The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1914-02-26
Sea Fight in Which Lone English
Frigate Was Victor.
Mediator Vanquished the Alexander
and Pursued and Captured One of
the Escaping Ships of the
American.French Squadron.

SO many battles were fought at sea
during the revolutionary war that
some of them have been lost to his
tory. Also a majority of the ships
engaged were privateersmen and
ships carrying letters of marque,
whose captains did not report to any
government, or at least only to state
governments, consequently many bat
ties are unknown now because rec
ords have gone astray in the succeed
ing years.
Just recently Edgar Stanton Maclay,
a persistent historian, has unearthed
acI@bnts of some forgotten sea flights
of The revolution, the most interesting
Of which is the defeat of a French
American squadron off the coast of
Spain by lone English frigate, De-
cember IL, 1882, the Kansas City
Times remarks.
The English frigate Mediator, car
Eying forty-four guns and 266 men,
sighted a fleet of five sail in the Bay
of Biscay about 7 o'clock the morning
of December IL, 1882. Capt. James
Luttrell, commanding, Immediately
brought his ship up to ward them on
his lee. He, no doubt, expected to
find four French or Spanish merchant
men conveyed by war vessel Of
about his own strength.
AS soon as the fleet sighted the Me-
diator it formed in line of battle and
prepared to attack. AS near as can
be determined from records the ships
Of the allied squadron were the Alex
ander, "a guns, 102 men; Capt. Greg
DRY and the Amiable Eunice, guns
and "a men, both flying the American
flag; and the Eugene, Sc guns, 1913
men, Capt. LIE Baudin; Daupin Royal,
% guns, 100 men, and Menagerie,
Capt. de Toligne, all under the French
flag. The Menagerie had been armed
with 81 guns and carried crew of
212 men, but at this date it had been
made over into q transport and it's
fighting value considerably reduced
It is safe to estimate, however, that
the allies more than doubled the Me-
diatCr In shot weight and number Of
men.
Capt. Luttrell soon recognized this
and also saw that he could not hope
to escape fighting. Undaunted, he
prepared to entertain the rapidly APP
preaching squadron. He attacked in
stead of waiting for the five ships to
assail him. He made for the CEN
ter of the allied line. All five ships
raked him, but the shots went high
and did small damage. The Mediator
singled out the Alexander and closed
in close battle with it. Capt. Gregory
signaled his fellow captains to come
to his support. But, as the French
did in several other engagements, the
Eugene, Daupin Royal, one frigate
and the other corvette, and the Me-
nagerie put on sail and deserted. The
feeble Amiable Eunice followed suit.
Capt. Gregory was not an officer of
the regular navy, but privateersman
armed only as commerce destroyer.
But he put up gallant fight For
four hours he jockeyed for position
with the Mediator and prolonged the
fight. At last he was forced to strike.
It was afternoon before Capt. Luttrell
could place a prize crew aboard and
sail In pursuit of the other ships.
He started after the Menagerie,
which was trying to reach the port of
Ferrol By o'clock he came within
long gun shot Of the Frenchman. A
running fight began, which ended 10
o'clock that night, when the Menag-
erie struck. Capt. Luttrell sent more
of his men away as prize crew and
laid by until morning to continue the
chase.
The Amiable Eunice and Daupin
Royal were sighted at sunrise. The
Mediator started for them, but soon
gave up the chase. Capt. Luttrell had
only 1910 of his crew on board after
sending away two prize crews. He
had $50 prisoners in his hold.
Now occurred an attempt to cap
ture the Mediator by the prisoners,
which places Capt. Gregory as the
only man worthy of commentator in
he allied fleet. Within two days az
ter the battle he had communicated
with all the prisoners, American and
French. and appointed time for an
uprising.
The prisoners outnumbered the
crew two to one. Capt. Gregory in
some manner had procured a pistol
and some powder. The plot was for
him to steal upon deck after dark,
load and fire cannon, which would
be q signal for the men below to
swarm out and attack their captors.
Capt. Gregory removed the hatch
eratings so the men could reach the
deck quickly.
The heroic commander played his
part. the most dangerous, with pre-
cision. The crew of the Mediator
was startled to hear gun report just
after the lookout's report OF quiet,
Eor two or three minutes everything
wss confused. Capt. Gregory rushed
to hatchway to lead his men to the
cutIass racks and gun chests. But no
men came. Down below the $50 ODD
prisoners. French and American, were
ouarreling as to which nationality
should command after the ship was
taken In the meantime Capt. Lut-
trell was aroused and brought mis- men
order Capt Gregory was seized
and the matches covered with make
shift tops of long spikes. The revolt
was stopped effectually and the Medi-
-.