[York, Pa.] 23d June [1778]
. . . Colo Malcom1 lately informed me, that having heard one of the Enemy's ships lay near—in North River he caused an 18 & 24 Pounder to be dragged down in the night with 51 shot when the flood tide had made strong he opened his little masked Battery of Bushes and at the distance of 500 to 700 Yards pierced her 47 times when he had only 1 shot remaining a breeze of Wind favouring, the Swift, I think she is called, of 16 Guns cut her Cable and towed off, he took up the Cable and Anchor and returned without loss—the Crew of the Ship, the Colonel says passed their time in great confusion but fired not a shot in return2. . . .
LB, ScHi, Henry Laurens Papers, Copy Book. The entire letter is printed in Smith, Letters of Delegates 10: 181-83.
1. Col, William Malcolm commanded one of the Sixteen Additional Continental Regiments and served as deputy adjutant general in the Northern Department. Heitman, Register.
2. The logbook of H.M. ship-rigged sloop-of-war Swift for June 1778 contains no mention of this episode. UkLPR, Adm. 51/964. The vessel may have been misidentified. It was probably H.M. ship-rigged sloop-of-war Swan, Comdr. Thomas Totty, commander.
