Now we are Agoing on a New Cruse¹ and a new Yeair Jan 1778 I have had A Long time to think of What I am A Going to undertake but I am Very well Satisfied that we Are in a Good Cause & we are fiting the Lords Battel and we are Getting under sail Runing Down from Georgetown the Next Day put to See Standing to the Southward the Next Day att Day Light Saw a Sail to the Eastward then Saw two More that Pruved to [be] British one Ship Brigg and Sloop tha[t] Gave Chase the Ship Ganed farst on us by 2 PM the Ship we Could Discover her Teair of Guns Night Come on And Dark we Haled Down All Sail & put our Lights out of Sight and in a Few hours we Could See her and She pased and When She Gott out of our Sight we Alterd our Corse and the Next Morning we Could See no Sail Att all now we had hove over a Board So Much of Our Wood and Started So Much Warter that we Concluded to Make All Sail for Abaco [Island] we had A Short Pasage to Abaco we Come to Anker and went to fixing A Scailing Lader in Tew Days Arfter [26 Jan.] we Stood over for New Providence we Sent Down our Top Mast and Top SailYard and Howsed our Guns and New providence in Sight [27 Jan.] we kept all our men out of Sight and About 12 Aclock att Night we Got a Brest of The Harber and A Light are of Wind of[f] the Land I had now picked out my Lams better I Could never Wish All Smart but one was Lame he Says to Me I can not Run I Made him this Replia You are the Man I would Chuse we Sune Embarked on Board fifteen Men first as our Barge would Take no More and then twelve besides My Selve that Made 28 All; we Carred Nothing with us to Eat or Drink but filled our Pockets with Carteredges we Landed About A Mile from the Fort² we Got our Scailing Lader and All in order and I Recolected When I was with Comadore Hopkins I Recolected one of The Pickets was out and I thort itt would be faverabel I Left our Men and Went My self I found the Picket had never bene put in a New I went thrue Near the Ambezears [embrasures] I heard talking in the fort Emeadetly one of the Sentres Came to the Corner of the Fort and Hallowed All is well tha [they] Anserd att the Other End of the fort All is well The Ship³ Lay Neair the foort all is well I Lay a few Minets as I Expected tha ware Walking Round I went back and we Came on with the Scailing Lader and Lay Down Neair the fort untill tha Should Come Round Agan for I Expected Every Half [h]our tha would Cry out which we had bene but a Short Time before tha Came Round and Cry^d. All is well I Waited a Few Minets and then we Plased the Scailing Lader neair one of the Ambazear & Went over Every Man followed I Gave Positive orders for No Man to fire a pistel as I new itt would A Larm the town As I was a Turning Round the Comer of the Barrucks I met one of the Sentres full Butt I Took Hold of His Coler and orderd him Rite into the first Barruck Door; he was much frighted and Said for God Sak What have I Dune the Next Man to Me fired a Pistel over My Sholders att the Man I had Hold of butt Did no Damege I Spoke a Sorft Werd and put Him into the Barruck and Examend him I found thare was only one More Sentinel att the Other End of the foort I Sune put him in a Nother Barru[ck] And Examend them apart When I Gott into the fort I found Severel of the Eighteen pounders Loaded and Matches Litt by them I Examend the Men we toock in the foortand tha Each of them Told one Storry I found About three Tons of Pooder and Tha informed Me that Govener Gambeair⁴ had Sent into the Fort Every Arterkel Nesesery About thre Weeks before we paid them these Visit; I Asked these priseners the Reaison of Only Tew Sentres tha informed Me If tha had only time to fire one or Tew of them Guns in Less then Ten Minets tha would have fife [five] Hundred Men in the forte we Emeadetly orderd one of the prisener to See What Cartreges ware filled Took A Lanton and Proseded to the Magazene of Pooder and finding Not So Many as I thort Nesesary Sett Tew Men a filling Carterg[es] now itt was Tew AClock in the Morning and we Kept up thare Custom Crieng out All is well Every Half our and the Jamaca Ship Anserd and a Nother Vesel up the Harber we Emploied the Remainder of the Night in Placing Some of the Cannon on the Different Streets and on Ship Day Light now Appeairs we Sett our Therteen Stripes A Flieng; and You Must Remember we ware Landed Without A Singel Bisket or any thing to Eatt or Dring that Gave Me Now Consern as we Had Tules to Work with in the fort The first Move I made was to Send a Flag not to the Govener or Commandig officer but I Sent itt to M^r. James Gould A Merch^t. and a Gentlemen formerly a Native of Newport Rhode island he Emeadely Came Down to the Fort I had the Scalen Leder Lanched out of one of the Ambezeairs he New Me Emeadely he Asked Me What our fleet Consisted of I made Yuse of Commadore Biddels fleet⁵ I informed him the Fleet was of[f] the Island Abbaco and I was Sent into See Some of My Old Frinds In a Tender and that we ware bound the North Side of Jamaca only Hearing Cap^t Henry Johnson was in Your haber & I Came to Waite on her and was Determend to take her of[f] and My orders from the Commadore was not to Molest or Disturb any Private Property onless war Like Stores; Then I informed My Frind Gould I had Tew Hundred Men and thirty officers and I had Plenty of Provison for the Men but I mus[t] have Breckfast Gott for My thirty Officers he Emeadely Said itt Should be Gott as Sune as Posab[el] he Emeadely Called on the Bakers and Stoped a Very Large Allowance of Bread & Down Came Butter Corfea and Every Arterkel we wanted and A Very Good Breck[f]as & Dubel Allownce Before our Breckfast Came; I sent M^r. Mickel Molton⁶ fore Miles thrue the Town to Take the Other Foort⁷ with Only Tew Men I Gave Perteckeler Orders and I new thare ware only 2 Sentres and to give them no Time to parle and to inform them that we had Posesion of Fort Nassau with Tew Hundred Men and thirty officers and Keep Posesion untill you herd from Me he succeded with out Any Diffculty The Next Afare or bizness was to Gett Posesion of the Ship She Mounted Sixteen Carrege Guns &was All most Redy for See She Lay withen Pistel Shot of the fort I Sent A Long Side A boat I Took from one of the Wharfs With fore Men and a Midship Man to Bring to the foort All the boarding pikes and Muskets Pistels &c the Cap^t. Was Sick on Shore and the Second in Command Refused to Lett them Come on board I was All Redey to Settel the Affair with them I Haled her with hard Langege & Some hard Names and tha Admited them on board the Midship man Staid on Board & Sent thare Crew and Arms into the fort then Our Breckfast being Redy we Sett Down and Made A Very Harte Breckfast the Town in Grate Confusion and we Could See fife or 6 Legs att See and Could not See nothing of our Vesell Arfter Breckfast was Over M^r. Gould Came Down and asked Me Wether we had had Sufficent I informed him we had I then Asked M^r. Gould If thare was  Any Turtel in the Crorls he Said thare was I Said I Should like A Turtel Cucked he Said itt Should be Done Accordingly the Lades Orderd thar Servents to Work and we had A Grand Turtel Diner that Day About 2 PM we Saw a Sail Standing for the Harber and a Nother Sail A Runing Down from Harber Island one was the Sloop Providence⁸ and the Other was Cap^t. Chambers⁹ in a Privateair of Sixteen Guns¹⁰ fitted out att Jamaca the Sloop Providence Gott Safe into the Harber About Tew Hours before Cap^t. Chambers Gott Neair the Barr I had informaiton of Cap^t. Chambers being Looked for I informed Cap^t Rathbun [I] New [who] the Privater was we Concluded to Hall Down All our Cullers I Likewise Halled our flagg Down att the fort but the Devel was in the Men Wemen and Children for the Hills being Coverd Men a Waven Hatts wemen the Aprons and She Runnin in for the Bar and att Last tha Gott A boute out Side of the Harber and She Roing hard for her and Waving thare Hatts She bore A Way and Going out Side I Run our Flagg up and Gave her thre Eighteen Pound Shot one of the 18 pound Shot went into her Main Beame And never hert a Man She went Round the Island an Came in A Nother way and Came to Anker in Sight of us....I Fore Saw I Could Give M^r. Molton Now Asistance att the other fort as itt was fore Miles from us I Sent a Mesage to him to Spike all the Guns & brake All the Ramers & Spunges and heve All the Powder in the Sea So as to Discomode them All he Could and Return Emeadetly to our foort Which he Did Compleat; and Arived with All His forse A Littel before Dark his fors[e] was Tew Men and himself; You Must Remember before our Sloop Got to our Asistance All this was Dune And A Good Diner of Turtel Reserved for them and then our Sloops Crew ware Qualitey that Day for the[y] Dined att 7 Aclock in the Evening Arfter Dining I may Say Sup[p]er; Cap^t. Rathbun had the Sloop Morred Abrest of the Town & Springs on her Cabel and likewise the Ship So that we ware All in good Order; Arfter M^r. Molton had Distroed All the Amanition and Spiked the Guns att the Other fort Cap^t. Cham[b]ars Came by that fort and Ankerd About Gun Shot fi-om us and thare he Now lays Now itt 9 Aclock in the Evening and as for our parts we are Very Eazea but the inhabitens in Grate Constematon Moving thare Efects out of the Town and the Culerd people Very katus Are 1May Say Culerd people for tha are of All Cullers from Cole Black to White—So Ends this first 24 Hours—
[28 Jan.] This 24 Hours begans with Pleasent wether All Hands on board The Vesels bizea in Getting the Ship Marry formely Commed by Cap^t. Henry Johnson Redey for Sea and Lixwise A Brigg¹¹ with A large Quanity of Indego and other Valuabel Goods on board This Brigg M^r: Danel Beairs¹² o[u]r therd Lieu^t. is to take the Command; The Town of New Providence in Grate Confusion Many of them Moving back thare Valuable Goods Grate Numers of All Cullers onder Arms Round the Goveners House & All the Hills Round is aLive with h a r e Guns &c Glisening itt Gives Me but A Very Littel uneziness for I Have now in the foort Twenty fife Men with My Self and All in Good Sperits as Many of them is Very U[r]gent for Me to fire on What tha Call Black Berds; but I think I Know What Ground I Stand on and If I Can do without I am Determend in My one Mind not to Shed Blude....this Morning Came withen Half a Pistel Shot of the fort Some of thare Culerd Trupes one of them Holloweng to Some Neair att Hand Seing me on the Walls of the fort Says thare is that Dam Buckener Come Again that Carred Away Govener Brown¹³ I paid no Attention to no Such Small Affairs. . .Sune Affter the Colecter M^r. Hunt and Tew Gentlemen Came Down Neair the fort I Purseved tha would wich to Speak to Me I orderd our Scailing Lader Lanched over the Wals of the fort and went out to Meait them I found that Govener Gambeair had Sent Down M^r. Hunt Colecter of the Custum House and these Tew Gentlemen to Enquir of Me What our Intenshons Ware I informed him that Commadore Biddel had Gave orders to Cap^t. Rathbun to take fort Nassau and All Armed Vesels and All Ameri[c]an Properte we Could find in the Harber of New providence and Likewise to hold Sacred All Privet Property Which I meain to Comply witt and the Govener May Rest Ashured that He may Give himself and his frinds My werd an[d] oner as An American that His person & All the inhabitens I Shall Protect but that I under Stood that Cap^t. Chambers' Agent had the Sailes and Some Small Regen in his Store neair his House and I want them Sent Down under the fort—and Likewise I hear the Agent Commands a parte of these Men that are under Arms on the hiles . . .I wated About one Hour and herd Nothing more from the Govener. . . .then I Informed M^r.  Mickel Molton that I would have the Scailing Lader Lanshed of[f] the Walls of the fort and Go up Amongst the Rabel as I have inform^d. You thare was All Cullers and tha ware All in Sight of the fort and If he Saw any Confushon Amungs them to not Mind Me but to give them Tew or thre Eighteen pounders as we had them Redy Loaded with Grave and Langrege Shot I Gave My self one hour to go to them we Lanched the Lader and I took My Hanger¹⁴ in My Hand as a Walking Starf and then Seet out I had Walked but a Few Steps before I came Across Collecter Hunt he Asked Me Whare Bound I informed him he Says If itt is a Greabel to You I will go with You I anserd itt was Very Agreabel he says itt is All in Your Way to Stop Att the Agents Hou[se] first I informed him What orders I had Left att the fort and I had but a Short time to Spend he Anserd itt would take but a Few Minets Accordingly we Sune Went to the Agents House and the Lady Sune Made her Apperence and Semed not a very well Pleased I Asked her Whare her Husban was She Sune Informed Me he was on the Hills and had not bene att Home Sincewe had taken the fort M^r. Hunt Asked Me to Sett Down and handed Me a Chair I Said I had no time to Sett the Lady Did not Seme to be Pleased I inform^d her I was Agong to See him and would or May Come home When he Pleased for I would Protect him and his Property M^r. Hunt Says to her Whare is Your Bottels of Wine A Serv^t. Sune Brought them She Did not take any M^r. Hunt & My Self Took a Glass Each and then Proseded up the Heall I Sune Saw this Gentlemen I informed him What I came for he Redely Complied and Dezired M^r Hunt to Walk with Me and Dezire His Wife to Send All the Sailes & Regeing Down by her Servents which was Dune Now Every Arterkel that was Neseserry for the Tew American Scuners¹⁵ was Gott them I then Informed the Cap^ts. tha had but a Few hours to gett Redy as our Ship & Brigg would be Redey by the Next Night and tha most Luse no time and If tha Wanted any Arterkel that was to be had att New Providence My C^r. was Good as Long as I had the Command of the fort. . .I should not have Made them that offer If itt had not bene for a Refege Vesel Lay thare from George [Georgia] with a Valuabel Cargo of Goods & Provishens and we had put A Man on Board to Take Charge of Her and the Man or Merch[ant] that oned her Asked Me that Day What Cap^t. Rathbun was A Going to Do with Her I anserd him I Could not Say he then informed Me and Shew Me that the Onerabel Congress had Given Liberte to All that ware A Mind to Leve the united States that tha may Go I new All this; he Emeadely offerd me Any Servis that Lay in his Po[w]or att the Same time Inform^d. Me he had Plenty of Provison If I wanted I Should be Wellcome I Gave for Anser we had Riche oners and we Wanted for Nothing we Did not Alltho we Kept A Man on board we Did not Entend bringing her of[f]—This 24 Hours Ends Pesabel—and Pesabel—
[29 Jan.] Now Day Light Appears and A Plesent Morning; Cap^t. Rathbun Came Ashore and Came to the fort and Informs Me tha will be All Redey for Sea the next Morning and that we Should Want thre Pilots one for the Ship one for the Brigg and one for the Sloop and the Scuners would be in Redeness to follow the Ship as itt is a Bard Harber we concluded on one Way to Procure the Pilots and Expected itt would Make a Bone of Contenshon betwixt the Whig & Torre parte[s] that was I have About 25 Casks of Rice beloning to Cap^t Chambers & his Crew in the fort have them Turnd out under our Muskets and have A Vandue I have a man in My Eye I will Gett to be thare and to Give Me a hint Hew the Pilots are;You have Your Barge Mand and Armd on the opersit Side from the Shore So as the Inhabitents Should not Discover Any of our Prosedings And I will have All but Tew Casks Rold out them I want to Give to the Tew Men that we have Prisoners in the fort as tha have famelys and are Poor; Cap^t. Rathbun Agreed to All this; the Next thing was When I Had My Vandue itt was to be Early Next Morning and When I had Gott My Pilots Marked out I was to take My Hatt of[f] & Screch My head that was the Signel, the Next Morning Twenty thre Casks ware Rold out before Sun Rise A Short Time After Sun Rise I had our Drumer with his Drum I orderd him to beat with Me as I was A Going to Market Squair Whare most of the Gentlemen Resorted and A grate Number Gott Round Me to heair What I had to Say I informd them I was well Convinsed of Brerd [bread] Kind being Very Scase and I had A number of Casks of Rice Rold out from the fort that I would Sell them Very Cheap and If tha would not Purshhes them I would have them Started in the Sea & I Should have My Vandue att 8 Aclock I then Returned with my Drumer and Sent him into the fort itt was not Long before A number of Men and Boys Came Round I had thre Casks headed up and one head of Each Noked in then I Adresed My self to the Children to Run and Gett Some Baggs or Baskets and I would Give them What Rice tha wanted I told them to tell thare Mothers itt was Banyon Day¹⁶ and tha must have Rise Puden and Butter; I Kept Laughing and Talking with them the Same as If tha had bene Pertickeler Aquainted thare was Boys & Black Girls Came Plenty of them tha Sune went of [f] with the thre Casks Rice; All this time My frind was a furing on the Best Pilots I Sune Gott the Marks & Numbers of them I Gos up to one of them in Some Movement I Says What Price will itt best to fix I intend tha Shall go Sune and Vere Cheap I Pules of[f] My Hatt and began to Scrash as If I had Some Crepers thare I Luked a one Side now our Barge was Making for the Shore as Sune as She Struck the officer Steped out I Pecked out My thre Pilots and informed them and Gave them My Werd an[d] oner that as Sune as tha Carred the Vesels over the Bar I would have them Landed; one and All Declared tha ware not Pilots I order them Emeadelly in the Barge and Opened a Book of Hard Names upon one and All the Pilots tha Carred All over Safe I must Remind You the Arfternune before we Sailed I Dined with My Frind Gould I had not Sett Down att Tabel Long before one of the Lades A Loockeng out of the Winder Saw a Man Runing for thare House I Steped up and Mett him on the Peazer [piazza] He Inform^d. Me Cap^t Chamber[s] was A Landing His Men I Sent him Back to the Fort and Sune followed him I had Spys All Round I Come a thort one Sune Arfter he informed Me tha had Gott Some Peses of Cannon on the Goveners Hill and that Night tha ware Determined to Attack us I told My Good Frinds tha would have a hard time of itt If tha Did for I Should not Mind fore Times thare force I new All this Stoff I Said; would Sune be herd by them this Cap^t. Chambers I was Entemetly Acquainted with Him in the Bay of Hondorus not Long Arfter this the Sun being About 2 Hours Hie frind Gould Came Neair the fort and his Famely Going over to Hog island I went out of the fort And Smilingly Said I Hope You are not Afraid No I am not Affraid but I Do not Expect to See You Any More for tha have All the Privaters Crew att the Goveners House and Makeing Every Preparation to Attack You to Night; for tha have Discoverd Your Strength; and If I thort as he Expresed him self that You had nothing Butt that Dam^d. Bumboat I would fight Aganst You My self I Smiled and told him itt Gave Me no Consern but If he Came over to Morrow Morning he would find Me in the fort we parted and he went to Hog island but You Must Remember I never invited no one to Come into the fort but I Kept them out untill I was Redey to Leve the Place Arfter My Frind Gould Left Me I Returned And went into the fort. I Asked one Jack Scranton¹⁷ a Rhode island Young Man that was the Spryes Man I had into the fort wether he Could Shin itt up to the head of the Top Mast So Spoke a herd Word and Sad Yes then I told him to Gett a harner and Nailes Redey untill I prepared A Flagg and Sent one Cap^t Tower of New London with itt I Did not Right but a few Lines to the Govener informing him that the Men ware Very Numerus on the Hills and Made An apperance Horstile and undfrindly and If tha Should not Disperse in 15 Minets arfter the Flag Returns to the fort I Shall be Gin to Cananade the Town and he May Rely on itt that I will Give no Quarter nor take none att this time of his Receving this Billet Jack Scranton had Gott up the Top Mast head and was Nailing our flagg All in Sight and Within hearing the Flag Sune Returnd from the Govener and in Less than Twenty Minets Scarsly A Man to be Seen on the hills Att Sunsett and the Evening Vere Still and Quairt this Night All Hands Emploied Getting All the Poder and Cartreges out of the fort onboard our Sloop and then began to Spike our Guns & Breeck all the Ladels Spunges and Destroing Every Warlicke utensil [30 Jan.] by Day Light we ware All Redy to Embark I must inform You that this is the S[elcond time of My being att the Taken of New Providence and that thare never was A Dollor Taken from Any of the Inhabitens but this one Arterkel that is to Say M^r. Dungcam Mercht Att New Providenc had fore Hundred Waite of Powder As I was Inform^d. by one of My Frinds I Sent a Billet to him and Demand[ed] Eitt and that was All the Properte I ever herd of Being Taken from them. . .About ten Aclock this Day All our Peopl was out of the foort only My Self and that was no More then the Boat Could Take of[f] I had the Tew Prisners in the fort Confind So as tha Should Give no Information untill we Got of[f] to the Sloop Providence we took our Scailling Leader with us & Toed itt part of the way and then Lett itt Go A Drift All our Vesels over the Bar but our Sloop and She had her Mansel [mainsail] up and our Anker Short a peke for Tew hours before I Could Gett all in Rediness About ten Minets before I Gott into the Barge A Gentlemen Came with A Mesage to Me from Cap^t. Chambers that Comanded the British Privatear as he was Neair Att Hand Att Mrss Bunches Tarvern with an invitaiton to Drink one Glass of Punch before I went on board Att the Same time Swaring that no one Should Hert Me and Profesed A Great Del of Frendship; not old Anuf or a Yanke Yett. I Sent by this Gentlemen Like Man an Anser to Cap^t. Chambers If he would Come over the Bar and take the Sloop Providence then I would take Some Punch with Him. . .but I new I had Left a bone of Contention betxxit the Whigs & Tore[s] So Caled for the 20 ord Casks Rice I Turnd out to Trap My Pilots Arfter I Had them that was All the Vandue I wanted; then I Made out Bills Some one Cask and Some Tew and Sold itt without Money or Price to the Whig Parte and made them take them Away before I Left the fort I anserd Every Point I Could wish for the Very Time we Got under way to Come over the Bar the Privatear Did the Same And Ancored Whare we Left and went on Shore tha Goot All by the Ears a fiting with Each other and Confined M^r. Gould and Some Others we are over the Bar now and have Anserd Every Perpose I Could wish no Blood being Spilt the Ship Brigg & Tew Scuners a Leg a head Standing for Abaco we Released About thirty Arneri[c]ans that was thare Priseners Abaco or the Hole in the Rock in Sight. arfter I had Dined this Day Cap^t. Rathbun and Lieu^t. Vezeal¹⁸ Dezired Me to Lay Down to Gett A Littel Rest as not one of our Men nor My Self Had any Sleep from the time we Landed untill now for When we Releved Gards we took them from ond part of the fort and put them on duty att A nother So as to Deceve the inhabitens and Make them think we had a grate Number of Men in the fort the Most men I Ever had in the fort from the first to the Last was Twenty Eight besides My Self
. . . .Now itt is Allmost Sun Sett Cap^t. Rathbun and the Liu^t. thinking I was a Sleep was in the Cabin & talking with Each Other I all this time was a Lising to hear What tha had to Say I found in a Short time tha ware ordering a Signull to be Hove out for our Ship¹⁹ to Bare Down to us and to take Lieu^t. George House²⁰ out of Her and put Me in his Plase I then Turn out of My Cabin and Interfere^d in this and Said I had bene Acquainted with Lieu^t. [House] Since the first of the War and A better officer tha was not in the Service Lieu^t House was Sune on board the Sloop And Side[d] in with Cap^t. Rathbun and our other Liu^t So I finerly went on board and Ihad one half of our Sloops Crew Amounting to thirty Men I had not Got on Board the Ship But for we saw a Ship Bearing Down on us I Got on Board the Ship and then we parted the Ship Standing for the Sloop we Allterd our Course in the Ship and the Next Morning [31 Jan.] we Gott by Abaco and See no More of Ship Nor Sloop and now we Makeing the Best of our way for Block Island I had the Log book Kept in the Same Maner as If Cap^t. Henry Johnson had the Command bound for New York this I had Dune in Case I had Come Acrors any British Cruser and I Did not intend to Run out of My Way from Any Ship;