REVOLUTIONARY WAR: PART TWO OF NEGLECTED NAVAL BATTLES

Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of neglected naval clashes of the Revolutionary War.

MAY 21st, 1777 – Off St Augustine, FL the USS Comet waged an all-night battle with the HMS Apalachicola until the British ship had lost all sails and riggings and was forced to surrender.

APRIL 27th, 1778 – THE John Paul Jones, leading a detachment from the USS Ranger, raided the British port of Whitehaven. The detachment’s commando-style raid resulted in three British ships being burned whole and in the spiking of all the guns at three fortresses that previously had kept American ships from daring entry to the area.

*** Later that day Jones led a similar detachment against St Mary’s Isle, Scotland, hoping to capture the Earl of Selkirk to use as a hostage in order to negotiate for better treatment of American prisoners of war. Unfortunately the raiders found Selkirk was off on business and returned to the Ranger empty-handed.

APRIL 28th, 1778 – With several British battleships now searching for the Ranger, John Paul Jones sailed for Belfast, Ireland, where the 20-gun HMS Drake lie. The Drake came out to engage the Ranger in battle and after an hour-long fight the British ship surrendered, with forty British dead compared to just two American dead.

JUNE 19th, 1778 – The USS Defence and Volant out of Charleston, SC battled three British privateer vessels, the Active, the Ranger and the Governor Tonyn’s Revenge. After a prolonged battle the American ships captured two of the British ships with only the Active escaping.

NOVEMBER 28th, 1778 – The USS General Moultrie, patroling off the South Carolina coast, battled a privateer ship crewed by Americans loyal to Great Britain. After a game of maneuvering and cannonfire the two ships joined, with the American crew defeating the Loyalists.

JUNE 26th, 1779 – At Stono River, SC, the USS Notre Dame, Bellona and Beaufort battled seven British ships transporting supplies to Gibbes Plantation. Two of the British ships were captured, one was blown up and the rest retreated from the area.

SEPTEMBER 23rd, 1779 – The Battle of Flamborough Head, England. This battle is fairly well-known but I included it anyway. John Paul Jones’ USS Bonhomme Richard battled the more heavily armed HMS Serapis in a blood-bath that saw half of the crews of both ships killed. The four-hour struggle ended around 10:30 pm when Jones’ men at last successfully boarded the Serapis and defeated the crew. The Bonhomme Richard was so damaged Jones and his men had to sail off on the Serapis, with the former crew held as prisoners of war.

JUNE 1781 (exact date disputed) – At Edenton Harbor, SC the local militia attacked and captured the foundered HMS General Arnold, which had been sailing the Chowan River burning American ships.

AUGUST 1782 (exact date disputed) – Near Halifax, NC the HMS Packhorse, carrying dozens of American prisoners of war, was captured when the POW’s, led by Lt Edward Barnell, seized control of the ship and sailed into Halifax with the British crew as captives.

FOR PART ONE CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2013/07/02/revolutionary-war-forgotten-naval-battles/

FOR THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR ACTIVITIES OF ALL 59 SIGNERS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDNCE CLICK HERE: https://glitternight.com/2012/07/03/sacred-honor-quick-facts-about-the-signers-of-the-declaration-of-independence/

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