At the head of the list of men cited below are the following words: "A List of Men belonging to the Frigate South Carolina whose Acco'ts were sent to the Treasury per Resolve of the Legislature".
Again, for ease of reference, the following sources were used in collecting the assembled information:
Lewis, James A. Neptune's Militia: The Frigate South Carolina During the American Revolution. The Kent State University Press, 1999.
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.
Any additional information that is collected on these men, such as capture information on any of these men who were on board the frigate South Carolina when she was captured on December 20, 1782, will be included as it is located and recorded.
Foreign Personnel on board the Frigate South Carolina -
Francis Albert - Moss states that "he served aboard the frigate South Carolina". C715. Lewis cites him as "French sailor". Lewis also cites an alternate last name of Alberz. According to Revill, he was awarded 34p/16s/7d in Indent No. 765 C. Revill, p. 386.
Peter Dematz - Moss states "he served aboard the frigate South Carolina". C717. Moss also cites an alternate last name of Dematez. Lewis cites his name but, does not cite his "position" on board the frigate. According to Revill, he was awarded 30p/1s/0d in Indent No. 717 C. Revill, p. 386.
Francois Dennis - Moss states "he served aboard the frigate South Carolina". C718. Moss also cites an alternate first name of Francis. Lewis cites that he was a "French sailor". According to Revill, he was awarded 28p/9s/11d in Indent No. 718 C. Revill, p. 386.
Dennis Dumont - Moss states that "he served aboard the frigate South Carolina". C719. Lewis gives no further information on his "position" on board the frigate. According to Revill, he was awarded 18p/5s/8d in Indent No. 719 C. Revill, p. 386.
Lewis Molier - Moss states that "he served aboard the frigate South Carolina". C711. Moss cites an alternate last name of Mollier. Lewis states that he was a "French sailor". According to Revill, he was awarded 33p/12s/5d in Indent No. 711 C. Revill, p. 386.
Antonia Mossina - Moss states that "he served aboard the frigate South Carolina". C712. Moss cites an alternate first name of Anthonia. Lewis cites his name but, does not cite his "position" on board the frigate. According to Revill, he was included in a group of six men who are recorded in No. 712 Book C and a total of 139p/0s/10d was issued to John B. Petrie. Revill, p. 386.
James Nicholas Moyeux - Moss does not cite a James Nicholas Moyeux as serving on board the frigate South Carolina. Lewis states that he was a "French soldier". According to Revill, his information can be found in Entry Book No. 3, page 156. Revill, p. 386.
Anthony Parcour - Moss states that "he served aboard the frigate South Carolina". C712. Lewis states that he was a "French sailor (volunteer)". According to Revill, he was included in a group of six men who are recorded in No. 712 Book C and a total of 139p/0s/10d was issued to John B. Petrie. Revill, p. 386.
Ambrose Pickqui - Moss does not cite an Ambrose Pickqui as serving on board the frigate South Carolina. Lewis cites his name but, does not cite his "position" on board the frigate. According to Revill, he was awarded 35p/3s/6d in Indent No. 716 C. Revill, p. 386.
Nicholas Ravelini - Moss states that "he served aboard the frigate South Carolina". C713. Moss cites an alternate last name of Raveline. Lewis does cite his name but, does not cite his "position" on board the frigate. According to Revill, he was awarded 31p/3s/0d in Indent No. 713 C. Revill, p. 386.
William Roulain - Moss does not cite an individual named William Roulain as having served on board the frigate South Carolina. Lewis does cite William Roulain but, does not cite his "position" on board the frigate. According to Revill, he was included in a group of six men who are recorded in No. 712 Book C and a total of 139p/0s/10d was issued to John B. Petrie. Revill, p. 386.
Joseph Saullier - Moss does not cite a Joseph Saullier as serving on board the frigate South Carolina. Lewis does cite his name but, does not cite his "position" on board the frigate. According to Revill, he was included in a group of six men who are recorded in No. 712 Book C and a total of 139p/os/10d was issued to John B. Petrie. Revill, p. 386.
Rene Surplie - Moss states that "he served aboard the frigate South Carolina". C712. Lewis states that he was a "French sailor (Matelot volunteer) or soldier". According to Revill, he was included in a group of six men who are recorded in No. 712 Book C and a total of 139p/0s/10d was issued to John B. Petrie. Revill, p. 386.
Jean Baptist Tetardo - Moss states that "he served aboard the frigate South Carolina". C712. Moss cites the alternate last name of Testardo. Lewis states that he was a "French soldier or sailor". According to Revill, he was included in a group of six men who are recorded in No. 712 Book C and a total of 139p/os/10d was issued to John B. Petrie. Revill, p. 386.
Alexander Tomas - Moss states that "he served aboard the frigate South Carolina". C714. Lewis does cite his name but, does not cite his "position" on board the frigate. According to Revill, he was awarded 37p/1s/9d in Indent No 714 C. Revill, p. 386.
After the final tabulations of the amounts to be paid by the state of South Carolina, there appears this statement: "16 other persons that have Demands for their wages on board said Frigate, and for whom Jas. Johns Esq. or Robert Cosam was agent or Att'y, no claims have been rendered to this office".
This leaves a single individual to address. At the end of the short list that appears just above the list of foreign born individuals there is a very short citation that contains three names. One of these names is that of James Nicholas Moyeux and another is that of Peter Langdon (see post dated "04/15/2015" below). The third name is simply cited as "Fontaine" with no other names given. Immediately, following this name is the citation: "Entry Book No. 3, page 156". According to Moss there are three possible alternate spellings of this last name - "Fontaine", "Fountaine", or "Fountain". Of all of the citations included in the Moss work, only one of them addresses an individual who served on the frigate South Carolina. It appears in Moss's work, Roster, page 321, and is as follows:
Nicholas Fontaine - he served aboard the frigate South Carolina. A.A.1880A.
But, it is the entry for this individual that appears in Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, page 147, that is interesting. It is as follows:
Valentine Nicholas Fontaine - French soldier 2nd Co. Lux., volunteer sailor.
The only other entry in Lewis's work, Neptune's Militia, that appears for a "Fontaine" is for a John Fontaine who has no entry at all for his "position" on board the frigate South Carolina. If this is the correct individual, then he presents a rather unique situation in that he was a soldier of the "Voluntaires du Luxembourg", the French unit that provided the first contingent of marines for the frigate South Carolina. So far, the writer of this blog has run across no references to any of the members of this unit filing claims with the state of South Carolina for services rendered on board the frigate South Carolina.
(Note: There is a John Fontaine who appears on the prisoner's list of the HMS Diomede for the prisoners-of-war who were transported to New York City after the capture of the frigate South Carolina on December 20, 1782. No other Fontaine, much less a Valentine Nicholas Fontaine, appears on any of the prisoner's lists of the three British men-of-war that carried prisoners to New York City from the capture of the frigate South Carolina off the Capes of the Delaware on December 20, 1782. Thus, this elusive "Fontaine" could possibly be John Fontaine.)
It may be that with two "positions" being cited for Valentine Nicholas Fontaine, he may have initially signed on as a soldier of the "Voluntaires du Luxembourg" and later, possibly after the frigate reached Philadelphia in May, 1782, he may have remained on board the frigate and signed on as a "volunteer sailor". But, this still does not address the question as to why he does not turn up on any of the prisoner lists for the three British men-of-war. There were a few casualties among the patriot crew that resulted from the 20-hour long chase and battle with the three British men-of-war. But, there were only six to eight of these fatalities, Still, it is possible that Valentine Nicholas Fontaine was one of these patriot dead. Or, possibly, he may have deserted before the frigate South Carolina set sail from Billingsport, NJ on December 19, 1782. It may be that this is one of those circumstances of history the facts of which have been lost with the passage of time.