THE BRITISH NAVY IN THE REVOLUTION

SECOND PAPER

During the early summer of 1776 the American forces were actively engaged upon a work of great magnitude, which it was hoped would prevent the British vessels ascending the Hudson.

The project was the blocking, by means of sunken vessels filled with stone,[^[1]] of the narrowest portion of the deep channel of the river.

This was, and still is, the waterway extending between what is now known as Fort Washington Point, about 178th street, then called Jeffrey’s Hook, and the foreshore below the Palisades about due west of the Point, under Fort Lee.

Both sides were more or less protected by guns mounted in the earthworks of Fort Washington and Fort Constitution, the extent and character of which were not well known to the British commanders, though they seem to have been kept pretty well informed by treacherous informers of the progress of the work of obstructing the channel with the sunken vessels, from the decks of which protruded masts or sharpened poles, forming a rough “chevaux-de-frise,” a dangerous form of obstruction for wooden vessels propelled by tide and wind.

During all the spring and early summer the British naval force in the waters around New York was represented by two very active vessels, the sixty-four-gun man-of-war Asia, Captain George Vandeput, and the forty-four-gun frigate Phœnix, commanded by an able and energetic officer, Sir Hyde Parker, Jr., son of a well-known commander of the same name, who had already done good service for his king.

On June 30, the advance guard of the British fleet under Vice-Admiral Molyneux Shuldham, Rear-Admiral of the White, arrived at New York from Halifax. His flagship was the Chatham, of fifty guns and with her was her consort, the Centurion, also of fifty, and the twenty gun frigate Rose, which took a very active part in later affairs. By the first week of July the force under Shuldham had increased to fifty-four armed vessels of all ratings, aggregating about 1200 guns in broadside, with fully eighty supply vessels and transports laden with troops under the command of General Howe, who had made the journey from Halifax in the frigate Greyhound, of thirty guns.

On the 7th of July, while messengers from Philadelphia were bearing the news of the Declaration of Independence to New York, Governor Tryon and Howe were consulting aboard the Greyhound as to the expediency of sending a naval force up the North River in order to obstruct the supplies of the Americans. Action on this scheme was evidently deferred pending the expected arrival of Admiral Lord Howe, the general’s brother, with a powerful addition to the fleet.

No sooner was the arrival of this force announced by its advance guard than a squadron was ordered up the North River in a bold attempt to force their way past the obstructions at Fort Washington.

The vessels selected were the Phœnix and Rose, with the armed schooner Tryal, and two bomb-ketches, tenders of the two frigates, respectively the Shuldham and Charlotta.

It will be remembered that on passing the town of New York these vessels opened a bombardment, which it has been claimed was unprovoked by firing from the defences, and that a distressing bloodshed and panic among the inhabitants resulted.

The log or journal of Captain Hyde Parker relates the events as follows:

“Saturday 13th. Wind. S. W. Moderate breeze and fair weather. At 3 made the signal and weigh’d and came to sail in company with the Rose, Tryal Schooner with the Shuldham and Charlotta Tenders, at ¾ past 3 the Battery at Red Hook on Long Island began fireing on us, on our standing on, the Batterys on Governors Isl^d and on Powle’s Hook commenced a heavy fireing at us. At 5 minutes past 4 being then between the last mentioned batterys we began fireing upon them at ½ past 5 we pass’d the Batterys near Town and at 7 anchor’d in Tapon Bay abrest of TarryTown in 7 fathom.... In passing the Batterys Rece’d two shott in the Hull, one on the Bowsprit and several through the Sails, and had one Seaman and two marines wounded.”

The log of Mr. Savage Landor,[^[2]] sailing master of the Rose, gives further details, as follows:

Week day July	Mo dy 1776	Winds	REMARKS IN YORK RIVER

Friday	12th	N.W.	First part light Breez^s Middle & latter
light Breez^s & clear. PM Came in H. M.
Armd Brigg Hallifax.
Saturday	13th	S.W.	Little wind and clear w^r Came in H M sloop Kingsfisher at ½ past 1 H M ship Phenix made the Sig^l to unmoor d^o & hove short on the B^t B^r ½ past 2 the Phenix made the signal to weigh d^o and Came to Sail as did y^e Phenix & Tryal Arm^d Schooner & 2 Tenders Steering up the North River at ½ past 3 the Rebels began a Constant fireing on us and the Phenix From the Red Hook Governours Island Powles Hook and the Town as we past and continued there fireing from 6 different Batterys on the E^t shore above the Town for 11 miles as high as Margetts Hooke ret^d a Constant fire’g to all the Batterys as we past. they shot away the Starboard foreshroud, Fore tackle Pendant, forelift, fore topsail Clewline, Sprit sail and Main topsail Braces, one 18 Pound Shott thr’o the head of the Foremast one thr’o the Pinnace several thr’o the Sails and some in the hul^l: at ½ past 5 passd the last battery there Number of Guns not known Weight of mettle from 12 to 32 pounders at 8 anch^d in Torpand [Tappan] Bay 28 miles above the Town with the B^t B^r [best bower anchor] in 6½ f^m low water soft bottom Veerd to ½ a Cable Carried out the Stream Anchor to N W to Steady the Ship Terry town E ½ N The high Bluff head on the Western shore S W b W ½ d^o anchr^d the Phenix, Tryal Schooner & 2 Tenders. A M Sailmakers Employed repair^g Sails damaged by the Shot. Emp^d repairing, Carpenters fishing the Foremast.

The journal of the Captain, Sir James Wallace, is nearly identical in the main features recorded; repeating that “the Rebels began to fire upon us and the Phenix,” and confirming the material damage done to the ship. As to this it may be remembered that Anthony Glean, who fired the first gun at the squadron from the guns at the Battery, claimed that his shot took effect on the hull of the Rose, and the good gunnery of the Americans is evident from the general damage inflicted.

Reginald Pelham Bolton.

New York City.