May 1778 Monday 18th
Georges Island bore NNE 4 Miles Distance Light Breezes at 4 AM Saw 5 Sail to the WNW Giving Chace to us at 5 Do Cleared Ship for Action Shortened Sail and Stood between the Convoy and the Enemy and Brought too at 7 the head-most of the privetears fired two Guns And hoisted Reble Cowlars Being 5 in Number at Do Hawld their Wind at Do fired 2 guns and Gave Chace to the privatiers at Do the 3 Smallest of them TKd and Stood [for] along Shore a large Schooner and Sloop Stood out to Sea Gave Chace light airs out Sweeps and Rowed Come up with our Chace and fired Several Guns at 10 Do the privatiers fired Several Guns at us & gave three Chears at ½ past 10 TKd and Stood in Shore—
Knowls head [Owls Head, Nova Scotia] NW Diste 4 or 5 leags Do Wr. [Light Airs and Clear Wr.] Comeing up with our Chace brooke 3 Sweeps at 1 PM the two Privatiers parted the Sloop Stood in Shore and the Schooner hawld her wind Chased the Sloop and made the Signal for the Convoy to Follow us into the Harbour and Anchored1 at 2 Do Chased the Sloop into Ship Harbour She Endavouring to Work throug[h] the Other passage Continued a Constant fire from 2 to ½ past 3 D[o] when She run on shore and Struck her Cowlars hoisted them againe and fired Several Guns we Come to an Anchor & Brought a Spring on our Cable Sent the Boats to board her fired three broad Sides to Cover the boat[s] in boarding at 4 the boats got possesin. Of the privatier2 the Rebles Getting on Shore and fireing Several Shot at us on Board Sent a party of 30 men in Serch of the Rebles the woods Being So thick Could not find then found one Man Killd.— Wee fired from the Sloop and Woonded Some Others at 4 PM all the Comy Got Safe Inn and Anchord Employed lighting the Sloop to Get her Off
Tuesday 19th
at 1 AM Got the Sloop off Being thick and Foggy Sawing her Dow[n?] Got her ashore againe Continued thick fogg with Rain—
Lying At Anchor in Ship Harbour— These 24 hours thick fogg and Rain at 3 PM Got the Sloop off brought her too under the Cabots Stern Sent another party of men in Serch of the Rebles and a party Round the Island3 in Boats at 8 Do the boats and Men Returnd. Could not Get any Inteligence of them,4
D, UkLPR, Adm. 52/1636, part 3, fols. 45–46.
1. Ship Harbour, Nova Scotia.
2. Massachusetts privateer sloop General Montgomery, Capt. William Steward, mounting 6 carriage guns and manned by 30 seamen, was commissioned on 3 Feb. 1778. It was owned by Thomas Adams and others, of Boston. M-Ar, Revolutionary Rolls Collection, vol. 5, pp. 309, 310; Mass. Archives Collection, vol. 168, p. 168. General Montgomery was sent into Canso after its capture. Howe’s Prize List, 30 Oct. 1778, UkLPR, Adm. 1/488, fols. 484–85.
3. Possibly Nichol I., or Charles I., at the mouth of the inlet to Ship Harbour.
4. The Master’s Journal notes on 20 May: “at 6 AM Sent an Officer to Commd the Sloop as A Tender with 9 Men at 8 Saw 2 privateers of[f] Owls head Gave chace Carried away the Main Topmast Empd Clearing the wrack And Getting up Another Topmast.” UkLPR, Adm. 52/1636, part 3, fol. 46.
