The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-26

OF the guns OF UnO
had been much moro severely crippled, how
ever. and slipped away In the night, hoping 10
ana sbelter either at Crown Point or at Ttcon-
dororn. Two days later. while yet some leagues
| distant from Crown Point, the Americans were
overtakcn, and one Of the most desperate con-
fictsi in naval annals occurred. Atter one,thiro
of Arnold's crew had been killed. ana MS ooats
reduced TO n wreck. he stu rc'useu 10
rive mn his vessels, but fred them all after put
ting his crews on shore. Tho EXTRAORDINARY
tenacity Of the resistance offered by Armour o's.
couraged Carleton from pursuing MS pan .
attacking Ticonderoga, which was accoru'"E,y
postponed until tho following year. whon .no
Inflated Burgoyno assumed command OF tno
British forces. Arnold's defeat, moro glorious
than many n victory. saved the colonies from
On invasion which. ifmade in 1776, would DOUBT
less hnyo cut the confedcracy In twain ana put
an end to the hope Of American independence.
m.
The relatively familiar exploits OF john
Paul Jones and other national command
ers in British waters are related In chapters
", VI, and IN. Another chapter, the
eighth. 10 allotted to the deeds Of Ameri'
can privateers. We cannot follow the mar
rative In detail. but will simply draw atten'
ton to results. Mr.. Spears quotes from Dods'
10y . II k'b VI tffo "
made in Parliament regarding tho work accom-.
plished by American national cruisers and
privateers UP to the end OF 1777. From this
statement IL appears that the number OF
vessels belonging to Great Britain and ireland
which were taken by ships OF war and privsteers
belonging to the colonies was at the date named
733, of which forty.seven were released by tho
French authorities and 1877 were retaken.
The loss. even on the latter. for salvage, interest
on the value OF tho cargo, and deprivation or a
market, must have been considerable. The loss
on the remaining $50 vessels which were car
ried into port by American cruisers or priva-
teers seems. according to tho testimony OF the
merchants, TO have amounted to at least $13.-
OOo, 900. 1t appears, further. from tho state
ment made In Parliament. that Of 200 ships
annually employed in the African trade before
the beginning Of the war, ships whose average
value was about S45, 900 each, there were not
forty remaining in the trade at the end Of
l777; consequently in this branch Of
alone there was q diminution Of 100 ships.
which. Mt $4,000 each. amounted to a loss of
81, 200. 900 per annum. Another significant
fact brought out was that the price OF insurance
to the West Indies and North America had been
increased from Q and 2lo to 5 per cent. with
convoy; while merchant vessels without convoy.
and unarmed, had to pay IS per cent. Indeed.
generally. in such circumstances, ships could not
he insured ut all. Meanwhile n seaman's wages
had been raised from one pound ten shillings
to three pounds five shillings per month. Ac-
cording to the same statement which was based.
WI learn. on Investigations conducted by a COM
mittee of the House of Commons, the number Of
American privateers. concerning which there
WAS authentic evidence. was not less than 1T3;
these vesselr- carried 2,056 guns and
at least 1880 seamen; 80 mon being
H. a. Na-I aLt- VT1.NI
also. as testiiying to the work accomplished
by American seamen in the Revolutionary war,
is a statement which occurs in the fifth volume
Of the London Remembrance" to the effect
that the number Of English vessels employed in
tho West India trade alone which had been cap.
tured by American cruisers amounted as carly
as Feb. l, 1777, to $50; the value Of their
cargoes was put at about $40. 600, 600. In the
course Of one week fourteen English vessels
were carried into Martinique. So overstocked
was the market Of this island by their cargoes
that English silk stockings which had usually
sold for So or So. were disposed Of for 81. Sailors
went from door to door offering their prize
goods for sale; nor could they dispose of Irish
linen for moro than 50 per piece. Other goods
were sold at proportionate prices. We note,
finally. that of n fleet Of sixty vessels bound from
Ireland to the West Indies. no fewer than thirty
five were captured by American prtvateers.
God knows" wrote a British subject in tho
island of Grenada, THAT if this war continues
much longer we shall all die OF hunger"
The work done by John Paul Jones In the
Bonhomme Richard is too we'll known to need
even a cursory allusion. but certain incidents
which took place in 1779 should be mentioned,
for the reason that they have been generally
forgotten. On March 10. in the year named. a
squadron sailed from Boston, consisting of the
frigate Warren. thirty-two guns. Capt. J. B.
Warren; the Queen Of France, twenty-eight
| guns. Capt. Joseph O.ney. and the RANGER. of
| eighteen guns, under Capt. Simpson. A few
days later n p~rivateer was captured. and 1t
was learned from her crew that a feet of armed
transports and storeships had sailed from New
York with supplies for tho British Army in the
South. Two days later the Yankee squadron
overlook the British vessels and attacked them.
or the nine TRANSPORTS seven were taken, includ-
ing three which carried between them forty
four guns. In May OF the same twelve-month
the frigate Queen Of France. under Capt. Rath.
bourne; the Ranger. under Capt. Simpson, and
the Providence. twenty eight guns, under Capt
Abraham Whipple. went on a cruise. For two
months these vessels did nothing. but early In
July they fell in with q great fleet of British
merchantmen. escorted by a seventy -four and
number of ~frigates. Notwithstanding tn,
strength of the convoy. the Yankees cut on
eleven OF the merchant ships ana carried linen
into port. 1t is recorded that tho cargoes o
these ships were worth over a million dollars II
gold. nd that this cruise was. financially. tn,
most profitable of them all.
IBI.
Then came a severe reverse for the younI
American navy. A fleet Of transports and pr
vateers. carrying 1900 militia. was sent TO car
ture a fort established by tho British on tn
Penobscot. as a base for operating against MAJ
sachusetts. With this heot went the frigat
Warren. Capt. Saltonstall; tho brig Diligent, an
the old brig Providence, that had seen servic
from tho first. Tho expedition reached tn
Penobscot July 20, 1879. and found not only
fort but three warships carrying. In tho aggr,
gate. forty.nine guns. An attack was mad,
but the Americans were repulsed. They the
began the process Of reducing the works b
seige. but on Aug. Is appeared a Births
8 fleet, comprising one sixty.four. three fri
+ ates OF thirty.two guns each. three slooI
! Of war. carrying. In tho aggregate. fort,
eight guns. and . brig Of fourteen Ruls. At tn