The Essex journal, and New-Hampshire packet — Newbury-port [Mass.], 1776-07-19 00:00:00, page 2

agard aad defead our sea easts from the Tavafi
ous of Ihole sons of war, d\fin'd by Britain indil
<.iminae'y to burn and destroy ;=T hat he would
prote® our frontiers from the Taroads of the Not
the:n Savages: That he woald pour out of his fpi
it upon this pesp'e, and his blefiog upon theit
offspring; and that he would spread the peaceful
kiogdom of the Divine REDEEMER over the
face of the WHOLE HABITABLE WOLRLD,
And all servile Labour and Recreation are for
bidden on said day. ]
Given at the Ceuncil-Chamber in Watertown
this fourth day es July, in the year of our LORD
£776. Sign’d &c. i pet f
) N the twenty firft day of June, Anno Dom,
O 1776, before Geoige Bryan one of the
7 Jultices, &ci cometh voluntarily Jobn
Emmes, aged about twenty-{ix years, pilot, duly
licenced for the bay and river of Delaware, dwell
ing in the city'of Philadelphia, and being sworn
on the holy gospel, doth depole, teftify and fay in
manner following, viz. : :
That on the niath day of September last this de
ponent departed from said city in the brigantine
Saa Nymph, of which Joseph Bradford was master,
bound for Jamaica, and that on the 17th day of
September 2%, the said brigantine being then off
the capes of Virginia and beyond soundings, the
said vefl: was taken by a (hip of war called the
Mercury, of twenty-guns, and sent for Boston in
New-England ; that this depoment was on the day
of said capture removed from the Sea Nymph to
the Maercury 3 that the Mercury, in which was
this deponent, arrived in Boston harbour within
two weeks after ; that this deponent was found out
to be a Delaware piloty, by means of some of the
crew of the Se- Nymph telling the fame to the of
ficers of the Mercury, as he understood, and be
lieves ; that from the Mercury in Boston harbour,
this dsponent was removed to the Preston, of
fiity guns, on board of which Admiral Graves had
his flag hoisted; that this deponent continued in
the Preston from the firft of O&ober last until the
twenty sixth of January following, when this de
ponent went on board the Chatham of fifty guns,
on which Admiral Shuldham had his flag hoisted,
and continued in the Chatham till the la® day of
March, when the Chatham arrived at Halifax in
Nova Scotia, this deponent was turned over to the
Fowey of twenty guas ; that on the seventh day
of April this deponent left Halifax in the Fowey,
‘and arrived on the lat of April off Cape Henlo
,gen, and on the third day of May last was put on
oard theßoebuck of twenty four guns,command
ed by Captain Hammond ; that about twe days
after, the Roebuck proseeded up Delaware bay to
‘the road of Bombay Haok, and anchored there,
fending a barge with ten men in it towards the
shore of New-Jersey, in pursuit of two fhailops er
country sloops which had come down the tiver ;
shat the barge aforefaid and a boat from the Liver
pool frigate, then in company with the Rocbuck,
forced one of said fhallops ashore, and burnt the
fame, seizing the other, and bringing off from the
shore twenty-five or thirty cattle in the fhallop last
mentioned and boats, as he understood; that the
captains of the two ships of war sent afiftance in
ether boats to help their people in the boats firft
mentioned to bring off the cattle, on perceiving
refitance was made by the country people; that
the carcafles were delivered and divided to the two
frigates, and a brigantine, a sloop, and two pilot
boats which' were in.company with the frigates,
That the (hallop last meationed was soon after dif
mafted and scuttled. That said frigates proceed
ed up the Delaware to Morris Liften’s land, and
there anchored during the following night. That
the next day, the wiad being at north cast, the
said frigates and the other vefleis in company turn
ed up with flood tide, and approaching to Reedy
ifland, the armed flocp Walp was {een within said
illand, allo beating up. That onthis Capt. Ham
mond ordered Capt. Billew, of the Liverpool, to
fay at the lower end of Reedy-iflagd till the Walp
was above Reedy-point, and then to follow him
upwards, That the Roeback arrived at the bite
of Neweaftle, this depotent saw a brigantine,fome
what higher, at anchor, but oa the approach’ of
the Roebuck the anchor of said brigantine was
{ified, and said briganting turncd upwards ; the
PHILADELPHIA,
By their Honors command =~~~ *
JOHN AVERY, Jun., Dep. Sec’y
GOD Save AMERICA'!
Roebuck gained on said brigantine, znd & irgfe
veral guns, chargnd with wighicen pourds shot,
to oblige said brigantine 1o bri:§ to. That the
brigantme, peverthelels, escaped into Chiiftine
creck, where the Walp had also retired, Thara
{mall {chooner, laden, cutward bound, wasfeen on
shore jult “below the entrance of fzid cjeek, by
the crew, wnd that Capr, Hammond sent his beat
oon board the schooner, and dropped his anchor
opposite to said creek. That immediate'y after
" the Roebuck was thus anchored, being afierriocn,
the crew ware Ae‘;n,ployed_in hoisting up the ship’s
water casks, and. cleaning them in order to fill,
That next day a flag of truce was sent ashore, and
‘Capt, Budden, a prisoner, was sent away with the
flag,” That before the flag of truce returned,
the gallies appeared upwards, coming towards the
Rosbuck, 2ad Liverpool which lay at anchor near
_the Roebuck, | : :
“That thereupon Capt. Hammond ordered the
thip to be cleared and made ready for fighting ;
that the water casks, which encumbered the deck
and guns, were partly fiove, partly carried to the
brigantine which had accompanied said frigates
up she Deleware, and partly placed 'in the ship’s
‘hold, and eifewhere ; that about one in the after
noon, the gallies had begun to fire on the frigates,
at fitfk_without the reach of their shot, and con
tinued to fire en them near a dozen shot before
the frigates returned any ; that at length the Li
verpaol, which had anchored below the Roebuek,
coming up, some stern chafe guns were fired from
the Roebuck ; that then the Roebuck’s ancher
being apeak, both ships got under f2il, the Ree
buck’s head being to, the eastward, and the Liver
pooi’s to ihe weltward ; that the ships in this po
sition, and dropping up with a light breezs from
the north north east, brought their broadsides to
bear on some of the gallics, and fired oftentimes
and without iatermiffion for several hours 3 that
about three quartess of an hour before he firing
from the ships ceifed, the Rocbuck ras agrousd
about half a mile fiom the Jersey shore, nearly
.oppefite to Burd’s on_the Pennsylvania shore ;
that the gallies retiring upwards beyond the reach
of thot, the fight ended ; that the Commander of
the Liverpool, at the time the Roebuck took the
ground, was ordered to come a fiern of the Roe
buck, and cover her, 13 i
That the Liverpool was, at the time of this ac
cident, to the westward, and ncarer the Pennlyl
-vania shore. Thas the%siverpool was placed near
the Roebuck accordingly, ta proteét her when the
might heel, - 'Fhat the Roebuck ran aground a
bout the time of full tide, and lay aground "till a
bout half an hour after three before day of the fol
lowing morning. That during the rife of the tide
great endeavors were used by Capt. Hammond to
heave his ship afloat ; that, at low water, the Roe
buck lay over fo' much that the lower deck ports
were neceflarily shut, on the reclined fide, to keep.
out the water ; and that her cannon were render
ed ufele® by her situation. That the Roebuck,
at the time aforefaid, by means of a rope faftened
to the Liverpool; was hauled afloat, and the other
cables and ropes, which had been used for tnat
end, were abandoned .and let flip. That whilst
the ship lsy aground, as aforefaid, the Captain, his
officers and crew, were all “constantly upon the
watch ; and that no one retired to sleep during the
night ; and that boats were all night employed to
watch the motions of the gallies, and guard the
Roebuck. That the officers of the Roebuck had
expefled there would be an attempt in the night
te burn the Roebuck, but afterwards coucluded it:
was not done for wantof ammunition, That du
ring thefight of thé Roebuck and Liverpool with
the gallies, only one ball fired from the gallies, as
far. as this deponent knows, struck the hull of the
Roebuck, but some small damage was done to the
fails.and rigging, great part of the shot of (he gal
lies zimed at the Roebuck. not reaching her.
T hat after the Roebuck was hauled off the ground
asd brought to anchor, the Captain employed his
crew at filling water very diligently, two pumps
being uled for that purpose. That about high wa--
ter in the afternoon of the day follewing the day
“of the said fight, the fight was renewed by the gal
lies coming down the river, the ships immediately
on the approach of che gallics, being got under
fail. That the wind being pre:ty frefh at south
west, the thips turned downwards, working to
windward, and firing upon the gallies "till the ships
had proceeded three miles below the town of New
castle, when, it being near ten in the cveniag, the
gillfes cealed to fre, and retired fram ths thips.
I'hat in the second fizht the gallies diew nearer
to tne thips thap¥a-the fi.ft, though seldom neare
¢r than ihiee quarters of a mile, or thereabouts.
T'hat on the second day’s altion, one thot of 18
poend was lodged in the Roebuck’s fide, about 3
streaks above the water’s edye, and another like it
on the opposite fide nearly ws low. That one eigh
teen pound. shot entered an upper port, rained the
carriage, dismounted a nine pound cannan, killed
one man, and wounded two eihers ; that five o
thers weie wounded, two of them considerably, by
a cartridge taking fire ; that another eighteen pound
thot also entered the stern and lodged on board the
thip, and that two oiher shot also fruck the ship,
seven in all, as far as the deponent knows. That
the rigging, fails and fpais~ of the Roebuck
were often struck, damaged and cut ; particularly
‘one mizzen {hroud, one of the foretopmaft throuds
“and two of the backftays were cut off, the main
stay cut as far as a firand an a half, and much
runniog rigging broken ; the mizzen yard twice
wounded, so that the lower end was obliged to be
cut off; the main yard wounded so that it cannot
_be depended on ; the fai's pierced several times,
not ealy to be nnmbered. The long boat dama
ged in the firft fight, P
That the thips lay at anchor, about three miles
below Newecaltle, all the following sight, filling
and flowing water; and that the crew continu
ed in the morning to fill and sow water, and be
gan to repair the rigging. That after about two
houts ebb tide tbe Roebuek’s anchor was weigh
-ed, and the ships flood down and anchored, at low
water, just abave Reedy-Island, where the seamen
were employed ia refitting the (hip for three days,
That this deponent never heard any thing said on
board the Roebuck which intimated any design of
destroying houses on the fhoie. That afier the
stay of three days aforefaid,the frigates returned to
Cape Henlopen, without any voneceffary delay.
That this deponent doth not know, nor believe
that any persons privately came on board the Roe
buck from the (hore about the said cape, during
"his residence in said ship, but has heard on board
that such an incident pafled previous to bis going
or board of her. -
That the day following the return of the Roe
buck to the said cape, Capt. Hammond put to
sea, with the Liverpool in company. That the
frigate, being about seven leagues from the land,
‘the Liverpool was sent to the north eaward, but
the destination is rot known. Capt Hammond in
the Roebuck, on the contrary, fieering southward
’till the next day in the morning, when the ship
was brought to, the tenders summoned in, particu
larly-a (ckooner in which Capt. Knox had besn
taken, and which was used as a tender, and had
joined the Roebuck the day before from Virginia,
This schooner, and the rest, three inall, were sent
for Chincoteague, to procure stock, and the ship
proceeded to Hampton road, in. Cheefapeak,
‘That the fame day he arrived there, the Captain
‘went to Norfolk, and the day after the thip Dun
more, the Fowey, and a great number of prizc &
other veflels came out of Elisabeth river, and the
‘tenders arrived from Chincoteagne with eight lean
bullocks and no other fteck, That the ships of
war and veflels aforefaid, afierwards lay in Hamp
ten road for a week, and then stood up the bay to
:Gwyn’s island, 2nd anchored in Milford-haven,
at the entrance of Piankitank river. That he was
on the island, and understood that about five hua
" dred hogs, sheep, and catile were found on it by
- Lord Duamore, but no good water ; that most of
the wells there yiclded very bad warer. That a
bout five hundred and fifty men, foidieis, white
and black, were landed on said island by Lord
Dunmore, as this deponent heard. That many
of these, particularly Negroes, died, and many
negroes came io and joined him. That the Roe=
buck was infome measure cleaned, and that Capt,
Hammond continued at his last menticned place
il the 6th of June instant, when, about ten o’
clock in the evening, this deponent, with John
Diury and Alexander Davis, swam to the shore of
the main land, about two miles, and escaped.
‘“T'hat about fix days before this deponent left the
Rosbuck, a gentieman of the name of Smith,
Secretary of Governor Eden, arrived at Gwyn’s
fland, from Annapolis, as this deponent unders
stands ; and _that, on the sth instant, a gentleman
im black,from Sometfet county, weat to Dunmore,
= : - JOHN EMMES,
Swoarn before GEoRGR Bryan, o oV