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Birthplace of the them that the officers and men of said part of survival. The Providence mer- By Robert Allen Greene vessels can be more serviceable on chants were particularly provoked by written for the shore, than at sea, to order them on the imposition of what they considered East Greenwich Packet shore, to defend the seaports in this unreasonable duties and restrictions. A Publication of the colony. Three years before, on June 9, 1772, East Greenwich Preservation Society And it is further voted and resolved because of the excessively zealous na- May 1981 - Volume 5 No. 2 that the following officers be, and are ture of one Lt. William Dudingston of hereby His Majesty' s Custom Sloop GASPEE, appointed to command the said vessels, June 12, 1775— That' s an important that ship ran aground off Namquit Point to wit: of the largest vessel,— date in the history of this town. For on while chasing the shallower drafted Abraham Whipple, commander, with that date the General Assembly of the packet HANNAH into Providence. the rank and of commodore of Crown Colony of and power After Capt. Lindsey of HANNAH re- both vessels. Providence Plantations, meeting in ses- ported the plight of the hated schooner John Grimes, first lieutenant. sion at the Old Kent County Court seven longboats were silently rowed Benjamin second lieutenant. House did enact the following: Seabury, down river from Sabins Tavern and William Bradford, of Providence, It is voted and resolved, that the corn- about midnight the" High Sheriff' and master. mittee of safety be, and they are hereby, Captain" led the attack, wounded Lt. Ebenezer at the directed to charter two suitable vessels Flagg, quartermaster, Dudingston and burned the ship near the wages of 4 pounds, lawful money, for the use of the colony and fit out the per town of Pawtuxet- A clear act of defi- month. same in the best manner, to protect the ance that placed Rhode Island squarely Of the smallest vessel, Christopher trade of this colony. against accepting British domination. Whipple, commander. That the said vessels be at the risk of Many legal battles followed and William Rhodes, lieutenant." the colony, and be appraised, before Courts of Inquiry convened but no one they are chartered, by Messrs. Joseph was ever brought to trial. Anthony, Rufus Hopkins and Cromell With the passing of this enactment and After a two year reprieve Admiral the of the Sloops KATY Child or any two of them; who are also acquiring and Graves in Boston sent the 20-gun frig-

to agree for the hire of the said vessels. WASHINGTON, the General Assem- ate ROSE, and Capt. James Wallace to

That the largest of the said vessels be bly created the first Navy in this hemi- take up the station of the expired sphere. Three days later the GASPEE. manned with eight men, exclusive of sloop Captain Wallace proved KATY under the command of Captain officers; and be equipped with ten guns, most energetic in stopping and search- Whippe, Commodore of the Rhode Is- four- pounders; fourteen swivel guns, a ing all vessels entering or leaving land did capture the sufficient number of small arms, and all Navy, Sloop . When on a two week DIANA, a tender to the British Frigate cruise off the coast Merchant John necessary warlike stores. ROSE, in the first official naval action. That the small vessel be manned in a Brown with his sloop KATY, on orders Rhode Islanders were always indepen- number not exceeding thirty men. of the General Assembly, removed most dent - This was born of those That the whole be included in the colony of the cannon from Ft. George in New- free- thinkers that for one reason or an- number of fifteen hundred men, ordered port Harbor and returned to Providence other were driven from England, with 44 cannon of various sizes. to be raised in this colony, and be kept Ply- mouth or the Massachusetts Wallace was furious and on April 26, in pay until the 1st day of December Bay So it was not unusual for Rhode 1775 he seized the sloops DIANA and next, unless discharged before, by or- Colony. der of the General Assembly. Islanders to resort to smuggling when ABIGAIL along with 300 barrels of the mother a restric- flour and Mr. Brown. Brown was taken That they receive the same bounty and country placed very tive trade on the colonies after aboard the man of war SWAN and pay as the land forces, excepting that policy the first and second lieutenants and the Seven Years War ( 1763). For the against the local laws Walace sent him sea inhabitants that abounded master receive the same pay as the first faring to Boston aboard Sloop ABIGAIL for lieutenant of the land forces; and under Narragansett Bay these attempts to regu- trial before Admiral Graves, in spite of late and tax colonial trade were or petty officers the same as sergeants bitterly many letters of protest from officials resented. within the colonies. Offers of British of the army. Newport with its Tories was And that the lieutenant general, briga- many prisoners to exchange for Mr. Brown more inclined to compromise with the came from many states with even Ethan dier general and committee of safety, King' s representatives, but on the main- Allen offering a Major, Captain and two or the major part of them, have the land a spirit of rebellion flourished and Lieutenants captured at Fort power of directing and ordering said was accepted as a Ticonderoga. vessels; and in case it shall appear to smuggling necessary

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the time ABIGAIL arrived in Bos- By of who would be her captain. The cour- Reddy to go out tomorrow nite I men- ton Admiral Graves found a hornets' age and seamanship that had made him tion this that the General Assembly may nest had erupted over the incident and Brown' s most successful captain and if then think it worthy of Notice take in an effort to defuse the situation John had been very apparent at the burning the Same in to Consideration and Give Brown and his brother Moses appeared of GASPEE were just the qualities such Directions in this Matter as they before the Admiral and General Gage. needed for this assignment. in their Wisdom may think proper. In a atmosphere both broth- conciliatory Brown was ready with both ship and I am Gentlemen ers signed a to urge pledge cooperation crew, but having signed the cooperative John Brown between British and Colonial authori- agreement in Boston he didn' t wish to P. S. if the Colony will purchase the ties and were released to return to Rhode take this bold action on his own. He Catey I will agree to Leave it to aney Island. therefore wrote to the General Assem- three persons acquainted with naviga- The British, to cool the situa- wishing bly, meeting in East Greenwich, the tion to Fix her Value. tion, also paid for the flour seized and following letter: Gentlemen Provi- The General Assembly, with Nicho- ordered the ships returned to Providence dence, June 12, 1775. Applycation las Cook presiding, did on June 12th, and demurrage paid. havg this Day bin made to persons her 1775 pass the resolution noted at the be- Mr. Brown, acting in good faith, ap- to Risque Mr Hackers Boat, he being ginning of this article and thus created before the General peared Assembly on goine to the Camp, his Son was in Doubt the Rhode Island Navy, the first formal 17th to appeal for negotiation and May wiether he Could Concent for her to go navy of this hemisphere and the fore- moderation with the British. The mo- for fear his father mought Loose her as runner of the Continental Navy, for it tion the lower passed house but was well as the one now in the hands of the was Stephen Hopking as delegate to the defeated in the upper house. Capt. men of warr, and as both the Boats now and being in- Wallace, frustrated with this turn being held by the men of warr are said to be structed by the Rhode Island General of events, was still made angry. He then Detained on Account of their having bin Assembly by its resolution of August threats against Mr. Brown and refused Imployed in the Colonys Service in 26th, 1775, introduced a bill to create a to return the seized to their own- packets bringing up the Guns Flour & c. it is National Navy. Congress passed the bill ers. On the s DIANA contrary Lindsey' Requested that You use your Interest in after much debate on October 13, 1775 had been manned and armed to serve as the Assembly that Sum Effectual and Hopking wrote into the bill that the a tender to ROSE. Whether or not Method be Immediately Tacon in Or- sloop KATY was authorized as the first Wallace had Admiral Graves' tacit con- der that the Said Boats be forthwith sloop of the Continental Navy. The sent is not known no but record shows Delivered up or Tacon, Sum principle KATY under its new name PROVI- him being reprimanded for doing it. people proposes that if Capt. Wallace DENCE went on to a glorious record as The disguised packets created a new will not Deliver them up the Sherriff of first ship to land Marines in action, the problem for those merchants whose the County of Newport be ordered by first to fly the Stars and Stripes on a for- ships were still at sea and not aware of the Assembly to take him and Commit eign shore, and survived longer than Captain Wallace' s actions. While sus- him to Jail till said Packetts aare Deliv- any of the original fleet of ships. While picions would be aroused at the sight of ered, Others thinks that if the Sloop under the command of such able cap- a British war vessel, these disguised Caaatey goes out as my Property that it tains as John Paul Jones, Abraham wolves in sheep' s clothing were dou- will make me so much more Obnoctious Whipple, John Peck Rathbun and bly dangerous. The Colonies were" up then Any Other person to Capt. Hoysteed Hacker she captured some in arms" over Wallace' s actions and Wallace& c that my Vessils and Cargoes forty odd ships, and from her broad Rhode Islanders in particular were out- will all be tacon as they Came in and I quarterdeck were launched some of the raged when DIANA seized a schooner now having 10 sail out, that its unrea- proudest careers in the history of the loaded with supplies for Nantucket of sonable that the publick Should Desire early Navy. But that' s another story. June 6th 1775. me to Sacrifise all my privite Interest That was the last straw and John for the Bennifitt of the Common Cause, Col. Robert Allen Greene Brown offered the sloop KATY already Its therefore proposed that the Colony from the research of Hope Sisson Rider armed with 10 four pound carriage guns purchass Sum proper Vessill to be used and John Fitzhugh Millar. and smaller swivel guns. Her broad in Garding the Coast, procureing pow- beam, shallow draft along with great der or aney Other use they please I Ex- spread of canvas made her ideal for the pect the Catey under the under the Com- job of stopping DIANA. With Captain mand of Capt. Whipple will go Down Abraham Whipple already in trouble with Hackers Boat tomorrow to meet with the British there was no question Collo Vernon with his men so as to be

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