"In addition to this, I took three transports and a vessel laden with ling and furs, near Ile Royale; these prizes were escorted by the Flora frigate, which happened to be at a small distance, but which was concealed from us by a fog. Having taken a privateer from Liverpool, mounting 16 guns, in the course of next day, I instantly returned with my prizes, towards the United States; but, when in the latitude of Boston, fell in with the Milford frigate, which I unwillingly engaged. Towards night, however, I placed the Alfred between the enemy and my prizes, and having given the necessary instructions to the latter, to make for the nearest port, I changed my course, set up lights, and by this stratagem saved the vessels I had captured, as the frigate continued in chase of me. Next day I myself was fortunate enough to escape, after a very serious action, which was not terminated until dark, and even then in consequence of a hard gale of wind.
"The season being now too far advanced for the execution of the scheme in the West Indies, myself and crew received orders to remove on board the Amphytrite, a French vessel, destined to sail from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to France, whence we were to pass into Holland, and take possession of the Indienne, a large frigate constructing there for the congress; some difficulties however ensued, and I was ordered to prepare the Ranger, a vessel mounting eighteen guns.
Mount And Blade Persuasionl
"I now sent the smallest of the boats towards the northern side of the harbor to set fire to the vessels, while I myself advanced with the other to the south, to take possession of the fort and battery, the first of which was taken by assault, I myself being the first to enter it through one of the embrasures. We then nailed up the thirty-six cannon mounted on the batteries, and advanced towards the south, with a view of burning all the vessels, when, to my infinite astonishment, I beheld the other boat returning without having done any thing.
"The Drake was greatly damaged in her masts and tackling, and lost forty men either killed or wounded during the action. I had also taken several other prizes; but, as my compliment of men had only amounted to 123, I retained no more than two of them, which arrived in safety at Brest, where I myself anchored with the Ranger and Drake, on the 7th of May, after an absence of twenty eight days, during which I had taken upwards of 200 prisoners. This expedition was of great disservice to Great Britain, as she was not only obliged to fortify her ports but also to permit the arming of the Irish volunteers, as lord Mountmorris demonstrated in a speech in parliament.
"While the necessary arrangements were making at court, a naval commissary purchased at Nantes a merchantman, called La Pallas, of thirty-two eight-pounders, and a brig, named La Vengeance, of twelve three-pounders; but neither of them was calculated for war; to these was added Le Cerf, a very fine cutter belonging to the royal navy, carrying eighteen nine-pounders; with the Alliance, a new frigate, belonging to the United States but, as the guns had not as yet arrived from Angouleme, The Good Man Richard was armed from an old battery of twelve-pounders; and, as the expedition was intended against the enemy's ports, I mounted six old eighteen-pounders in the gun room, so that she might, in some measure, be called a forty gun ship. As it was found impossible to procure a sufficient number of American sailors, I determined to supply the deficiency by enrolling English ones, who happened to be prisoners of war in France and in addition to these a certain number of peasants was levied, so that we may be said to have had as bad a crew as was ever shipped on board any vessel. I was given to understand, however, that the chosen body of troops, under the command of the Marquis de la Fayette, would serve as a guarantee for their good conduct; but no sooner was the little squadron ready, than I received a letter from the Marquis, intimating that the object of the expedition having been divulged at Paris, the king had issued orders to prevent the embarcation of the troops, in consequence of which he had joined his regiment.
"It was about two o'clock in the afternoon that the Baltic fleet appeared in view; I then happened to have the wind of it, and was about two leagues distant from the coast of England. I learned from my prisoners, that the convoy was escorted by the Serapis, a new vessel, that could mount fifty six guns but then carried only forty four, on two decks, the lower battery carrying eighteen-pounders, and the Countess of Scarborough, a new twenty-two gun ship.
"The Vengeance, a corvette, mounting twelve three pounders, and the boat belonging to the pilot, with my second lieutenant, another officer, and ten men, would have been of singular service, either in pursuing and capturing the convoy, or by reinforcing me: but, strange as it may appear, the fact is, that they remained all this time mere spectators of the action, in which they took no interest, keeping themselves to windward, and out of all danger; while, on the other hand, the conduct of the Alliance had, at least, the appearance of proceeding from a principle worse than ignorance or insubordination.
"Next morning the weather was hazy and not a sail to be seen. We then examined the Richard to see if it were possible to carry her into any port. This proving wholly impracticable, all the boats were employed in carrying the wounded on board the other vessels. This occupied much of our time and on the succeeding day, notwithstanding all our pumps had been at work, the hold was entirely full of water, and the vessel soon after sunk. On this occasion I could only save the signal flags, and I lost all my property, amounting to more than 5,000 livres.
"The count de Maurepas about the time intimated to me, that his majesty had resolved to confer some distinguished mark of his bounty and personal esteem on me; this proved to be a sword, mounted with gold, on which was engraven the following flattering motto:
"The hilt was of gold, and the blade, &c. were emblazoned with his majesty's arms, the attributes of war, and an emblematical representation of the alliance between France and America. The most christian king, at the same time, transmitted a most admirable letter to congress, in which he offered to decorate me with the order of military merit. All this was extremely flattering, as Louis XVI had never presented a sword to any other officer, and never conferred the cross, except on such officers as were invested with his majesty's commission. 2ff7e9595c
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