APPENDIX

APPENDIX

LISTS OF THE PRIVATE ARMED SHIPS OF SALEM IN THE REVOLUTION AND THE WAR OF 1812

The following list of the armed ships of Salem from 1776 to 1783 includes both privateers and letters-of-marque. As defined in international law “letters-of-marque” as issued by a Government are privateering commissions, but in practice a distinction was made between the two classes of ships. A privateer cruised in pursuit of the enemy’s commerce and went to sea for no other purpose, while a letter-of-marque vessel carried a cargo to a destined port or ports, taking prizes if they came in her way and defending herself against the enemy as a regularly commissioned private ship of war under heavy bonds to her government to obey the rules of warfare.

The Naval Records of the Revolution, as compiled and published by the Library of Congress, contains a list of the letters-of-marque issued by the Government, and includes no fewer than one hundred and ninety of these commissions granted to Salem shipowners, and commanders, designating them all as “private armed ships of war.” The most accurate catalogues of this kind that were compiled many years ago by local historians and shipmasters agree upon one hundred and fifty-eight as the total number of vessels of all kinds which actually engaged in privateering out of the port of Salem during the Revolution. The Government records show, however, that this reckoning falls far short of the total number of craft commissioned by means of letters-of-marque to prey upon England’s commerce as private ships of war. Even these Government records are not complete, however, the names of several well-known privateers being absent from the list, while on the other hand the name of one vessel may be recorded two, three, or four times, a new commission being granted and a new bond demanded when the ship, schooner, or brig changed commanders or owners. The bond required in all cases was in the sum of $20,000.

From the Naval Records of the Revolution, and from all lists made and preserved in Salem archives and from other sources the following catalogue has been compiled, as the most nearly complete record of the private armed ships of Salem during the Revolution that has been published:

Name Class Commander Guns Men

Active brigantine William Ross 14 60

Johnson Briggs

Adventure brig J. Gardner 4 10

Jonathan Tucker

America schooner Geo. Williams 8 80

Atalanta brig Cornelius Thompson 10 25

American Hero ship William Fairfield 16 25

Astrea ship John Derby 20 50

Aurora brigantine Geo. Williams, Jr. 6 12

Aurora brig —— Caldwell 10 75

Black Prince ship Nathaniel West 18 160

Banter sloop Henry White 8 50

Belisaurus ship

Bloodhound brig 14 55

Brutus ship John Leach 18 100

Bunker Hill ship John Turner 20 110

Blackbird schooner William Groves 8 20

Black Snake sloop William Carelton 12 60

Bloom schooner Silas Smith 6 25

Beaver schooner 10 swivels

Bowdoin sloop 8

Buckaneer ship Jeremiah Hacker 18 150

Centipede schooner 6

Charming Polly brig D. Bigelow

Captain brigantine John Donaldson 10 45

Cato brig Johnson Briggs 16 60

James Pickman

Jesse Fearson

Chace brigantine Cornelius Thompson 10 35

Concord brig Ephraim Emerton

Cutter schooner Silas Smith 8 20

Joseph Strout

Cutter brigantine Geo. Ashby, Jr 10 45

Cicero ship Hugh Hill 20 100

Commerce sloop John Baptist Millet 10 25

Commerce brigantine Ephraim Emerton 6 12

Columbia schooner J. Greeley 12 30

Comet brigantine Samuel Waters 6 15

Comet schooner Richard Eldredge 9 29

Creature Terrible brig Robert Richardson 14 43

Catchall schooner Moses Chase 6 15

Civil Usage brig Greag Powers 14 45

Peter Martin

Congress ship David Ropes 20 130

Cyrus ship Jonathan Mason, Jr 10 20

Dispatch ship John Felt 10 60

David Ropes

William Gray

Dolphin schooner Greag Powers 8 30

David Felt, Jr.

Frank Benson

Dart schooner Zenas Cook 6 22

Delight schooner J. Temple 4 40

Don Galvez brig Silas Jones 6 16

Disdain ship William Patterson 20 100

Diana brigantine Robert Barker 6 16

Defense brigantine John Barr 10 16

Eagle brig John Leach 20 110

Exchange ship Simon Forrester 20 60

John Collins

Experiment brigantine Samuel Ingersoll 6 14

Essex ship John Cathcart 20 150

Elizabeth brig Clifford Byrne 4 10

Ichabod Clarke

Exchange schooner Henry Tibbetts 2 15

Franklin ship Silas Deval 18 25

Fame brig Samuel Hobbs 16 50

Freedom brig Benjamin Ober 7 15

Fortune brig Benjamin Ives 14 60

Favourite brigantine William Patterson 11 50

Fanny brigantine Samuel Tucker 4 12

Felicity brig 8 20

Flying Fish brigantine John Gavett

Anthony Divers

Fly schooner Christopher Babbidge 6 25

William Mallory

Fox schooner Jeremiah Lansvay 6 75

Jonathan Neall

Friendship ship Gideon Henfield 6 20

General Putnam schooner S. Mascotte 8 66

General Gates brig —— Skinner 8

General Lincoln brig John Carnes

General Greene ship Aaron Crowell 16 90

Grand Turk ship Thomas Simmons 28 140

Joseph Pratt

Grey Hound schooner Jacob Wilds 8 35

John Cooke

Good Luck ship Jonathan Neall 8 20

General Galvez ship Thomas Smith 18 40

Griffin brig Gideon Henfield

Gamecock schooner Richard Smith 8 30

General Montgomery brigantine Samuel Hobbs 14 60

Harlequin schooner Jonathan Tucker 6 16

Hornet schooner Robert Brookhouse 10 swivels

Henry schooner John Baptist Millet 4 10

Hasket & John brig Benjamin Crowninshield

Hero brig Silas Smith 12 50

Hynde brig Francis Boardman 8 16

Hector ship John Carnes 18 150

Hector schooner John Cartright 6 15

Hope schooner Robert Wormsted 8 25

Hyder Alley brigantine Francis Boardman 8 16

Hind brigantine Benjamin Dunham 8 16

Hazard sloop-schooner Nathaniel Coit Webb 8 25

Benjamin Knight

Edward Smith, Jr.

Hugh Helme

Hound brig John Adkinson 14 50

Harkey galley Phineas Smith 2 18

Hawke schooner John Barbaroux 6 15

Jacob Wilde

Iris ship Robert Rantoul 9 18

Jack ship David Ropes 14 60

Junius Brutus ship John Brooks 20 120

Jason ship Charles Hamilton 16 70

Julius Caesar ship Thomas Benson 14 40

Jonathan Haraden

Junius ship Nathaniel West 10 25

Juno brig John Felt 12 16

Jackall schooner Adam Wellman 8 45

Thomas Holmes

James ship John Clarke 11 25

John ship Jonathan Ingersoll

Jupiter ship William Orne 14 40

Joseph brig Henry Higginson 8 15

Kendrick ship Thomas Benson 18 100

Languedock schooner John Augusta Dunn 4 25

Reuben Yoemens

Jeremiah Hegerty

Lexington brig David Smith, Jr. 10 20

Lively brig George Ashby 8 35

John Augusta Dunn

Nathaniel Brookhouse

Live Oak sloop Samuel Tucker 6 20

Lion brig Jonathan Mason 16 50

Benjamin Warren

Lark schooner N. Tilden 10 swivels

Lee schooner Daniel Waters

Lincoln brig John Carnes

Louis le Grande ship 18 100

Lucy brig S. Clay 12 25

Liberty sloop Eben Pierce 6 25

Manete schooner John Daccaretta 6 10

Marquis de Lafayette ship Ebenezer Reed 10 100

John Buffington

Mermaid brig Jonathan Tucker 14 30

Minerva sloop Nehemiah Buffington 6 10

Massachusetts brig John Fisk 16 30

Jonathan Haraden

Mars ship William Woodbury 16 75

Monmouth brigantine David Ingersoll 6 20

Montgomery brigantine John Carnes 8 20

James Barr, Jr.

Morning Star sloop Francis Roch 8 12

Macaroni brig 14

New Adventure brig Jonathan Neall 14 50

Nancy schooner George Leach 6 25

William Woodbury, Jr.

Neptune ship Hugh Smith 14 65

Silas Smith

Benjamin Cole

Oliver Cromwell ship Nathaniel West 16 100

James Barr, Jr.

Pallas ship Gamaliel Hodges 10 20

Panther schooner Samuel Masury 8 35

Patty sloop Nathan Nichols 4 16

Simon Forrester

Patty ship John Derby 8 20

David Smith

Penguin schooner Samuel Foster 10 40

Pickering ship Jonathan Haraden 16 50

Porus ship Samuel Crowell 22 100

Pilgrim ship Joseph Robinson 18 100

Pompey schooner Silas Smith

Putnam ship Nathan Brown 18 90

Plato brig

Pompey schooner W. Thomas 6

Port Packet ship Simon Forrester 8 20

Race Horse schooner Alexander Story 8 25

Rainbow schooner Oliver Webb 6 25

Rattlesnake ship Mark Clark 20 85

Raven schooner David Needham 12 40

Recovery brigantine Samuel Ingersoll

William Dennis

Revenge schooner Benjamin Knight 8 40

Samuel Foster

Revolt brig Henry Phelps 8 20

Resolution schooner Joseph Trask 8 20

Roebuck ship Gideon Henfield 14 90

Joshua Grafton

Romulus brig Joseph Waters 14 25

Thomas Palfrey

Rover ship James Barr, Jr. 24 100

Rover schooner Thomas Morgridge 10 30

Retaliation brig E. Giles 10 70

Revenge sloop Benjamin Dean 10

Ranger schooner Thomas Simmons 10 20

Rambler brig Benjamin Lovett 16 40

Rhodes brig N. Buffington 20 90

Resolution ship Samuel West 20 130

Robust ship Jonathan Tucker 12 25

Salem brig Henry Williams 12 30

Edward Stanley

Salem Packet ship Joseph Cooke 12 30

John Brewer

Satisfaction schooner Edward Stanley 6 30

Speedwell brigantine John Murphy 10 50

Scourge brigantine —— Parker 20 80

Sharke sloop 10 swivels

Spanish Packet ship Thomas Dalling 10 20

Sturdy Beggar brig Daniel Hathorne 8 60

Edward Rowland

Shaker brig —— Stacey 6 40

Spitfire schooner William Perkins 11 20

Spy schooner Thomas Philips 8 20

Surprize schooner Nathaniel Perkins 8 35

Germain Langevain

Surprize brig Benjamin Cole 14 70

Swift brig Israel Johnson 14 70

Scorpion schooner Israel Thorndike 16 60

Swett schooner Joseph Fearson 12

Spring Bird schooner John Patten 4 25

Saucy Jack schooner

Tartar schooner Thomas Dexter 10 18

Thomas ship Francis Boardman 10 20

Thrasher schooner Benjamin Cole 8 30

Titus sloop John Buchmore 4 11

Two Brothers ship William Gray 25

Daniel Sanders

Tyger brig Samuel Crowell 14 70

Thorn ship Samuel Tucker

Trenton ship Joseph Nati 12

True American schooner Israel Thorndike 6 50

John Blackler

Union schooner Jonathan Gardner, 3d. 8 25

Isaac Smith

Union sloop John Fearson 6 30

Venus ship Thomas Nicholson 10 20

Viper ship Jonathan Neall 14 65

Benjamin Hilton

Washington brig Edmond Lewis 7 15

Willing Maid schooner John Savage 4 25

Wild Cat brig Daniel Ropes 14 75

Warren schooner I. Thorndike 6 50

William schooner Joseph Fearson 8 25

PRIVATE ARMED SHIPS OF SALEM IN THE WAR OF 1812

Name Class Commander Guns Men

Active schooner Benjamin Patterson 12 25

Alexander ship T. Williams, Jr. 18 140

Alfred ship Benjamin Crowninshield 16 110

America ship Joseph Ropes 20 150

John Kehoe

Jas. W. Chever

Black Vomit boat John Upton muskets 16

Buckskin schooner I. Bray 5 50

Cadet schooner William Calley 2 40

Castigator launch Stephen G. Clarke 6 20

Spencer Hall

John Upton

Cossack schooner Wm. Davis 1 45

Abner Poland

Dart schooner T. Symonds 2 40

John Green

Diomede schooner Jacob Crowninshield 3 100

Dolphin schooner Jacob Endicott 1 70

Enterprize schooner John R. Morgan 4 100

Fair Trader schooner John R. Morgan 1 35

Abner Poland

Fame schooner John Upton 2 30

—— Webb

Frolic schooner Nathan Green 1 60

J. B. H. Ordione

Galliniper schooner Timothy Wellman 1 30

Andrew Tucker

General Putnam schooner John Evans 2 60

General Stark schooner John Evans 3 50

Grand Turk brig Holten J. Breed 18 150

Nathan Green

Growler schooner Samuel B. Graves 105

Helen schooner Nathaniel Lindsay 4 70

John Upton

Halkar boat John Kehoe muskets 16

Samuel Lamson

Jefferson sloop S. Giles Downie 1 20

T. Wellman, Jr.

John ship James Fairfield

Benjamin Crowninshield

John & George schooner John Sinclair, Jr. 1 50

Lizard schooner Samuel Loring 2 30

Montgomery brig Holten J. Breed 10 100

Ben. Upton

Onion boat John Upton muskets 20

Jonathan Blythe

Owl boat William Duncan muskets 14

Phoenix schooner Stephenson Richards 1 25

Polly sloop Samuel C. Hardy 1 60

Recovery schooner Joseph Peele 2 20

Regulator schooner James Mansfield 50

Revenge schooner John Sinclair, Jr. 1 50

Scorpion sloop Stephenson Richards 1 20

Swift schooner Harney Choate 1 25

Swiftsure launch Stephen Clarke 1 20

Charles Berry

Terrible boat John Green muskets 10

Viper schooner Joseph Preston 1 20

Wasp sloop Ernest A. Erwin 2 35

RECAPITULATION

REVOLUTIONARY WAR

Ships 56

Brigs and Brigantines 69

Sloops 14

Schooners 56

Galley 1

196

Total number of guns 1,965

Total number of men 7,631

Total number of vessels 196

WAR OF 1812

Ships 4

Brigs and Brigantines 2

Sloops 4

Schooners 21

31

Total number of guns 147

Total number of men 2,081

Total number of vessels 31