1. The “Middle Ground” is a shoal area located at the entrance to Chesapeake Bay. 

2. Nicholson meant that the Continental frigate Virginia was taking on water at such a rate that four pumps were needed to remove it. 

3. H.M. frigate Emerald was credited with the capture, but shared prize money with H.M.S. St. Albans, H.M. frigate Richmond, H.M. ship-rigged sloop-of-war Senegal, and H.M. frigate Ariel, all of which were in sight of Virginia at the time of its capture. See the Journal of H.M. frigate Emerald, 31 Mar. 1778. NDAR vol. 11: 848–49. 

4. In his memoirs, written many years later, Joshua Barney, who served as a lieutenant on Virginia at the time of her capture, presented a less flattering portrayal of Nicholson's actions. Barney wrote: “...at day light we saw three of the Enemy's Frigates near us, we had passed them; & the loss of our rudder prevented us getting to sea, the moment Capt. Nicholson saw the Enemy he ordered the Barge to be hoisted out & left us, not waiting to take his papers or even the private Signals with him & in that manner escaped onshore; so soon as he was gone I ordered the Cable cut, in order to run the Ship on shore at Cape Henry, which could very easily have been done, the wind being fair, but in this I was overruled by the other Lieut. & Pilot, who declared we could not approach the land so that all I could say was without effect: the men gave themselves up, broke open store & slop room got drunk &c & would do nothing. I then cut the Rudder away which hung by its ropes & at 10 O'clock the Enemy's Frigate Emerald Capt. Caldwell came & took possession of our Ship ... The next day Capt. Nicholson came on b^d. in a Flag of Truce to enquire after his Cloaths, on which occasion I could not help upbraiding him with his conduct in quitting his ship the first man, who if he had remained onb^d. there was not the least doubt but we should have ran the Ship on shore where she might have been destroyed by which means prevented her falling into the enemies hands & saved 300 men from being made prisoners.” Autobiography of Joshua Barney, DNDAR. 

5. On 10 Apr., Nicholson's letter was read in Congress and referred to the Committee of Intelligence. JCC 10: 328.