Name of Vessel:

Sally

Master of Vessel:

Hezekiah Freeman

Rig of Vessel:

Sloop

Date of Capture:

[13] March 1778

Place of Capture:

Southeast of the southern end of Nantucket Shoal, Massachusetts

Captor:

Massachusetts Privateer Sloop Revenge

Home Port:

New London, Connecticut

From What Port:

Martinique, French West Indies

To What Port:

New London, Connecticut

Cargo:

Rum, wine, limes, salt

Tonnage:

Battery:

Crew:

2+ [prize crew]

Owners:

Joseph Williams & Co.

Prize master:

Prize crew:

Ordered Into:

New Bedford, Massachusetts

Into What Port:

New Bedford, Massachusetts

Date Arrived:

19 March 1778

Date Tried:

Date Sold:

Action:

No

Recaptured:

No

Comments: HM Frigate Apollo (Captain Philemon Pownoll) was nine miles northeast of the southern end of Nantucket Shoal on the morning of 9 March 1778. At 0830 she saw a sail to the west and chased. At 1530 she brought the chase to: sloop Sally (Hezekiah Freeman), owned by Joseph Williams & Co. of New London, Connecticut. Sally was bound to New London from Martinique in the French West Indies with a cargo of rum, wine, limes and salt. Apollo put a mate and several sailors aboard her as a prize crew and removed her crew as prisoners. Sally stayed with the Apollo until the night of 10 March and then parted company, heading for Newport, Rhode Island. Perhaps the Sally and another prize, the schooner Polly, rejoined the Apollo later.

Massachusetts Privateer Sloop Revenge (Commander Isaac Freeborn) was sailing north to New Bedford, Massachusetts from Martinique. Revenge fell in with the Apollo and her two prizes, perhaps on the morning of 13 March. At 1100 Revenge re-captured the Sally. About 1200 Apollo began chasing the Revenge and, according to the American account, continued the chase until 0700 the next day. The Apollo broke off the chase when the Revenge got into the harbor. The mate and a midshipman of the Apollo were prisoners at New Bedford on 23 March.

Additional comments: It is very difficult to reconcile the British and American accounts of this incident. The entry for Sally in Howe’s prize list, extracted in 548 note, indicates that Sally was sent into Newport and contains noting about her being recaptured. Apollo’s log shows no record of a chase [710 note 3] and indicates that she escorted the prizes into Newport, arriving on 15 March. According to the American account, the Revenge fell in with the Apollo on 3 March, which is before the Sally was captured. The chase lasted until the next day, when she made port in New Bedford. That would be 4 March, one might think, but one would be wrong. The letter [710] containing this information says Revenge made port on 19 March. Nevertheless, a sloop named Sally was recaptured: a British intelligence report dated 23 March indicates the mate and midshipman of the Apollo were prisoners at New Bedford, taken about 20 March [764 and notes 12 and 13]. I reconcile all this by assuming that the date in the American accounts should be 13 March, the “chase” lasted until 14 March (but perhaps Apollo was just steering for Newport and looking into New Bedford on the way), and the Revenge took a few days to work up into the harbor.

[NDAR, XI, 548 and note, 586 and note, 710 and notes, 763-764 and 764 notes]