New Hanover county [North Carolina].
William Raddon, of the city of Philadelphia, mariner, maketh oath on the holy evangelists of Almighty God, that he sailed from Philadelphia, the eleventh of February last, as master of the sloop Joseph, bound for South-Carolina or Georgie. That on the thirteenth following he was taken by the sloop General Gage, on board of which was Capt. [John] Collett, and brought into Cape-Fear. That Lieutenant Pitcairn informed this deponent, that every transport vessel that was to come from England was to bring one or more flat bottomed boats. That this deponent has seen the deposition of Peter Simon, made this day, and was informed by Captain Collett of the several circumstances therein mentioned. That Lieutenant Osborne, of the Raven sloop of war, informed this deponent, that there were to be sixty sail of armed vessels, of different sizes, stationed on the coast, and twenty sail of twenty gun ships and sloops of war were to be on the coast from England in April; and that bomb-ketches were to be brought out, to throw bombs into those places where ships of war could not go up, and were particularly intended against Philadelphia, because the Congress sits there; and that he made his escape with Mr. Simon and others.
Sworn to before me, the fifth of March, 1776.
William Purviance.
John Cooke, Secretary.
William Raddon, within named, farther deposeth, and saith, that on or about the 27th of February, this deponent being then on board the Falcon sloop of war, Capt. Lindsey [John Linzee], and Lieut. Wright, who commands an armed sloop, declared that they had intended that night to go up to the town of Brunswick, with about an hundred sailors, to set the town on fire in front, station their men on the back of the town, and destroy man, woman and child, that escaped from the flames; but the reason they did not put their design in execution was, that. the sloop commanded by Lieut. Wright got aground when she went out to examine what vessel the sloop General Gage was, and that afterwards Lindsey told Wright that the inhabitants had left the town, and therefore it was of no use to burn it.
William Raddon.
Sworn to before me the 5th of March, 1776.
John Cooke, Secretary.
