American Row Galleys Attack British Ships
Today the author talks about the day American row galleys attacked a flotilla of British warships, as well as some other events of the week of August 2 through the eighth. Included in these events was the engrossing of the Declaration of Independence, which made it official.
From the Book
The American Revolution – 1776
Greetings, today I will talk about the day American row galleys attacked a flotilla of British warships, as well as some other events of the week of August 2 through the eighth. Included in these events was the engrossing of the Declaration of Independence, which made it official.
The events are experted from my book, The American Revolution – 1776. The book relates more events than included in this podcast and has more details. It is available on my website, www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There are links to Amazon, Barnes and Noble as well as many other online book retailers in softbound, ebook and audio book formats.
August 3, 1776 – American Row Galleys Attack British Ships
Americans used row galleys during the Revolutionary War to attack British ships. Row galleys were ships that used oars instead of sails to power the boat. Row galleys had advantages over wind driven ships because they were more maneuverable, especially when winds were fickle. Crews of up to 60 men manned the oars. The lanteen style ship had two sails. Many row galleys also had sails to use during periods when winds were sufficient. The row galleys were the Washington and Spitfire. The British ships were the Phoenix and the Rose.
The Washington was one of two row galleys constructed in 1775, commissioned by Rhode Island General Assembly. The ship had a rowing crew of about 60 men. Placed into service in January 1776 the Washington, in concert with the Spitfire, patrolled Narragansett Bay, protecting shipping, ferrying troops and collecting supplies for Washington’s forces. In July 1776 the commodore of the small flotilla, John Grimes, received orders to sail to New York to join the small fleet General Washington was assembling.
The Spitfire was constructed in late 1775 and, like Washington, commissioned by the Rhode Island General Assembly. The ship served with the Washington patrolling Narragansett Bay. On April 11, 1776, the two ships recaptured the sloop Speedwell and the brigantine Georgia Packet, which the British ship HMS Scarborough had captured. They took the ships while under intense fire from Scarborough. The Spitfire accompanied the Washington to New York in July 1776.
The keel for the Phoenix was laid down in February 1758, and the ship was launched on June 25, 1759. It was a 840-ton fifth rate frigate with 40 guns, with a length of 140 feet and a beam of 37 feet. The hold of the ship was sixteen feet deep. The full rigged ship carried a crew of 280. The lower deck was equipped with twenty 18-pound guns and the upper deck 20 nine-pound guns. The quarter deck was equipped with four 6-pound guns.
Captain Hyde Parker, Jr commanded the ship during its service in the Revolutionary War. Initially the ship was deployed to Sandy Hook, New Jersey where it captured at least three ships and thwarted an American attack on the Sandy Hook lighthouse. It was one of the three ships that sailed up the North River on July 12 and spent two hours bombarding New York. The ship was also the prime location of the scheme to counterfeit Continental currency, thus destabilizing it.
The keel for the Rose was laid down on June 5, 1756, and the ship launched on March 8, 1757, the Rose was a sixth rate, 20-gun ship. At 449 tons, the ship had a length of 108 feet, a beam of 30 feet and a 9-foot draft. It had full rigging and carried a crew of 160. It carried 20, 9-pound cannons. During the French and Indian War, the ship saw service in the British Channel and the Caribbean. Commanded by Sir James Wallace, the Rose deployed to the waters off Rhode Island in 1774 to deal with the smuggling problem. The ship was effective, capturing several Rhode Island ships and severely pressuring the economy. The ship’s activity was primarily responsible for Rhode Island creating its own navy and the eventual formation of the Continental Navy. In July 1776 the captain received orders to join the HMS Phoenix in New York, where it participated in the invasion of New York. It was one of the two ships that sailed up the North River and bombarded the city.
The Attack
The British ships were anchored in the Hudson River in the Tappan Zee, just off the shore of Tarrytown. General George Washington had placed Captain Benjamin Tupper in command of a five-ship flotilla that included the Washington and Spitfire. At about 1:00 PM the American ships attacked the British ships. The Phoenix was the first ship to fire. The Washington returned fire and the battle was joined. The fight lasted about two hours, after which the Americans retired. The Spitfire lost one man and sustained damage to the hull and rigging. The Washington had her 32-pound gun split but had no casualties. Another American ship in the attack, the Shark, apparently sustained some damage, but had no casualties.
The Congress engrossed the Declaration of Independence.
Engrossing is the act of preparing a document for signing. The engrosser did this by copying the text of the document in large, clear handwriting on new paper. The document that was passed by Congress on July 4, 1776, was not the same physical document that delegates began signing on August 2, 1776. On July 19, 1776, the Congress had decreed that the document be engrossed with the title, “the unanimous declaration of the thirteen united states of America.” The Congress also directed that, “be signed by every member of Congress.” Historical lore assigns an assistant to the Secretary of Congress Charles Thomson, Timothy Matlock, to this task. He copied the Declaration onto a sheet of parchment that was 24¼ by 29¾ inches in size. He would have used a quill pen and probably an ink made from iron-gall mix blended with charcoal. John Hancock, President of the Congress, was the first to sign the document. He signed with a large signature. Others followed. Not everyone signed the document that day. Others followed in the days following, however not everyone signed. The delegates signed, grouped by state, from north to south. New Jersey was first and Georgia last.
John Dunlap’s printed version of the Declaration of Independence reached Charlestown on August 2, 1776. South Carolina’s official printer Peter Timothy printed several copies and posted them around the city.
After receiving a copy of the Declaration of Independence on August 5, the South Carolina legislature declared independence on August 5.
Benedict Arnold Assumes Command of the Lake Champlain Naval Fleet on August 7, 1776.
Arnold had made his fortune in shipping and was familiar with the shipbuilding process, thus General Horatio Gates placed Arnold in charge of building the fleet needed to repel the expected British invasion of Lake Champlain. Gates instructed Arnold to go to Crown Point and place the fleet in a good defensive position and not to undertake any risky exposure to British forces until they attacked.
In a letter to Connecticut Governor John Trumbull on August 7, General George Washington reported that he had received intelligence garnered from two deserters from the British army that British General Clinton and Cornwallis had arrived at Staten Island with the entire southern army of about 3,000 to 4,000 troops from South Carolina.
August 7, 1776 – Washington Report to President of Congress – John Hancock
General Washington sent a report to John Hancock, President of Congress in which he reported his troop strength.
10,514 fit for duty
3,039 – Sick, present –
629 – Sick, absent
2946 – on command
97 on furlough
17,225 total
When Trumbull received Washington’s letter, he ordered nine of his regiments, augmented by five western regiments, to march to New York to join Washington’s force on August 7, 1776. He promoted Colonel Oliver Wolcott to brigadier general and placed him in command of this force. Most of the men in these fourteen regiments were farmers and needed to return to their farms as soon as convenient. Trumbull also urged local men not already in the militia to form companies, choose officers and march to Washington’s aid.
After his appointment as the officer in charge of building the boats for the fleet on Lake Champlain, Arnold went immediately to Crown Point to take charge on August 7. His report back to General Gates stated that the boat construction was further along than he had thought it would be. He noted that three galleys would be launched in a fortnight (14 days) and the timber cut for three or four more.
Author Paul Wonning – Mossy Feet Books
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Mossy Feet Books - Author Paul R. Wonning 