The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1839-04-24
JOURNAL OF A NAVAL OFFICER,
DURING THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
KEPT BY JOHN rREvErr, OF NEWPORT
CContinued.l ]

lContlnued
Near Sunset, Capt. Ralhbone and the
Lieut.. thinking was asleep, came into the
cabin, and commenced talking fairs over
| lay wide awake, listening to hear wha
they had TO say. found in short time
tha, :hey had ordered signal to be hove
out, for our ship 10 bear down to US, for the
purpose of taking Lieut.. George House, (oi
New Loadon) out, aud placing me in prize
master. l then turned out of my cabin and
interposeJ, aud informed Capt. Ra,hbene
that had been acquainted with Lieutenant
House ever since the war commenced, and
n better officer there was not in the service.
Lieut.. House was soon on board the Sloop,
aud sided with Capt Ra.hbone, and Lieut..
Veziea, so finally went on board the ship,
and had with me one half of our sloop's
crew, amounting to 30 men.
had just taken command of the ship.
when we saw a ship bearing down for US,
and we parted company. The ship stood
for the sloop and we altered our course in
the prize, and next morning we got by
Abbaco, and saw no more of the ship or our
sloop, and We rpade the shortest cut for
lock.lsland. | had the log book kept in
the same manner as if Capt. Henry John
son had the command, bound for N. York !;
this had done in case ! fell in with any
British men of war, as did not intend to
run out Of my way from any ship. We saw
a number Of sail passage. h". did
not speak one. The first land we mnde
was the Vineyard, aud then we run down
for Nantucket. This was on the 18th day
after we parted with the sloop Providence,
and we had experienced exceeding cold
weather, and hard and heavy gales; out of
80 men there was only ten but what had
got their feet or hands badly frozen, and
one of our men, james Dark, was frozen to
death. He informed me when took him
at New Providence, that he had been tn-
ken by an English Privateer, and that he
belonged to Virginia. The same day we
anchored under Nantucket, the wind still
blowing very hard, so much so that we
could not land, and we fred signal guns of
distress. The next day the gale continued,
so that no boat could come TO us from the
shore, and therefore thought it necessary
TO bury James Dark, aud we performed the
funeral obsequies in respectful manner.
On the third day the wind abated, and sew
eral boats from the shore came on board.
and being short Of provisions, sent Oh
shore and bought five sheep so we were
provided with fresh grub.
That day a sail hove in sight, running
down the south side of Nantucket, and stood
for our ship. The men supposed, one and
all, that she was the Harlem Privateer from
New York, and we Immediately got under
way. At that time there was not less than
twenty Nantucket men on board of the ship,
and made them an offer, that if they would
assist US, (my men being so badly frost bit
ten,) they should all share equally with us
if we took her, as | intended to do. Only
two out of the 30 would stick by us, but we
stood fo- the stranger, and she for us, but
before we got up 10 her we discovered hel
to be our sloop Providence, lha, we parted
with off Abbaco. As they passed US we
were so rejoced to see them, that we hnd
not time to draw our shot, so we gave then
salute, sho, and oil, and they returned il
in the same way! We hove about and fol
lowed the sloop in under Nantucket, and
came to anchor, as the wind wosld not adj.
nit of our going over the shoals.
On the 20th Of February, l77S, we 90
under way, with light air of wind from tho
N. E., which soon increased to a gale, ac'
eompnnied by a violent snow storm. Wa
were running for Cape Poge, when abou
IL O'Clock the ship struck very hard on d
sheal near the Horse shoe, and we lost ou
ruddsr, stove our boats on deck, and eKpe
rienced very hard time. We kept all sai
on her until we beat over the shoal sut
deepened water. and then we let 90 our an
chor. The next morning we found tn,
sloop Providence had cot on shore, roin:
into Old Town, but soon 60, of again
By the assistance Of boats We got safe int,
Old Town, and there we discharged ou
cargo, eonsis,iu. Of rum, molusso~, sugar