Jolly Tar	Commander Charles Harrison [Hamson]
Sloop-of-War	6 September 1782-28 September 1782
Maryland Privateer Ship

Commissioned/First Date:	6 September 1782
Out of Service/Cause:	28 September 1782/captured by HM Frigate Jason

Owners:

Henry Messennior [Messonier] and J. C. Zollickoffer [Lellehoffer] of Baltimore, Maryland

Tonnage:

210, 250, 280

Battery:

Date Reported: 6 September 1782 Number/Caliber  Weight        Broadside 14/ Total: 14 cannon/ Broadside: 7 cannon/ Swivels: Date Reported: [10] September 1782 Number/Caliber  Weight         Broadside 16/6-pounder      96 pounds   48 pounds Total: 16 cannon/96 pounds Broadside: 8 cannon/48 pounds Swivels: Date Reported: 28 September 1782 Number/Caliber  Weight          Broadside 20/9-pounder     180 pounds   90 pounds Total: 20 cannon/180 pounds Broadside: 10 cannon/90 pounds Swivels:

Crew:

6 September 1782: 66 [total]

Description:

Officers:

Cruises:

(1) Baltimore, Maryland to sea, 3 September 1782-28 September 1782

Prizes:

Actions:

Comments:

The ship Jolly Tar was advertised for sale at Baltimore, Maryland on 27 April 1782. She was said to be 210 tons and pierced for twenty-two guns. The sale was held on 1 May.¹

She was purchased and became the 280-ton Maryland Privateer Ship Jolly Tar, commissioned on 6 September 1782 under Commander Charles Harrison. Jolly Tar was listed as being armed with fourteen guns and as having a crew of sixty-five men.² Another account gives her battery as sixteen 6-pounders.³ Her owners were given as  Henry Messennior⁴ [Messonier]⁵ and  J. C. Zollickoffer⁶ [Lellehoffer]⁷ of Baltimore, Maryland.⁸

A number of vessels were loading with flour at this time in Baltimore. As they began to complete their lading the merchants of Baltimore asked the Count De Rochambeau if an escort could be arranged. Rochambeau wrote to the Chevalier De Quèmÿ, commander of HMCM Frigate Emeraude, to escort the vessels clear of the coast of America.⁹

The owners of the Maryland Privateer Ship Matilda (Commander James Belt) instructed Belt, before he left Baltimore, to sail with, or without the escort, “as he should in his descretion think proper, on his arrival near the Capes.” Matilda was loaded with a cargo of 1800 barrels of flour for her initial voyage and sailed from Baltimore on 2 September 1782, bound for Havana, Cuba.¹⁰ Among the other vessels also loading with flour for Havana was Maryland Privateer Ship Jolly Tar (Commander Charles Harrison), twenty 9-pounders and sixty-five men. Jolly Tar sailed the next day, 3 September.¹¹

On 9 September, Matilda arrived in Mobjack Bay, Virginia. Belt decided to sail, without the escort, at the first fair wind. The next day, 10 September, Emeraude came in and anchored in Mobjack Bay.¹² Presumably other American vessels had arrived in Mobjack Bay by this time, or were arriving each day.

The wind was fair for sailing on 13 September. Matilda raised anchor and made sail, but didn’t get far. Belt was “prevented by the Chevalier De Quémÿ from passing and detained by force . . .” The Chevalier was informed that Matilda was under discretionary orders from her owners, to sail with or without escort, which de Quémÿ ignored. Chase said that “repeated applications were made to him by Captain Belt to permit the Ship to proceed on her Voyage . . .” but de Quémÿ was unmoved. To make matters worse, he allowed several flags of truce to proceed to sea. Men aboard these vessels had certainly noted the collecting convoy.¹³

The convoy dropped down to Lynnhaven Bay and anchored. At 1100 on 26 September the convoy raised sail and exited the Virginia Capes: ten merchant vessels and privateers, and the escort, Emeraude. By 1880 the convoy was five or six miles east of Cape Henry, sailing along under light winds, which lasted all night. At daylight a sail was seen to the southwest which gave chase to the convoy. About noon the ship in chase was seen to be making signals “as it were to a Consort of an Enemy fleet and fired Several Guns . . .” Harrison’s men could see nothing from the mastheads but their own convoy and the vessel in chase.  Harrison spoke to the “Commodore,” de Quémÿ, several times.¹⁴ De Quémÿ now sailed close to the Matilda and asked Belt if he would “Assist him in Engaging the Enemy . . .” which Belt promised to do.¹⁵ De Quémÿ then closed Jolly Tar. “The Commodore asked him if he would assist him to fight the ship if she came up with them which he the deponant consented to do—,” said Harrison.¹⁶

About 1700 De Quémÿ again hailed the Jolly Tar and asked Harrison “what he intended to do—he told the Commodore he woud do what he pleased and if he woud fight the Ship they woud assist him—upon which he the Commodore made a Signal for to form the line . . .” Both Jolly Tar and Matilda formed a line of battle on the Emeraude and began clearing for action, taking in sails and booms.¹⁷ But the Emeraude had a peculiar way of preparing for action: “the Chevalier employed himself in Rigging out steering Sail Booms, and getting Steering Sails ready to set.”¹⁸ Emeraude seemed to be pareparing to run.

About 1730¹⁹ or 1800,²⁰ the British frigate had closed to within four miles,²¹ (“the chase then being aback two Guns shot” said Harrison)²² and was clearly seen to be a frigate. Emeraude lowered the signal for line of battle and raised the signal for the convoy to run “and each to shift for himself; and immediatly crowded all his sail and fled as fast as he could, and deserted the fleet, which he had delayed by his signal to heave to, and prepare for action, . . .” ²³  

The Jolly Tar set all sail she could and ran, but the chasing ship, HM Frigate Jason (Captain James Pigot), still gained on the privateer. Harrison began throwing some of his cago into the sea to lighten his ship. A fresh breeze from the west came up and more sail was set. About midnight a heavy squall rolled in and some of the sails were taken in. “At half past twelve the Wind blew hard and shifted to the Northward and carried away his Mizin top Mast the long tail Boom and fore top Mast staying sail Boom at which time he was Obliged to Clew up top Gallarts top sails and fore sails and keep the Ship before the Wind to get the sails handed in . . .” This made Jolly Tar bear down on the frigate which was still in chase. Jason was now seen to be firing at another vessel from the convoy, the brig New Orleans²⁴ (John Carey)²⁵ Harrison hauled his wind, but the Jason was soon within gunshot. The first round went overhead, but the second struck the ship “and forced to bring him too . . .”²⁶

The Matilda steered the same course as the reluctant de Quémÿ. On 28 September Emeraude parted company and returned to the Virginia Capes. Matilda turned for Havana but was captured on the 29^th by HM Frigate Perseverance. All the convoy, with the exception of one or two were captured. Chase estimated the loss of the Matilda at *9000 and the loss of the convoy as *100000. ²⁷

Joseph Smith, aboard the Jolly Tar, blamed the cowardly conduct of the French captain for the capture, in a letter to Benjamin Franklin.²⁸

Jolly Tar was sent in to New York, New York, as was the brig. Both prizes arrived at New York on 3 October 1782. Jolly Tar was described as a twenty gun ship.²⁹

Jolly Tar was tried and condemned at New York. She appears in the court records as an American merchant vessel with a letter-of-marque. Harrison appears as “Hamson.”³⁰ Jolly Tar was advertised for sale at New York on 2 November 1782. She is described as a new vessel of 250 tons, armed with twenty 9-pounders.³¹

¹ The Pennsylvania Packet or the General Advertiser [Philadelphia], Saturday, April 27, 1782

²  Archives of Maryland: Journal and Correspondence of the Council of Maryland, 1781-1784, 48:255

³ Letter, Chase to Benjamin Franklin, 18 September 1783, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

⁴  Archives of Maryland: Journal and Correspondence of the Council of Maryland, 1781-1784, 48:255

⁵ Capt. Harrison’s Protest , 24 October 1782, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

⁶  Archives of Maryland: Journal and Correspondence of the Council of Maryland, 1781-1784, 48:255

⁷ Capt. Harrison’s Protest , 24 October 1782, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

⁸  Archives of Maryland: Journal and Correspondence of the Council of Maryland, 1781-1784, 48:255

⁹ Letter, Chase to Benjamin Franklin, 18 September 1783, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

¹⁰ Letter, Chase to Benjamin Franklin, 18 September 1783, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

¹¹ Capt. Harrison’s Protest , 24 October 1782, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

¹² Letter, Chase to Benjamin Franklin, 18 September 1783, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

¹³ Letter, Chase to Benjamin Franklin, 18 September 1783, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

¹⁴ Capt. Harrison’s Protest , 24 October 1782, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

¹⁵ Letter, Chase to Benjamin Franklin, 18 September 1783, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

¹⁶ Capt. Harrison’s Protest , 24 October 1782, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

¹⁷ Capt. Harrison’s Protest , 24 October 1782, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

¹⁸ Letter, Chase to Benjamin Franklin, 18 September 1783, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

¹⁹ Letter, Chase to Benjamin Franklin, 18 September 1783, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

²⁰ Capt. Harrison’s Protest , 24 October 1782, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

²¹ Letter, Chase to Benjamin Franklin, 18 September 1783, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

²² Capt. Harrison’s Protest , 24 October 1782, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

²³ Letter, Chase to Benjamin Franklin, 18 September 1783, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

²⁴ Capt. Harrison’s Protest , 24 October 1782, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

²⁵ HCA 32/410/8/1-11

²⁶ Capt. Harrison’s Protest , 24 October 1782, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

²⁷ Letter, Chase to Benjamin Franklin, 18 September 1783, in http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedVolumes.jsp

²⁸ Letter By Joseph Smith of the Ship "Jolly Tar." to Franklin, 13 January 1783, in http://www.amphilsoc.org/library/mole/f/franklin/haysmisca.htm

²⁹ The Pennsylvania Packet or the General Advertiser [Philadelphia], October 12, 1782, datelined New York, October 4

³⁰ HCA 32/370/23/1-22

³¹ The Royal Gazette [New York], Saturday, November 2, 1782

Posted 18 July 2008

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