23d [July 1778, New York]
Three of Our ships ly out where the french lay Yesterday. A Fisherman came up, says he was taken by the french & has been a week with them, Says they landed their sick at shrewsberry1 about 4 or 500, that they wanted water & could only get triffling Supply from thence the Landing being difficult they lost eight men, That they took several fishing boats and Twenty Prizes Viz. The Roebuck's tender Stanly, Mr. Richd. Whiteworth,2 with her four prizes, a NYork armed Briga with two, a Phila. briga & two French, they detained. The others were West india men Six of which from Antigua they sent the prisoners on shore to the Rebels reshipped their sick & went off having only a Months Water. Tis supposed they are gone either to Delaware or Chesapeak they was full of men. [The ?] War was not declared when they left France but the day was fixed when it was to be done. It is suspected a Number of Vessels are loading Tobacco in Chesapeake for France which they are to Convoy, we have [damaged] latly about 700 prisoners exchanged, 400 of which [are] Hess[ians and] the others Chiefly highlanders from Boston.3
D, UkLi, Parker Family Papers, Captain Parker's Journal during the American War in the form of letters to Charles Steuart.
1. That is, Shrewsbury, New Jersey.
2. That is, H.M. armed brigantine Stanley, Acting Lt. Richard Whitworth, commanding.
3. The "highlanders" were men of the 71st Highland Regiment. One company had been captured aboard the transport ship Anne on 8 June by Gen, Washington's schooners Lee, commanded by Capt. Daniel Waters, Lynch, commanded by Capt. John Ayres, and Warren, commanded by Capt. William Burke. See Maj. Gen. Artemas Ward to Gen. George Washington, 9 June 1776, NDAR 5: 434–35 and the Boston-Gazette, 10 June 1776, NDAR 5: 448–49. Another two companies had been captured later in June when their transports were taken in Boston Bay by the Connecticut State Navy brig Defence, Capt. Seth Harding, commanding, who captured the brig Annabella, the ship George, and the ship Lord Howe. See Capt. Seth Harding to Gov. Jonathan Trumbull, 19 June 1776, in NDAR 5: 618–19. A list of the prisoners appears in Lt. Col. Archibald Campbell to Maj. Gen. William Howe, 19 June 1776, NDAR 5:619–21. The Hessians were undoubtedly from the Convention Army that had been captured after British Gen. John Burgoyne's surrender to Maj. Gen. Horatio Gates at the Battle of Saratoga in Oct. 1777.
