerick, Ireland in 1754, Richard Wall, the family's patriarch, traveled to France with his brother Gilbert to join the American fight for independence. In April 1779 a squadron of armed vessels under the command of John Paul Jones was being fitted at the Port of L'Orient. The brothers enlisted and boarded the Bon Homme Richard as marine cadets, each with the rank of midshipman. Shortly afterwards, off the coast of Ireland, several of the ship's crew deserted. Richard Wall, ordered to pursue them, was captured and sent from Ireland to Forton Prison. According to Wall, he was 'exposed to more than the usual hardships and privations of a Prisoner of War is compelled to submit to, being put on a very short allowance and daily threatened with execution as a rebel.' In 1782, he was returned to Philadelphia as part of a prisoner exchange. He then joined his brother Gilbert on the frigate South Carolina. After its capture, the two men decided to make Charleston their permanent home.... As a crewman aboard the Bon Homme Richard and the sole heir of Gilbert, who died in 1787, Wall was entitled to prize money for the capture of the British warships Serapis and Countess of Scarborough. After his death in 1842, his son and executor, Edward, pursued the matter. In 1869 the estate was awarded the prize money due the father [Richard Wall].
These are literally the only two references this blog writer has encountered that makes this assertion of familial relationship between Gilbert and Richard Wall. Richard Wall does not even mention this relationship in his pension application, the "Pension Application of Richard Wall S22032".
This blog writer finds it interesting the number of sources that cite Richard Wall and his services during the American Revolution but, do not cite or even mention Gilbert Wall at all. In Moss's work, Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution, Richard Wall is cited at length, both his earlier service on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard and his later service on board the frigate South Carolina. The entry for Richard Wall appears on page 962 in the above cited source and is as follows:
Wall, Richard - S22032 b. 25 December 1754, County Limerick, Ireland
d. 5 January 1842
He served aboard the Bon Homme Richard during April 1779 as a cadet of marines under Capt. John Paul Jones. While pursuing deserters, he was captured near the shore of Ireland and sent to England and to Forton Prison. After being released, he became a midshipman of the frigate South Carolina and was captured when the ship was taken, but he was exchanged. McCrady, I, 219.
In Hoyt and Metcalf's work, Index of Revolutionary War Pension Applications, Richard Wall is cited for his services in the patriot cause. The entry for Richard Wall appears on page 1219 and is as follows::
Wall, Richard - Navy, (enl. in France), S.C., Sea Service, S22032. b. in Ireland.
Each of these two entries give pertinent information on the services of Richard Wall during the American Revolution. In fact, in several of the points these two entries support each other. Both cite that he was born in Ireland. Both cite that his service was in the Navy. Both also cite that his pension application number is S22032. Each of the further commentaries only add to what is known of the Revolutionary War efforts of Richard Wall. Finally, Richard Wall is cited in Ervin's work, South Carolinians in the Revolution, page 36, in a table of pensioners who filed in Charleston, SC well after the end of the war for support from their government in their elderly years. When he filed for his pension, Richard Wall was almost eighty years old. This citation is located in the post cited below this post and dated "09/11/2015".
In none of these extensive works is Gilbert Wall mentioned at all. Lastly, Richard Wall filed a pension application, "Pension Application of Richard Wall S22032", the text of which has come down to us to this day. Gilbert Wall evidently did not file a pension application or the text of it has not survived.
Yet, there are a few surviving documents that prove to us that Gilbert Wall did exist and served the patriot cause during the American Revolution. The first of these sources that cite the existence and service of Gilbert Wall is the section of Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, entitled "Appendix: Crew and Marines of the South Carolina", pages 135-170 that lists the entire roster of those who served on board the frigate South Carolina. On page 169, one finds Gilbert Wall cited and his "position" listed simply as "Midshipman". This is by nature of its authorship a secondary source but, the roster is taken from numerous primary sources that Dr. Lewis encountered as he was doing research for the book, Neptune's Militia. Thus, this "Appendix" section of the book carries the weight of a primary source. Second, in Revill's work, Copy of the Original Index Book, page 385, we find a citation of Gilbert Wall having received a certificate from the state of South Carolina on May 31, 1783 for 159p/5s/9d for his services on board the frigate South Carolina. Thirdly, there is the suspect source, "Memoir of Commodore Alexander Gillon", cited in Johnson's work, Traditions and Reminiscences, page 132. This source cites Gilbert Wall being on board the frigate South Carolina for its final battle against the three British men-of-war on December 20, 1782. This particular source has been cited in full in the previous post dated "09/11/2015" but, primarily in reference to Richard Wall, though Gilbert Wall is mentioned in the citation.
There is a brief reference to Gilbert Wall, again, near the end of Richard Wall's pension application. The citation evidently was made by an unknown Wall family member after the death of Richard Wall on January 5, 1842. In Edmund L. Drago's work, Charleston's Avery Center, is cited the following passage:
"Born in the county of Limerick, Ireland, in 1754, Richard Wall, the family's patriarch, traveled to France with his brother Gilbert to join the American fight for independence..."
This is the second time a reference to Gilbert Wall as being a brother of Richard Wall has been made, the first being the citation contained in Johnson's suspect work, Traditions and Reminiscences. But, the suspicions only seems to apply to the authorship and the overall tone of the "Memoir of Commodore Alexander Gillon" and does not seem to reflect upon claims made concerning familial relationships on board the frigate South Carolina.
The fifth, and final, document that cites Gilbert Wall is one that may clear up the question of why he is not mentioned as frequently as Richard Wall. This citation is contained in Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck's work, Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants: Awarded by State Governments. The entry for Gilbert Wall appears on page 549 of the above cited work. This entry reads as follows:
Wall, Gilbert. S.C. -------------. 5 Nov. 1792. 200 acres to Richard Wall, heir at law.
This brief entry illuminates a good deal concerning Gilbert Wall. His bounty land grant was issued to him by the state of South Carolina. The blank space immediately after the citation of the state issuing the bounty land grant to Gilbert Wall is were his rank or type of service would have been entered. Thus, it was not known at the time of this entry that he had served in the Navy of South Carolina as a midshipman, if indeed he did serve in that branch of service and in that capacity. The date that follows this blank space is the date of record for the bounty land grant awarded to Gilbert Wall. And, lastly, the acreage awarded to him for his service is cited. But, this is where the entry provides new information concerning Gilbert Wall that this blog writer has not encountered before. After the citation of "200 acres" it clearly states that this acreage was given to "...Richard Wall, heir at law." This indicates that Gilbert Wall was deceased by the time his bounty land grant was issued and was thus issued to his heir, Richard Wall. This implies a relationship between Gilbert and Richard Wall, most probably a relationship of brotherhood. If one compares the entry for Gilbert Wall in Revill's work, Copy of the Original Index Book, page 385, one finds that hew as awarded 159p/5s/9d on May 31, 1783, again implying that Gilbert Wall was alive at this point in time but, had died by November 5, 1792, the date his bounty land grant was awarded to his "... heir at law...", Richard Wall. This is a possible reason for the lack of references to Gilbert Wall. This record could imply that soon after the cessation of hostilities with Great Britain, Gilbert Wall was deceased and thus no longer contributed to the continuation of the Wall family or the new United States of America. This could easily be the reason for no more references being made concerning Gilbert Wall after the American Revolution but, this still does not address why he has so few references being made concerning him during the American Revolution. That question still remains to be answered. A last point to be made is there is no entry for Richard Wall in Bockstruck's work, Revolutionary War Bounty Land Grants, at all.
(Note: In Drago's work, Charleston's Avery Center, page 32, a citation appears that states, as noted above, that Gilbert Wall died in 1787 in Charleston, SC.)
The second mariner to be addressed in this post is "Cullen" Lunt. There is no reference to a "Cullen" Lunt in any of the works or sources with which this blog writer is familiar other than the reference to him in the "Pension Application of Richard Wall S22032" filed on December 19, 1832 in Charleston, SC. The reason for this is that Richard Wall, a "Cadet of Marines" on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard and a Midshipman on board the frigate South Carolina misquoted his name. Instead of "Cullen" Lunt, it should be Cutting Lunt, who was indeed the 3rd Lieutenant on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard under the command of Captain John Paul Jones. Cutting Lunt is cited in many of the biographies of John Paul Jones. The most detailed account of the incident leading to the capture of Cutting Lunt and the rest of the crew of the longboat of the frigate Bon Homme Richard, including "Cadet of Marines" Richard Wall, is contained in Walker's work, John Paul Jones: Maverick Hero. This reference is cited in full here:
"Cruising along the rocky coast of Kerry [Ireland] when the wind dropped, the Bon Homme Richard found herself becalmed within sight of a brig on her way to Bristol with a cargo of whale oil and wooden staves. Two armed boats were sent to take her, which they did with no trouble. However, in the flat calm, the current started to take the ship towards the Skellig rocks. The Commodore ordered that his barge, the largest boat on board, be lowered to tow the ship away from the looming danger. The coxswain was the man who had been flogged for causing the undignified return of Paul Jones to his flagship in the fishing smack, and the barge was crewed by six Irishmen. They plied the oars manfully for quite some time but as night began to fall, cut the towrope and rowed smartly for the shore. The third lieutenant Cutting Lunt, who had appointed the coxswain and detailed the boat crew, was appalled at the turn of events. Without waiting for orders he had the jolly boat lowered, and accompanied by two officers and nine men set off in hot pursuit over the deceptively placid sea. They failed to catch the deserters, getting hopelessly lost in a wreathing fog which hung over the area that night and for most of the next day. When the fog eventually lifted the next day and the jolly boat had not returned, a perplexed John Paul sent the eighteen-gun cutter Cerf to look for the two missing boats. Cerf too disappeared, never to be seen again during the voyage.
In due course she found the jolly boat, but inexplicably showed English colours - she had been captured from the English - and fired a gun. Lunt in the jolly boat thought she was an enemy vessel and made off into the lingering fog, getting lost again. He and his crew were by now famished, so they landed to look for food, only to be captured by the Kerry Rangers. There was nothing comical in this for the hapless Lunt, who did not survive his second spell in a British prison."
The loss of the jolly boat and its crew by the frigate Bon Homme Richard would have taken place around April 26, 1779, most probably slightly before this date. "Cadet of Marines" Richard Wall was one of the two other officers who went with 3rd Lieutenant Cutting Lunt in the jolly boat after the deserters that day. This would have led to the imprisonment so prominently cited in his pension application of December 19, 1832.
As stated above, this is the most detailed account of the events that took place after the jolly boat of the frigate Bon Homme Richard went in pursuit of the deserters who had taken the longboat of the frigate. There are several other accounts - some shorter, others longer - of this same event. There is a very similar account contained in Johnson's work, The First Captain: The Story of John Paul Jones, page 229. This account is lengthy also but, does contain some details not cited in the above account.
"On one occasion he [Jones] got in too close and the Bon Homme Richard, always sluggish, did not respond to the helm against the current; so he put the captain's barge overside with a towline to swing her head around. Unfortunately, the boat's crew were British, who, seeing themselves close to land, cut the towline and made for the beach. Without orders Cutting Lunt, third lieutenant, took another boat and with twenty men went in pursuit. A fog came up and Lunt lost sight of the barge. He tried to make his way back in response to the Bon Homme Richard's signal guns. Suddenly a ship loomed up in the fog and fired on him. Certain that he had run into a British man-of-war, he made all speed in the opposite direction, ran up on the beach, and was captured.
The ship which had fired on him, and caused his capture, was the Cerf. Doubtless this was a blunder, but two days later it was no blunder when she deserted and went back to France."
There are very similar details shared in this account when compared with the account above except that this account has the Bon Homme Richard firing signal guns on behalf of the pursuing boat. Also, this account cites that the crew of the captain's barge were British subjects who took the opportunity to desert rather than disgruntled Irishmen who found themselves just off the coast of their homeland.
The account contained in the incomparable Samuel Eliot Morison's work, John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography, pages 208-209, is as follows:
"That same evening of 23 August, in a flat calm, the swell and current began to set Richard so close to the Skelligs that the Commodore ordered his barge - the biggest boat that he carried - to be lowered and manned with a coxswain and six seamen in order to tow the ship clear of danger. Master Lunt made the mistake of appointing as coxswain the one who had been flogged at Lorient, and manning the boat with Irishmen who, seizing a chance for home, cut the towrope at 10:30PM and rowed rapidly shoreward. Upon seeing them make off, Lunt lowered the jolly boat, and with himself in command, and two other officers and nine men, chased the deserters. They pursued with such zeal that they got lost in a fog mull which hung over southwest Ireland that night and the next day, the 24th.
Jones now sent the cutter Cerf to reconnoiter the Irish coast and recover the missing boats.... Upon sighting Master Lunt's boat he showed English colors and fired a gun. Lunt, naturally supposing her to be an enemy cutter (she had been the HMS Stag, and the weather was foggy) made his best efforts to escape , and in so doing got lost, landed at Ballinskelligs Bay in the hope of finding something to eat , and was promptly captured by the Kerry Rangers. Cerf never rejoined the Commodore but returned to Lorient."
This account, as the following one, gives the approximate date for the loss of the Bon Homme Richard's jolly boat and her crew of pursuing seamen. Also, this much earlier account cites the fact that the Cerf fired a gun which Cutting Lunt and the crew of the jolly boat took to be an aggressive act by an enemy vessel and fled into the fog once again. This is also the second account, the first one being the initial cited account above, that states that it was the Kerry Rangers who captured Cutting Lunt and the jolly boat's crew.
The account given in Lorenz's work, John Paul Jones: Fighter for Freedom and Glory, pages 275-276, is as follows
"It happened that, in a calm and near dangerous coastal waters, Jones had dispatched his barge ahead to tow the Bon Homme Richard after her helm had proved unable to swing her from the sweep of the tide. The barge's crew, chiefly Englishmen, who had towed the ship, finding the occasion opportune to desert, cut the towline, decamped with the barge, and fled to the nearby shore. Cutting Lunt, the third lieutenant, with a number of sailors and marines, lowered and manned another of the ship's boats and pursued them without the Captain's orders; he ventured too far, a fog soon arose, and the signal guns from the Bon Homme Richard brought no recall.... Jones remained near the coast in hope of the return of Lunt and the party of twenty of his best seamen. When he sent the Cerf to reconnoitre, this vessel was maladroit enough to hoist English colors and fire upon the boat of the third lieutenant at the very time he approached her. In the opinion that he had mistaken her identity, Lunt fled to the shore, landed, and terminated his second capture by death in an English prison."
Again, in this account of the event, Cutting Lunt is identified as the third lieutenant on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard and that he went in pursuit of the deserters without his Captain's knowledge. This is the second, and only other account than Walker's account, that states that Cutting Lunt, third lieutenant and sailing master on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard, died in a British prison.
The account contained in Callo's work, John Paul Jones: America's First Sea Warrior, pages 80-81, presents a rather disjointed account of the event due to the overshadowing backstory of Jone's French counterparts confronting him with complaints concerning the conduct of the mission to that point in time. The account is as follows but, only the pertinent parts are related here:
"By 23 August Bon Homme Richard had made landfall off the Irish coast at Dingle Bay, in the southwest corner of Ireland. The series of events that followed did not portend the momentously positive deployments to come. The first event was one of a squadron commander's worst nightmares during the age of sail: a complete lack of wind. In this instance, such a clam was a double jeopardy for Jones. He had to try to keep his squadron together, and he had to try to keep its ships off the threatening rocks of the Skelligs, outside Dingle Bay. As the current and swells were setting him closer and closer to the rocks, his barge was lowered to tow Bon Homme Richard clear of danger. The coxswain and crew of the barge were Irish, and took advantage of the situation to abandon the becalmed Bon Homme Richard and head for shore and home. The ships' sailing master pursued the deserters in another of the ship's boats and only succeeded in getting lost in a fog. The deployment was just beginning, and Jones had two boats and a significant number of men missing, including his second lieutenant.
Next, Jones sent Cerf to search for the two missing boats and his second lieutenant, all of which were important parts of the Bon Homme Richard's operating capability, and the situation continued to deteriorate rapidly."
The interesting point in this account of the event is that the exact location and approximate date are given for the events that unfolded that day the Bon Homme Richard's jolly boat and her pursuing crew were lost off the coast of Ireland. It would appear that the jolly boat and her crew were captured on August 24, 1779. But, in two places in this account, the Sailing Master, Cutting Lunt, who is not named in this account, is referred to as the "Second Lieutenant" rather than the Third Lieutenant.
The account contained in Vansittart's work, John Paul Jones: A Restless Spirit, page 142, is very brief and lacks real details of the event:
"...on the Bon Homme Richard, some men, mostly British, contrived to abandon ship, and the loyal third lieutenant, in pursuit, got himself captured with a score of others, mostly due to blunders by Captain Varage on Cerf."
The account cites that "...the loyal third lieutenant...", being Cutting Lunt, and a "score of others" were captured while the account from Walker cites Lunt and eleven others. The account from Vansittart gives no details on how the men, "...mostly British, contrived to abandon ship..." while Walker's account states clearly that these sailors were disaffected Irishmen who knew that they were close to their native land and chose to make a run for it.
The account contained in Thomas's work, John Paul Jones: Sailor, Hero, Father of the American Navy, page 169, is rather lengthy in itself but, allows for even fewer specifics concerning the loss of the second boat of the Bon Homme Richard and its crew:
"Off the Irish coast, Bon Homme Richard was becalmed and began slowly drifting, pushed by the swell and current, toward the rocks. Jones sent out the captain's barge with a towline to pull the Bon Homme Richard out danger. The coxswain of the barge, as it happened, was one of the men who had been flogged by Jones for stranding the captain on the beach at L'Orient earlier that month. The half-dozen oarsmen aboard the barge were all homesick English and Irishmen. The night was dark; they saw their chance to escape. Cutting the tow rope, they began pulling madly for shore. Pandemonium on the quarterdeck: a 9-pounder was futilely fired in the general direction of the deserters, and the ship's longboat was lowered away and rowed in hot pursuit. The longboat vanished in a thick fog bank. Neither returned."
There are even fewer details in this account of the event but, it does mention for the first time that "...a 9-pounder was futilely fired in the general direction of the deserters..." which is the first mention of the use of gunfire in attempting to turn back the deserters. Some of the accounts mention the use of signal guns to assist the jolly boat in returning to the frigate Bon Homme Richard but, this account given above is the first that states that the frigate fired upon the deserters.
None of these accounts of the incident concerning the loss of the jolly boat and her entire crew from the frigate Bon Homme Richard mention the "Cadet of Marines" Richard Wall by name. His presence can be interpreted as being alluded to in some of the sources as one of the two accompanying officers or as one of the marines in the jolly boat. But, there is one source that even more directly refers to an officer of marines as being among those who were captured when the jolly boat came ashore in Ireland. Interestingly enough, it is a primary source whereas all the others have been secondary sources. This is found in Seitz's work, Paul Jones: His Exploits in English Seas During 1778-1780, page 34. The reference is cited here but, only the portion dealing with the capture of the jolly boat. Also, the name of the newspaper and the date of the edition is given:
"London Evening Post" - Wednesday, September 15, 1779 -
"Letters received from Tralee in Ireland, mention, that on the 26th of last month the squadron under the command of Paul Jones were blown out of Ballynskeligs by a violent gale of N.E. wind, which obliged them to quit that bay with such precipitation, that a long boat belonging to one of the frigates, with a Lieutenant of Marines, and 13 hands, were left behind, and captured by a detachment of the Kerry Legion."
The reference in this newspaper article from the "London Evening Post" is almost certainly a direct allusion to the person of Richard Wall, who, in fact, at this time, was a "Cadet of Marines" on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard and not a "Lieutenant of Marines". A few of the other sources mention that "...two officers..." went with Third Lieutenant Cutting Lunt in the jolly boat but, none of them cite the officer's names, ranks or whether or not they were attached to the frigate's marine contingent. According to the pension application of Richard Wall, "Pension Application of Richard Wall S22032", he was one of these two officers and at that time he was enlisted as a "Cadet of Marines" on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard. He does mention a "Cullen" Lunt as a crew member of the jolly boat but, does not mention any other officer as being present at the capture by the Kerry Rangers. In the opinion of this blog writer, it is safe to assume that this reference to a "Lieutenant of Marines" is a direct reference to Richard Wall who, as a direct result of the capture of the jolly boat in which he was a passenger, was about to embark on his first imprisonment at the hands of the British.
Evidently, Cutting Lunt had a cousin who not only also served on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard but, also served at the same time as Cutting Lunt. According to Morison's work, John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography, page 203:
"Next junior to Lieutenant Dale were two men from Newburyport, in Massachusetts. Henry Lunt, twenty-six years old, a seaman in Alfred on the New Providence expedition, had transferred with Paul Jones to sloop Providence for his first independent cruise. When that was over, he shipped with his cousin, Cutting Lunt, in a privateer, which was captured on Christmas Eve 1776. After more than two years spent in Mill Prison, the Lunts were exchanged and arrived at Nantes in a cartel (prisoner exchange) in March 1779. Jones was overjoyed to meet is old shipmate, and promptly appointed him second lieutenant of Bon Homme Richard, and his cousin, Cutting Lunt, aged thirty, master."
This passage indicates that Cutting Lunt was from Newburyport, MA and that at the time he was captured, along with "Cadet of Marines" Richard Wall and the other members of the jolly boat of the frigate Bon Homme Richard, he was thirty years old. According to Walsh's work, Night on Fire: The First Complete Account of John Paul Jones's Greatest Battle, page 22, there is a second confirmation that the home town of Henry Lunt was indeed Newburyport, MA, - "ranking third in the chain of command was Lieutenant Henry Lunt, twenty-six, of Newburtyport, MA, who had been with Jones in the Providence."
The purpose for sharing all this seemingly extraneous, though interesting, information is that there seems to be some discrepancy concerning the burial place of Cutting Lunt. Two of the above cited sources refer to Cutting Lunt as dying in a British prison during his second imprisonment. These two sources are Walker's work, John Paul Jones: Maverick Hero and Lorenz's work, John Paul Jones: Fighter for Freedom and Glory, page 276, cite Lunt's death in a British prison. But, there is a piece of information that possibly could contest this assertion the Cutting Lunt, Third Lieutenant and Sailing Master of the frigate Bon Homme Richard, died not in a British prison but, rather in his native Massachusetts. In Hatcher's work, Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, Vol. 3, L-R, page 38, the following entry appears:
Lunt, Cutting - opp church; Newbury, MA, 56
The translation of the brief entry following Lunt's name here is that the grave is located in Newbury, MA opposite the church. The numerical entry immediately after the location of the grave indicates that the grave was identified in 1956.
There is no indication that this is the same Cutting Lunt that served on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard and was captured along with "Cadet of Marines" Richard Wall, who would later serve on board the frigate South Carolina being captured on board that frigate on December 20, 1782. But, there are some extenuating circumstances here. First, the name, Cutting Lunt, is not that familiar of a name. It could possibly be a family name that was used by several members of the same family. But, there does exist the possibility that this is the same Cutting Lunt who the above two sources cite as having died in a British prison. Second, it is rather interesting that only two of the above sources state that he died in a British prison. Yet, there are six other sources that either directly name the sailing master or cite his rank on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard as well as refer to his capture along the coast of Ireland. Yet, these other sources mention nothing of the sailing master/third lieutenant of the frigate Bon Homme Richard dying in a British prison. Thus, there is the possibility that Cutting Lunt could have survived and returned home to Newbury, MA to die there later on. Third, and finally, there is the reference in Morison's work, John Paul Jones: A Sailor's Biography, page 203, and also in Walsh's work, Night on Fire: The First Complete Account of John Paul Jones's Greatest Battle, page 22, to his having been from the town of Newburyport, MA. Of course, these are mostly references to his cousin, Henry Lunt, who was the Second Lieutenant on board the frigate Bon Homme Richard but, still Morsion's work mentions him specifically by name as well as age at the time. Thus, he, or someone else unrelated by the name of Cutting Lunt, is also buried in Newbury, MA as attested in Hatcher's work, Abstract of Graves of Revolutionary Patriots, Vol. 3, L-R, page 38.