Allen, Gardner Weld. Massachusetts Privateers of the Revolution, (Westminster, MD: Heritage Books, Inc., 2010, originally published Boston, MA: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1927.)
Kaminkow, Marion and Jack. Mariners of the American Revolution, (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1967, 1993.)
Kellow, Ken. "American War of Independence at Sea: Massachusetts Privateer Brig Dalton", (awiatsea.com, posted September 21, 2014.)
Lewis, James A. Neptune's Militia: The Frigate South Carolina during the American Revolution, (Kent, OH: The Kent State University Press, 1999.)
Moss, Bobby Gilmer. Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution, (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1983.)
Wates, Wylma Anne. Stub Entries to Indents: Issued in Payment of Claims Against South Carolina Growing Out of the Revolution, (Columbia, SC: South Carolina Archives Department, 1957.)
House of Lords Library - Parliamentary Archives: HL/PO/JO/10/7/547 - "Warrants for Prisoners to be Confined in Mill Prison, Plymouth, 1777." (London, England: http://www.parliament.uk/archives).
This overall blog has mainly focused with the cruises and personnel of the frigate South Carolina, the most heavily gunned ship-of-war under patriot command during the American Revolution. Yet, other vessels have also graced the digital pages of this blog and left behind their names in the wake of the frigate South Carolina. Many of these patriot vessels had previously been captured by elements of the Royal Navy, had their captive crewmen and marines carried into British ports, and once there imprisoned on British soil. But, there were "prisoner cartels" running back and forth between England and France in which captured seamen and marines were exchanged from one warring power to another. For exchanged Britons, this final leg of their transatlantic journeys took them to their homeland. For exchanged Americans, they were still far from home and many wanted desperately to get across the Atlantic Ocean to home soil as soon as possible. One certain way they had of reaching their objective was to sign on with a vessel, any patriot ship would do in a pinch, and reach home by that means. These men would sign on with merchant vessels, privateers, and Continental Navy ships-of-war. One of these ships presented herself in the form of a newly commissioned and freshly completed frigate attached to the South Carolina Navy and bound for home waters - the frigate South Carolina. She would sail from The Texel, Holland, near the shipyard where she was built in Amsterdam, when she ventured out into hostile seas. Many of the seamen and marines who voyaged on board the frigate South Carolina for her maiden voyage were former unwilling guests of British gaols and prison ships. At least some of these men had been part of the crew and marines of the Massachusetts privateer brigantine/brig/ship Dalton out of Newburyport, Massachusetts. This specific post will examine the lives of those sailors and marines who were captured on board the privateer Dalton up to their signing on board the frigate South Carolina. Hopefully, the information provided her will give more substance to the lives of these men long departed from the human scene.
Just as a little background, Newburyport, Massachusetts had been established as a separate town from Newbury, Massachusetts on January 28, 1764. According to the Wikipedia article, page 1, Newburyport is about thirty-five miles northeast of Boston, and is described as a coastal town having"...three shipyards, no bridges, and several ferries.". At the time of its incorporation as a separate town from Newbury, Massachusetts in 1764, there were almost 3,000 people living there. Newburyport is in far northeastern Massachusetts and is closer to the New Hampshire state line than to Boston proper. An interesting historical facet emerges in the position this town held on the issue of slavery. Again, the Wikipedia article, page 1, states:
"Although the purchase of slaves in Massachusetts was illegal, but the ownership of slaves purchased elsewhere was not; consequently the fine homes on High Street were staffed by African and Native American slaves until the newly independent General Court of Massachusetts abolished slavery altogether during the Revolutionary War.".
There are numerous accounts of New England slaves as well as freemen serving on board of ships-of-war issuing out of New England ports of call. It may be possible for the writer of this blog to discern some African-Americans among the sailors or marines captured on board the Massachusetts privateer Dalton. And, on the subject of privateers and privateering, according to the Wikipedia article, page 1, Newburyport, Massachusetts was a port of call well known as a sanctuary for and builders of privateers in both the American Revolution as well as the War of 1812.
Numerous sources refer to the privateer brig/brigantine/ship Dalton but, none of them touch upon where and when the Dalton was constructed. One can assume the patriot ship was constructed in Newburyport, Massachusetts but, this could possibly not be altogether factual. The ship could have been built somewhere else and later acquired by its owners at the time of her capture. All the sources are quiet on this point. But, there is one source that might possibly shed a bit more light on this matter. According to Allen's Massachusetts Privateers of the Revolution, page 108, the following information appears concerning the exact brig/brigantine/ship Dalton which in the subject of this specific post:
October 7, 1776
Dalton, Brigantine
Guns: 18, Men: 120
Commander: Eleazar Johnson, Jr.
Bond: $10,000
Bonders: Eleazar Johnson, Jr, mariner, Tristram Dalton and Stephen Hooper, merchants, all of Newburyport
,
Bound to Henry Gardner and payment, if made, to be "for the use of the United States".
Owners: Tristram Dalton and Stephen Hooper
Witnesses: Joseph Cutler, Samuel Nowell
Sources:
Massachusetts Archive, Vol. V, pages 165, 191, 334
New England Historical and Genealogical Register, April, 1878
Livesey, Prisoners of 1776, (the Dalton was captured and the crew sent to Mill Prison).
(Note: There is some small discrepancy in the number of guns carried on the Massachusetts privateer Dalton. Allen's statistics are cited above. But, Kellow's sources state that the Dalton had eighteen cannons which, more specifically, were four 6-pounders, fourteen 4-pounders, and four 2-pounders. Yet, Kellow also adds in that the patriot brigantine carried twenty swivel guns in addition to the cited firepower. When the Dalton was captured on December 24, 1776, the Royal Navy statistics of her armaments were twenty guns and twenty swivel guns.)
Again, we know that the Dalton was commissioned on October 7, 1776. But, we do not know if this was her construction completion and launching date or if she had been built earlier, possibly in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and on this date she was first commissioned as a privateering ship-of-war. But, what we do know is that her time as a privateer out of Massachusetts in the cause of American liberty was brief. According to Kellow's article, page 2:
"The Dalton sailed from Newburyport on November 15, 1776 and put into Portsmouth, New Hampshire the same day. After a brief stay [Eleazar] Johnson [her captain] took her to sea on November 26 [1776], bound for European waters."
On December 24, 1776, when the Dalton reached a point about 60-90 miles west of Cape Finisterre, a sail was sighted at 2:00PM which turned out to be the HMS Raisonable (Captain Thomas Fitzherbert), a 64-gun British battleship, which gave chase to the fleeing Dalton. This Royal Navy ship-of-the-line pursued the Massachusetts privateer Dalton for about eight hours until the HMS Raisonable was close enough to fire a ranging shot, followed by another shot. Captain Eleazer Johnson decided to err on the side of discretion and struck the Dalton's colors. The Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton had been at sea for a total of 28 days.
(Note: Cape Finisterre is a peninsula of bare rock, jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean from the extreme northwestern part of Spain. Galicia is the Spanish province in which Cape Finisterre is located. In ancient Roman times, this cape was said to be the end of the known world. So, the Latin name given to this peninsula was "finis terre" or "the end of the earth".)
Kellows' article, page 2, gives the following account of the British treatment and disposition of the crew and marines of the Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton after she had been boarded by her captors:
"The prisoners were hustled aboard the Raisonable, robbed of their clothing, and dumped into the cable tier. The British noted that she was armed with twenty guns and twenty swivels, and was manned with 120 men. The crew was taken to England and confined aboard various ships near Plymouth, England. As early as March 2, 1777, the American Commissioners in France, in the person of Benjamin Franklin, proposed an exchange of prisoners for the Dalton's crew. Although some of the crew were sent to the hospital and others confined on the HMS Blenheim, all were destined for Mill Prison.".
(Note: In Naval Documents of the American Revolution, Vol. 7, page 802, we find an extracted portion of "Journal of Charles Herbert, Massachusetts Privateer Brig Dalton" . This entry is dated December 24, 1776, the date of the capture of the Dalton by the HMS Raisonable. It states that "...as her cruise was over, she [HMS Raisonable] was bound for Plymouth, England.". The captured crew and marines of the Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton were to be imprisoned in the very town for which their Royal Navy captor was bound, being that both these ships cruise's were at an end, so to say.)
This brings the readership to an event the writer of this blog has never encountered prior to this specific post. It seems that the captive rebellious Americans have always been treated roughly and delivered en masse to a place of incarceration where their names are recorded along with a few bits of other information but, otherwise they are unceremoniously dumped. In some cases, the officers and other "gentlemen" are separated from their NCOs and enlisted crewmen and marines and receive much better treatment as a result of their "station in life". In a few cases, this does not happen with both officers and all enlisted ranks facing severe treatment, neglect, poor rations, and marked lack of medical attention. The crew and marines of the Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton experienced all of these same conditions and predicaments except for the manner in which they were consigned to their place of incarceration - Old Mill Prison in Plymouth, England. The crew and marines of the Dalton were consigned piecemeal to prison over a several day period of time. It is this circumstance of consignment over a period of time that the writer of this blog has never seen before now.
According to the document cited as "House of Lords Library - Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/JO/10/7/547", the crew and marines of the Dalton were committed to Old Mill Prison over a period of eleven days from June 2, 1777 to June 11, 1777. During this time, the captured Americans were consigned on the following days: June 2, June 3, June 5, June 6, June 9, June 10, and June 11. We do have a glimpse of these captured American mariners being a little at a time removed from their temporary prison - an on shore hospital or the prison ship HMS Blenheim - and consigned to a much more permanent prison in the form of Old Mill Prison, located there in Plymouth, England. According to Kellow's entry for "American War of Independence at Sea: Massachusetts Privateer Brig Dalton", page 2 the following brief journal entry for Samuel Cutler, Captain's Clerk for the Dalton, appears:
"Fifth remove. Nine Americans - myself included in the number - sent on shore to Fountain Tavern for examination. We were escorted there by seven soldiers and four midshipmen - before three justices at the above tavern, appointed on purpose to examine the prisoners. After four hours examination together, and separately, we were delivered to two constables and seven soldiers, to be committed to Mill Prison for high treason.".
(Note: The "House of Lords Library - Parliamentary Archives, HL/PO/JO/10/7/547" document is headed by "Warrants for Prisoners to be Confined in Mill Prison, Plymouth 1777". The two (not three) judges mentioned by Samuel Cutler were Justices Ralph Mitchell and James Young and they were authorized to make the following pronouncement:
"To the constables of the Parish of Stoke Damerel in the said county, and to the keeper of the Place of Confinement lately appointed by his Majesty, by warrant under his sign manual, called Old Mill Prison in the borough of Plymouth, in said county. That said (fill in name of prisoner) was taken at sea in the act of High Treason, committed on the High Seas.". Evidently, this exact phrase was intoned upon each captured American. Then, they were marched under guard to Old Mill Prison.)
(Note: Samuel Cutler is recorded as "Samuel Sutton (or Cutter?), captain's clerk" in the "House of Lords Library..." document. But, as far as the piecemeal removals of the crew and marines of the Massachusetts Privateer brig Dalton this was only the second removal of crewmen and occurred on June 3, 1777.)
The individual removals of captive Americans from their initial places of incarceration to the two justices numbered seven removals total and took place on the dates cited in the brief list below. Each individual removal seems to have been roughly of the equal number of captive Americans in each removal - between eight and ten men. Yet, there are some glaring discrepancies in these removals. The 4th removal was the largest by far and totalled nineteen men. The seventh and final removal was the smallest and totalled only three men, all of whom are designated as being "marines" on board the Dalton. The citations of these list of removals is as follows:
1st removal - June 2, 1777 eight men
2nd removal - June 3, 1777 ten men
3rd removal - June 5, 1777 ten men
4th removal - June 6, 1777 nineteen men
5th removal - June 9, 1777 eight men
6th removal - June 10, 1777 ten men
7th removal - June 11, 1777 three men
Time considerations as pertaining to the two justices and their other duties may have dictated the number of men they could cross-examine at one time, with possibly more time being available for the 4th removal when nineteen men were interrogated and dispatched to Old Mill Prison in a single day. The seventh and final removal of men was by far the smallest in number - only three - but, again may have been the "residue" of what had been left from the day before.
(Note: The writer of this blog finds it very interesting that all the sources that address the crew size of the Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton, both American and British, clearly state that there were either 120 or 121 men on board at the time of her capture on December 24, 1776. The seven removals of captured Americans, which occurred over nine days in June 1777 only account for sixty-eight of these men. The ultimate fate or disposition of the remaining fifty- two or fifty-three of these men is unclear. But, there does exist some degree of evidence that there was some type of chronological time break in the removals of captured Americans from the crew and marines of the Dalton. The removals appear to begin again at some point just before or on June 17, 1777 when, according to Kellow's website, "American War of Independence at Sea: Massachusetts Privateer Brig Dalton", page 3:
"...some ten members of of the Dalton's crew arrived from the Blenheim. These men reported that one crew member (Robert Burgoyne) had escaped in the night, attempting to swim ashore. Since he was not heard from he either escaped or drowned. Five more of the Dalton's men arrived on June 21, 1777."
With the addition of these fifteen more men, that brings the total up to eighty-three crew men from the captured Dalton having been consigned to Old Mill Prison by means of interrogation and sentencing of the two justices. That is still thirty-seven or thirty-eight crew members of the Dalton remaining. But, the pattern seems to have been established that though the "House of Lords Library..." document only contains references to the removals that took place between June 2-11, 1777, there were other removals that took place later than this date. As can be seen form the statement above contained in Kellow's entry for the brig Dalton some of the crewmen did escape prior to being incarcerated in Old Mill Prison. But, ultimately, the bulk of the crew and marines of the Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton did "do time" within the walls of Old Mill Prison.)
(Note: The entry of the first removal on June 2, 1777 is headed by the following statement of authority under which these men were being removed, interrogated and dispatched to Old Mill Prison:
"On the information of Paul Bruster late Lieutenant of His Majesty's ship Raissonable and George Hill midshipman of the said ship, from the Dalton privateer taken on 24th day of December last.".
This statement is seen only attached to the first removal list. All the remaining removal lists are headed by the abbreviated phrase "On the information of Bruster and Hill".)
At this point in the narrative, we are brought to the members of the crew and marines of the Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton who would eventually return to America on board the frigate South Carolina. Previous research has located roughly seven men on board the frigate South Carolina who had served on board the Dalton earlier. These men had been released from Old Mill Prison in one of the subsequent prisoner cartels that ran between France and England later in the war. Upon reaching France, these men, eager to get home, searched for a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean bound westward for the Americas. These either located the frigate South Carolina on their own or were directed to her by someone else, usually the American Commissioner to France, Dr. Benjamin Franklin.
(Note: The "previous research" referred to are two earlier posts from November 2015. Their titles and posting dates are as follows:
"The First and Second Rosters of the Frigate South Carolina, Pt. III - Possible Previous Imprisonments by the British of Members of the Crew and Marines of the Frigate South Carolina - Information Assessed and Hypotheses Drawn: Last Names - A-M" and posted on 11/10/2015.
"The First and Second Rosters of the Frigate South Carolina, Pt. IV - Possible Previous Imprisonments by the British of Members of the Crew and Marines of the Frigate South Carolina - Information Assessed and Hypotheses Drawn: Last Names - N-Z" and posted on 11/16/2015.)
The two posts cited above (as well as the further two posts/entries that precede these two posts cited above) indicate that a total of seven crew and marines of the Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton ultimately served on board the frigate South Carolina for her maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to America. Yet, in the "House of Lords Library..." document, we can only identify three of these men. Initially, this was accounted to men being left out of the accounting for one reason or another, men initially assigned to the hospital and thus examined and sentenced to Old Mill Prison in some other fashion, or some other "mishap" in recording or counting the presence of these men. But, as the Kellow entry cited above, page 3, clearly states, crew men and marines continued to be dispatched to Old Mill Prison after the date of the final removal and cross-examination of the captured Americans on June 11, 1777. This would completely account for the fact that the "House of Lords Library..." document accounts for only sixty-eight of these captured Americans rather than the full complement of 120-121 crewmen and marines. In fact, the latter referenced removals still only accounted for eighty-three crewmen and marines. So, with a fairly amount of certainty, we can ascertain that more removals took place after June 21, 1777. Thus, the four missing men from the roster of the frigate South Carolina had not been "removed" between the dates of June 2, 1777 when the removals begin to be recorded in the "House of Lords Library..." document and June 11, 1777 when the removals cease to be recorded in this specific document. These four other men who would eventually serve on board the frigate South Carolina certainly must have been removed after the cessation of the recorded documents as pertaining to these captured Americans from the Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton.)
The three known members of the Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton who served later on board the frigate South Carolina will be introduced and recorded in order of their prisoner "removals" from the HMS Blenheim and other ships where they were confined for examination and sentencing by the two justices holding court at The Fountain Tavern in Plymouth, England. The writer of this blog will provide information on each of these seven men that may possibly be found in one of the two posts cited above. Yet, the writer of this blog has deemed it necessary to present the information here and altogether so as to form a more complete picture of these men who earlier served on board the Dalton and who would once again serve together on board the frigate South Carolina.
Samuel Smith - Surgeon of the brig Dalton
According to the "House of Lords Library..." document, he was taken in the first removal of prisoners recorded as taking place on June 2, 1777. This group of eight prisoners was composed of the leadership of the Dalton's crew and marines and included a number of the high ranking officers of the Massachusetts privateer brig. In this document, Samuel Smith is cited as being the "surgeon" on board the privateer brig. Yet, in Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, page 166, he is cited as "no position cited" on board the frigate South Carolina. According to Kaminkow's work, Mariners of the American Revolution, page 176, Samuel Smith is cited as being a native of of Hampton, MA. He served on board the Dalton. He was committed to Old Mill Prison in June 1777. He escaped on July 12, 1777.
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Richard Lunt - Gunner's Yeoman/Mariner of the brig Dalton
According to the "House of Lords Library..." document, he was taken in the fourth removal of prisoners recorded as taking place on June 6, 1777. This was the largest of the prisoner removals and took nineteen men at once. In this same document, Richard Lunt is cited as being a "mariner of the Dalton privateer". In Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, page 156, he is cited as being "gunner's yeoman" on board the frigate South Carolina. According to Kaminkow's work, Mariners of the American Revolution, page 120, Richard Lunt is cited as being a native of Newburyport, MA. He served on board the Dalton. He was committed to Old Mill Prison in June 1777.He was pardoned for exchange on December 26, 1778. He joined the frigate Alliance.
After the conclusion of the war with Great Britain, Richard Lunt filed a certificate with the state of South Carolina for compensation for his services on board the frigate South Carolina. He is recorded in Wates's work, Stub Entries to Indents, page 119, as being issued a stub entry C669 on May 31, 1785 for 52p/13s/3d for his services as a gunner's yeoman on board the frigate South Carolina. In Moss's work, Roster of South Carolina Patriots, page 587, Richard Lunt is cited as having served as a gunner's yeoman on board the frigate South Carolina.
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John Down/Downs - Mariner of the Dalton privateer
According to the "House of Lords Library..." document, he was taken in the fifth removal of prisoners recorded as taking place on June 9, 1777. This prisoner removal was a typical sized removal of eight men total. In this same document, John Down is cited as being a "mariner of the Dalton privateer". In Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, page 145, he is cited as John Down and as having "no position cited" on board the frigate South Carolina. According to Kaminkow's work, Mariners of the American Revolution, page 57, John Down or Downs is cited as being a native of Old York, NH. He served either on board the Dalton or on board the Charming Polly. He was committed to Old Mill Prison in June 1777. He was pardoned for exchange on December 20, 1778. He went with John Paul Jones.
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This leaves four men remaining who had served and been captured on board the Dalton and would later serve on board the frigate South Carolina. These four men's names are not found in the "House of Lords Library..." document. Yet, we know they were committed to Old Mill Prison also, like the reminder of the crew and marines of the Dalton. This must mean that they were removed after the cessation of the court clerk recording removals and their associated dates. But, their information should be presented here so that there is a more complete picture of the seven men from the Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton who also served on board the frigate South Carolina. These men will be cited in alphabetical order and all information known concerning them will be cited, however brief it may be.
John Smith -
According to Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, page 166, John Smith is cited as "no position cited" on board the frigate South Carolina. In Kaminkow's work, Mariners of the American Revolution, page 175, John Smith was a native of Newburyport, MA. He served on board the Dalton. He was in the hospital on April 4, 1777. He was committed to Old Mill Prison in June 1777. He was pardoned for exchange on December 20, 1778.
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Jacob True -
According to Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, page 168, Jacob True was a "sailor" on board the frigate South Carolina. In Kaminkow's work, Mariners in the American Revolution, page 192, Jacob True's place of birth or residence is unknown. He served on board the Dalton. He was captured on December 24, 1776 and was subsequently committed to Old Mill Prison, date unspecified.
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Reuben Tucker -
According to Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, page 168, Reuben Tucker is cited as being a "carpenter's mate" on board the frigate South Carolina. In Kaminkow's work, Mariners of the American Revolution, page 192, Reuben Tucker was a native of Newburyport, MA. He served on board the Dalton. He was sent to hospital on February 15, 1777. He was committed to Old Mill Prison in June 1777. He was pardoned for exchange on December 11, 1779.
After the conclusion of the war with Great Britain, Reuben Tucker filed a certificate with the state of South Carolina for compensation for his services on board the frigate South Carolina. He is recorded in Wates's work, Stub Entries to Indents, page 120, as being issued a stub entry C671 on May 31, 1785 for 75p/8s/0d for his services as a carpenter's mate on board the frigate South Carolina. In Moss's work, Roster of South Carolina Patriots, page 941, Reuben Tucker is cited as being a carpenter's mate on board the frigate South Carolina.
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Thomas Welsh -
According to Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, page 169, Thomas Welsh is cited as being a "sailor" on board the frigate South Carolina. In Kaminkow's work, Mariners of the American Revolution, page 203, Thomas Welsh (or Welch) is cited as having served on board the Dalton. He was committed to Old Mill Prison. He escaped at some point in time.
After the conclusion of the war with Great Britain, Thomas Welsh filed a certificate with the state of South Carolina for compensation for his services on board the frigate South Carolina. He is recorded in Wates's work, Stub Entries to Indents, page 73, as being issued a stub entry C422 on July 15, 1785 for 21p/14s/7.5d for his services as a mariner on board the frigate South Carolina. In Moss's work, Roster of South Carolina Patriots, page 979, Thomas Welsh is cited as being a mariner on board the frigate South Carolina.
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So, these were the seven men of the former crew and marines of the Massachusetts privateer brig Dalton who would later sail to America on board the frigate South Carolina. There may be more but, at this point in this overall blog, the writer has located and identified these seven men. All seven of their names do indeed appear in Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, section entitled "Appendix: Crew and Marines of the South Carolina", pages 135-170. Sometimes their positions and function on board the patriot frigate are indicated. Sometimes these are left to the imagination of the reader. But, as just stated, we know that all seven of them served on board the frigate South Carolina on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic Ocean towards her namesake state of South Carolina. Yet, for these seven men, recently released in a prisoner exchange, this ship presented for them a new hope of reaching home after that fateful day - December 24, 1776 - off Cape Finisterre, Portugal and the ominous approach of the HMS Raisonable. Truly for these men, that day and that moment of capture and incarceration must have seemed like "the end of the world".