Revolution Commander John McNachtane [] McNachtene,M’Naughton 8 December 1779-August 1781 Pennsylvania Privateer Ship

Commissioned/First Date: 8 December 1779 Out of Service/Cause: August 1781/captured by British privateers Triumph and Hibernia

Owners: (1) Samuel Morris, Jr. & Co., of , Pennsylvania; (2) Mathew Irwin, Thomas Irwin & Co., of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Tonnage: 100

Battery: Date Reported: 8 December 1779 Number/Caliber Weight Broadside 20/ Total: 20 cannon/ Broadside: 10 cannon/ Swivels:

Date Reported: 27 April 1781 Number/Caliber Weight Broadside 26/ Total: 26 cannon/ Broadside: 13 cannon/ Swivels:

Date Reported: 20 August 1781 Number/Caliber Weight Broadside 20/ Total: 20 cannon/ Broadside: 10 cannon/ Swivels:

Crew: (1) 8 December 1779: 61 [] total (2) 27 April 1781: 132 [] total

Comment on this or any page at our ©awiatsea.com-posted July 2020 --1-- Description:

Officers: (1) First Mate John Douglass, 27 April 1781-

Cruises: (1) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Martinique, French West Indies, [] 2 April 1780-

(2) Martinique, French West Indies to Cedar Island, Virginia, 5 June 1780-19 June 1780

(3) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to sea, -10 August 1781

Prizes: (1) Brig Basquis , 16 April 1780

(2) Brig Malton , [] May 1781

Actions: (1) Action with the Triumph , 10 August 1781

Comments:

Pennsylvania Privateer Ship Revolution was first commissioned on 8 December 1779 under Commander John McNachtane 1 []M’Naughton 2 of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was reported as armed with twenty guns and having a crew of sixty men. Revolution was bonded for $10,000 by Samuel Morris, Jr. and Robert Paisley, both of Philadelphia. 3

Revolution was built at Kensington, Pennsylvania on the River by owners Mathew and Thomas Irvin. The total coast of the 100-ton vessel and her outfitting came to just over £230,000. McNachtane began recruiting his forty-five man crew with a printed broadside of the articles for his ship, which had both the ship’s name and the commander’s name in print. 4 On 29 September 1779 the ship was launched and began her fitting out. On 8 December 1779 she received her commission. 5

Revolution sailed down river on 9 December to Camden, New Jersey. She was laden with fish, herring, onions, staves and tar and was ready to sail for the West Indies. But the winter weather

1 NRAR, 442

2 New-York Gazette , August 20, 1781

3 NRAR, 442

4 Hurst, Neal T., “Now Fitting Out for a Cruize Against the Enemies of America”: The Privateer Ship Revolution,” in 52 nd Annual Delaware Antiques Show , Winterthur Museum, 2015, pp. 151-154, p. 151. Hereafter, Hurst. Hurst had access to the financial records and the logbook of the Revolution . Online here .

5 Hurst, 152

Comment on this or any page at our ©awiatsea.com-posted July 2020 --2-- on the Delaware was very bad. During the night of 17 December, the wind came around and blew from the north, bringing snow, heavy gales and drifting river ice. McNachtane forced his ship through the ice to open water, but, a few days later Revolution was caught in the ice. 6

The ship stayed stuck in the ice, suffering extensive damage, until 17 February 1780, when she broke free and was taken into Greenwich, New Jersey, for repair. 7 She was re-supplied, armed, and sailed down to Reedy Island on 1 April 1780. 8 Very soon after she was at sea.

On 8 April Revolution was near the island of Bermuda. She took a prize on 16 April, the British brig Basquis . A prize master was sent aboard and she was sent away, presumably for Philadelphia. Nearly a month later the Revolution (on 11 May) had a close encounter and a narrow escape from a British frigate. Revolution got into Martinique, in the French West Indies. 9

After taking on a cargo of sugar, Revolution sailed for Philadelphia on 5 June 1780. It was routine until 19 June. Off Cape Henlopen, Delaware, the Revolution encountered a patrolling British frigate and ran south down the coast. The frigate pursued until Revolution ran aground on Cedar Island, near Chincoteague, Virginia. The British fired a few shots at the Revolution , and then surprisingly, hauled out to sea. 10

McNachtane hastily unloaded his cargo, delivering it to one John Taylor, a Virginia agent for the owners. Eventually the Revolution got back to Philadelphia. 11 It would seem that the Revolution was damaged rather extensively in this affair. On 25 July 1781 an advertisement appeared in the Philadelphia papers for the sale of the “Standing and Running Rigging, Cables, Anchors, Sails, and other Materiels; taken from the Ship Revolution, laid up as a Hulk.”12 Yet, some three months previously, the Revolution had been commissioned again. It is unclear if a different hull was being commissioned, or if the Revolution had been completely refurbished.

She was re-commissioned on 27 April 1781, apparently because of the rebuild, but still under McNachtane' s command. Her battery was raised to twenty-six guns and her crew to 130 men. John Douglass of Philadelphia served aboard as First Mate. Revolution ' s $20,000 bond was executed

6 Hurst, 152

7 Hurst, 152-153

8 Hurst, 153

9 Hurst, 153

10 Hurst, 154

11 Hurst, 154

12 The Pennsylvania Journal, or, the Weekly Advertiser [] Philadelphia , Wednesday, July 25, 1781

Comment on this or any page at our ©awiatsea.com-posted July 2020 --3-- by Mathew Irwin and Robert Paisley of Philadelphia.13 McNachtane is described at this time as age 38, five feet nine inches tall, with chestnut colored hair and a fresh complexion. Douglass was described as age 28, five feet seven inches tall, with brown hair and a fresh complexion. 14

At some time, in May or June 1781, the Revolution captured the brig Malton . The brig had been sold at Philadelphia by 24 July 1781, when the prize money was ready for distribution. 15

Revolution sailed from Philadelphia bound for Cap François, Saint-Domingue. 16 Other sources indicate she had a cargo of flour and was bound for Havana, Cuba. 17 As the Revolution hovered at the mouth of on the morning of 10 August 1781, 18 two British privateers, 19 the eighteen gun Triumph (Jacob Stout) 20 and the Hibernia (Dempsey) 21 closed on her. A thirty minute fight followed, 22 during which McNachtane was outmaneuvered and captured. She was sent into New York, New York, and arrived there on 12 August. 23 The British reported her skipper as 24 M’Naughton, and listed her battery as twenty guns.

Revolution was tried and condemned in the High Court of Admiralty. She is described in these records as an American merchant vessel with a letter-of-marque. McNachtane appears as McNachtene. 25 Revolution was advertised for sale in New York on 10 November 1781, being described as a well found, new Philadelphia built vessel, pierced for twenty-six guns. 26

13 NRAR, 443

14 Pennsylvania Archives , Series 5, volume 1:635

15 The Pennsylvania Packet, or, the General Advertiser [] Philadelphia , Tuesday, July 24, 1781

16 New-York Gazette , August 20, 1781

17 The New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury , Monday, August 13, 1781

18 Hurst, 154

19 The New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury , Monday, August 20, 1781

20 Hurst, 154

21 The New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury , Monday, August 20, 1781

22 Hurst, 154

23 The New-York Gazette and Weekly Mercury , Monday, August 13, 1781

24 New-York Gazette , August 20, 1781

25 HCA 32/441/17/1-110

26 The Royal Gazette [] New York , Saturday, November 10, 1781

Comment on this or any page at our ©awiatsea.com-posted July 2020 --4--