Hidden History: When privateers sailed the seas

By Robert Herron

Town Historian Emeritus

Submitted photos

There is a book by historian Barbara Tuchman, who wrote the landmark book “The Guns of August” entitled “The First Salute.” This book describes a privateer, the Andrew Doria of Maryland, entering the harbor at the Dutch island of St. Eustatius and receiving a welcoming salute from the island’s government.

This resulted in invasion by the British and protracted armed conflict between the Dutch and British that affected the American Revolution. The book describes the political world in the 18^th Century and provides an international perspective on the American Revolution and maritime history at a time when sea power governed international relations and the Americans were working to establish their maritime force at sea.

When America went to war with Great Britain in July of 1775 our maritime presence was largely commercial and we were going to war with the most powerful military maritime power on Earth. Before the United States Navy was established Oct. 2, 1775, each state commissioned its own navy.

The Andrew Doria was commissioned by the state of Maryland. After the incident at St. Eustatius, the French and Dutch engaged the British, giving the United States a chance to develop a completive navy.

For most of its early existence the smaller United States Navy ships were outgunned by the British. The American’s naval warfare strategy had been hit-and-run tactics where we would attack British merchantmen and take refuge in the shallow river estuaries when British ships of the line pursued.

The American ships were shallow draft and could sail into the rivers. The British ships were larger, deep-draft ships which couldn’t follow.

What does all this have to do with the hidden history of Rocky Hill? There were several privateers associated with Wethersfield (Rocky Hill was part of Wethersfield at the time) but the question arises what did “associated” mean? Were the ships built and launched here? Was Wethersfield a home port?

The answer seems to be that the owners of these ships were residents of Wethersfield although the ships may have been built and moored elsewhere.

It is hard to reconstruct Wethersfield/Rocky Hill maritime history during the Revolution because Benedict Arnold led a raid in Groton/New London and among other destructive things burned down the Customs House and all the Connecticut records it contained.

Much of this information has been restored but many questions remain. A paper, “Wethersfield’s Maritime Contribution to the Revolutionary War, March 3, 2012,” lists the following ships as being legally registered in Wethersfield/Rocky Hill:

Abigail, sloop. Commission: August 1777. Owner: Ackley Riley. Prizes: British sloop, name unknown, Aug. 29, 1777; Sloop The General Burgoyne, Sept. 3, 1777.

Author Barbara Tuchman wrote about a privateer.

Betsey, sloop. Commission: Date unknown. Owners: Ackley Riley and Abraham Wright of Farmington. Prizes: British sloop, name unknown, June 23, 1780.

Enterprise, schooner. Commission: June 1777. Owner: Jason Chester followed by Moses Tyron. Prizes: British sloop Experiment; schooner Friendship; sloop Hap Hazard; schooner Greyhound; sloop Swallow; sloop Nonpareil. Dates unknown

Fair Trader, schooner. Commission: Date unknown. Owner: Joseph Webb; Commander, Joseph Webb. Record unknown.

Gull, schooner. Commission: June 17, 1779. Owner: Levi Riley. Commander: William Bunce. Record unknown.

Hero, sloop. Commission: Jan. 14, 1778. Owners: Jacob Riley, Moses Williams and Ephriam Williams. Commander, Jacob Riley. Riley was taken prisoner and exchanged Aug. 3, 1782.

Humbird, schooner. Commission: Oct. 21, 1781. Owners: John Wright, Oliver Goodrich and John Bulkley Jr. Commander: Oliver Goodrich. Record unknown.

Jason, brigantine. Commission: Nov. 27, 1780. Owners: John Wright and Company. Commander: Samuel Stillman, later Moses Tyron. Record unknown.

Lash, sloop. Commission: Date unknown. Owner: Thomas Newsom. Record unknown.

Lucy, sloop. Commission: Dec. 2, 1777. Owner: Joseph Bulkley. Commander: Thomas Sellow. Prizes: British schooner Tyrall, Dec. 12, 1777; Sloop Elizabeth, Dec. 15, 1777; sloop Dove, 1778; schooner, York, June 15, 1779; sloop, Tyron, 1779.

Mentor, schooner. Commission: April 17, 1779. Owners: Moses Tryon, James Lockwood and James Church of Hartford. Commander: Moses Tryon. Record unknown.

Nancy, sloop. Commission: April 17, 1779. Owners: John Wright and Company. Commander: Moses Tryon. Tryon and his vessel were captured by the enemy and carried into New York in May of 1779. Tryon was exchanged on June 26, 1779, for one George Kidd.

Ranger, brigantine. Commission: May 25, 1780. Owners: Ebenezer Barnard Jr. and Company. Commander: Ashbel Riley. Captured Nov. 14, 1780, near Montauk.

Revenge, sloop. Commission: 1776. Owner: Silas Deane. Record unknown.

Samuel, brigantine. Commission: Aug. 17, 1779. Owners: John Wright and Co. Commander: John Bulkley Jr. According to the “Connecticut Gazette” of New London, Captain Bulkley and his brig were taken by the British and taken to the West Indies.

Snake, sloop. Commission: Jan. 23, 1778. Owner: James Stanley. Commander: Ackley Riley. Prizes: British Sloop Maccaroni, Feb. 16, 1779; schooner Jenny, June 7, 1779; vessel, name unknown, Nov. 13, 1779.

Washington, sloop. Commission: Sept. 7, 1779. Owners: Justus Wright and John Wright and Company. Commander: Israel Deming followed on Feb. 20, 1780, by Richard Reynolds. Prizes: Two British sloops, names unknown.

Rocky Hill played a large role in Wethersfield’s history during this period. The University of Connecticut published a paper, “The Geomorphic History of the Connecticut River,” which describes a flood in 1690 that changed the course of the river and made Wethersfield Cove unsuitable as a shipyard.

Much of the maritime activity moved down river to Rocky Hill and an active shipyard was established here. A Shipyard Park currently exists on Riverview Road, although trees have grown up which obscure its history as a shipyard. One has to imagine a time when ships were built here and slid down the hill and into the river.

An article in the October 2021 issue of Rocky Hill Life described the brig Minerva, a ship that was launched and owned by William Griswold of Rocky Hill. It served as the first ship commissioned by the Connecticut Navy and later served as a privateer.

It is worth noting that during the Revolution Silas Deane of Wethersfield was a member of the Continental Congress and was instrumental in establishing the U.S. Navy. It is also worth noting that although he was listed as owner of the privateer Revenge, much of the privateering activity attributed to him was the work of his brother Barnabas, including ownership of the Revenge. RHL