Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1835-06-11
From the American MOnthly Magazine.
OUR REVOLUTIONARY NAVY

NN ni-f VIZ liUNAR1 NAVY.
There is branch Of our annals which
has been strangely neglected, and which
IS neither deficient in interest nor in ma.
teriai. We al'ude TO our naval history =.
Every body has heard OF Paul Jones aud
OF lruxton; and every body knows by
heart the achievements Of Hull, MELON
ough, Perry, Porter, and cambridge but
the early and desperate conflicts of our re-
volutionary navy are, for The most part,
forgotten, and by many were never heard
Of. Mr.. Clarke, in bis Naval History, and
Goldsborough, in his Naval Chronicle.
have alluded to these occurrences but
they have done so, quite too summarily,
though their works are valuable and accu .
rate in recording the history Of a later ne.
rod. The gallant and bloody boat fights
of Brewster, Huddel. and Hawley. along
the shores of Long Island Sound. where
they encountered the tories and British.
are no where recorded, except in the mo.
mories of those who remain, and who parti.
cipated in them. Among the leats record.
ed by Go!dsborough, is that of party of
less than forty men, at Machias in Maine,
who, when they heard Of the commence.
ment of hostilites at Lexington, took pos
session OF lumber sloop, and, armed with
thirteen pltchiorks, a few sabres, and ten or
twelve axes and on board, some pieces
Of salt pork, sailed in pursuit OF a British
armed schooner, carrying four six pound.
ers, twenty swivels, two wall pieces, with
the proporiIoDate armament of cutlasses,
lire arms, &c. laid her alongside aud af.
ter short and desperate engagement car
ried her by boarding. With the guns and
ammunition procured by this capture. they
armed other vessels, and took many prizes.
Several little fleets were fitted out from
Boston and its vicinity, and cruised with
success, and repeatedly succeeded against
very superior forces. The achievements
of Hopkins, Mugford, Biddle, William
Waters, and Whipple, are unsurpassed
for their cool intrepidhy and good judg-
ment.
Mr. Clarke relates the following instance
which exhibits very forcibly the daring
character and adroit maneuvres, Of our
naval warriors of that day:
Gin June 1873, an expedition Of United
States vessels was fitted out and sailed for
Boston !; it consisted of the Providence, 80
guns. Com. w nipple the Queen OF France
% guns, Capt. J. z. Rathburne and the
sloop Of war, Ranger, Capt. simpson,
About the middle Of July, near the banks
of Newfoundland, as the squadron lay in
the fog, signal guns were heard, and al in
tervals the sound of ships bells striking
the hours. From this they supposed them
selves to be near feet. About eleven
o'clock the fog began TO clear of, when
the crew Of the Queen of France, to their
great surprise, found themselves nearly
alongside large merchant ship, and soon
after they perceived themselves 10 be in
fleet Of one hundred and fifty sail, under
a convoy Of seventy. four, and several
frigates and sloops Of war, The Queen
of France Immediately bore down to the
largest ship and hailed her. She answer
cd that the teet was from Jamaica. bound
TO London. The English ship then hailed
the American. and was answered. his ma
jesty's ship Are,husa, from Halifax, on a
cruise. The American then inquired if
they had seer any rebel privateers. The
replied that several had been
driven out Of the fleet The American,
Capt Rathburne. then requested the cap
tain Of the English vessel TO come on
board, which he did when, TO bis great
establishment. he found himself prisoner.
Capt Rathburne then sent one Of his
own boats and the English captains boat,
both well manned, 20 the ship Of which
they took quiet possession, without excl
ting the least alarm in the feet, notwith-
standing many Of the vessels were nearly
within hail OF the one captured. Rath-
burne then went alongside another large
ship, and captured her in the same man
ner. Soon after the capture of the second
ship, Commodore Whipple came along
eide and ordered Captain Raihburne to
edge away out Of the fleet as soon as pos
sible, as he was pursuaded they would be
discovered and ovcrpowered. Capt. Rath-
burne then pointed out the two large ships
he had captured, and requested permits
sion TO remain. The Commodore at FIRST
disapproved of this project; but was at
length prevailed upon by Capt. Rathburne
10 stay in the fleet all day and capture as
many vessels as they could in the same
cautious manner. As soon as it was dark
they left the fleet, after having captured
eleven vessels, without giving alarm. The
squadron arrived safe al Boston with eight
Of their prizes-three Of them having been
retaken by the English"
No men are more enthusiastic in attach
ment TO their profession than the officers
Of our navy, and to none could the hon
orable task OF recording its history and
achievements be more properly confIded.
II is work requiring careful accuracy
and patient research, and we should have
no difficulty in naming more than one of
our naval friends who would add TO these
requisites finished scholarship, and not
unpractised pens.
SHORT SEPMO