William Pickman to Timothy Pickering, Jr., May 27, 1778

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[Extract]
D^r Sir

Your Favors of 10^th & 29^thApril I have receiv’d . . . .

The Brutal Behaviour of Our Enemies one would think would excite such a spirit of revenge as to lead thousands into the feild. but the Misfortune is few who experience their Diabolical treatment survive their Cruelty. The Sloop Rover¹ with 50 Men was carried to York² last Winter ¾ths of the Crew are already dead—The Schon^r Warren³ John Ravel with 40 men was taken (as appears by A York Paper)⁴ by the Ship Tom John White⁵ from Liverpool who stript them of every necessary & left them to perish on the Seas. tis supposed they froze or Starved ~~to Death~~ as their Misfortune beset them in February & they have never since been heard of. If we ever make a Certainty of this Matter We shall lay it before Congress for Address in the meantime our earnest Prayer is that the Ship Tom may be brought to this Port. for. “Oh Revenge is Sweet, & Cap^t. White would severly feel the Resentment of this Town

Cap^t. Ross⁶ came to town yesterday. He has been 8 months in a prison ship at york & has seen during the Winter many of Our Unhappy Countrymen who were too weak to help themselves rot on b^d Guard Ships many have frozen up to their Knees. & the flesh all come of[f] their Legs before Death. This he was an Eye Witness of. Heaven, We trust will hear the Cry of the Prisoners . . .

You Speak with some warmth on Our Naval Affairs thro Mismanagement of Which is Obvious to everyone. while the Sobriety of One. the Stubborn Pride of A Second & the thirst for Gain in A third Remains.— Congress may think themselves happy in the return of any one Vessell. does not America boast A Second Biddle⁷ or are the Frigates built to Gratify the Pride of Individuals— Jn^o Fisk⁸ would regain some of our lost Honor or Perish in the Attempt but He has no Freind in Court.⁹ the new Ship Hancock¹⁰ is as fine A Frigate as can be built. what A Pity to give her to some Unde[ser]ving Booby & yet this will be the Case—

Your Brother¹¹ will write of Matters at Court, I will confine myself to Privateers. & should it be agreeable to you transmit an Account of every Prize taken & by whom— at Present our list Stands nearly thus

Brig.	Terrible Creature¹²	Richardson	16..6	poundr^s. out cruising
D^o	Franklin¹³	Conolly	18	D^o D^o
D^o	Lyon¹⁴	Carnes	16	D^o Sail in 10 days
D^o	Mary¹⁵	Cape Cod Captain	10..3	—— out cruising
D^o	Montgomery¹⁶	Brown	14..4	pound^rs. out cruising
D^o	Pluto¹⁷		10..4	—— Sail in 10 days
Ship	Bunker Hill¹⁸	Roland	20..6	Sail 20 days
D^o	Black Prince¹⁹	Smith	18....	D^o 30 days
Ship.	Building		16.9	pound^r the Cabots Owners

15 Sail Small Vessells Cruising off York & Halifax & others fixing every day— the Above Privateers will take 1200 Men ¾^ths. of whom must be from Salem Marbleh^d. Cape Ann & Beverly if you should like A list of Prizes write me in your next I have much Business on hand at present. & therefore cannot Correct this; Your Candor will be necessary. & I trust near at hand Betsey Joins in Love &c.— with your sincere

W.P.

Salem [Mass.] 27^th. May 1778

L, MHi, Timothy Pickering Papers, vol. 17, fols. 150–51a. Docketed: “W^m. Pickman/May 27. 1778.” Pickman was a privateer owner at Salem, Mass.

1. Massachusetts privateer sloop Rover, Capt. John Mitchell, commander, was taken on 1 Dec. 1777 by H.M. frigate Sphynx and was scuttled on 3 Dec. For more on its capture, see NDAR 10: 644, 644n, 780.

2. That is, New York City.

3. Massachusetts privateer schooner Warren, Capt. John Revell (Ravell), commander. For more on its capture by British letter of marque Tom, Capt. John Lee, commander, see NDAR 11: 265–66 and n.

4. Possibly The New-York Gazette: and the Weekly Mercury, February 2, 1778. See NDAR 11: 265–66.

5. British letter of marque ship Tom, Capt. John Lee, commander, 200 tons burthen, mounting 12 6-pound carriage guns and 4 swivel guns, a crew of thirty-five seamen, from Liverpool bound to New York City, was owned by Thomas Backhouse, John Backhouse and William Rutson, merchants at Liverpool. D, UkLPR, H.C.A. 26/61, fol. 106.

6. Possibly Capt. William Ross, of Salem, who later commanded Massachusetts privateer snow Rival.

7. Capt. Nicholas Biddle, commander of Continental Navy frigate Randolph, who died on 7 Mar. while engaging a superior opponent, H.M.S. Yarmouth. See NDAR 11: 543–44, 576, 683–84.

8. Capt. John Fisk, Massachusetts Navy.

9. That is, the Massachusetts General Court.

10. The Continental Navy frigate of 36 guns, building at Salisbury, Mass., was initially named Hancock, but its name was changed to Alliance in June or July 1778 to celebrate the alliance with France. See Independent Chronicle, and the Universal Advertiser, 7 May, above.

11. John Pickering, recently elected speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

12. Massachusetts privateer brigantine Terrible Creature, Capt. Robert Richardson, commander, mounting 16 carriage guns and 6 swivel guns, a crew of 100 seamen, owned by George and Andrew Cabot, and others, of Beverly, was commissioned on 10 Mar. 1778. M-Ar, Revolutionary Rolls Collection, vol. 7, pp. 233, 234; Mass. Archives Collection, vol. 168, fol. 197.

13. Massachusetts privateer brigantine Franklin, Capt. Thomas Connoly, commander, mounting 18 carriage guns, a crew of 100 seamen, owned by Francis Cabot, and others, was commissioned on 20 Apr. 1778. M-Ar, Revolutionary Rolls Collection, vol. 5, pp. 233, 236; Mass. Archives Collection, vol. 168, fol. 264.

14. Massachusetts privateer brigantine Lyon, Capt. John Carnes, commander, mounting 16 carriage guns, a crew of 100 seamen, owned by Jonathan Peele, and others, of Salem, was commissioned on 9 June 1778. M-Ar, Revolutionary Rolls Collection, vol. 6, pp. 184, 185; Mass. Archives Collection, vol. 168, fol. 360.

15. Massachusetts privateer brigantine Mary, Capt. William Gray, commander, mounting 6 carriage guns, a crew of 20 seamen, owned by George Crowninshield and Henry Williams, of Salem, was commissioned on 22 Dec. 1777. M-Ar, Revolutionary Rolls Collection, vol. 6, pp. 290, 291; Mass. Archives Collection, vol. 168, fol. 114.

16. Massachusetts privateer brigantine Montgomery, Capt. Nathan Brown, commander, mounting 16 carriage guns and 6 swivels, a crew of 100 seamen, owned by George Williams and Joshua Ward, Jr., of Salem, was commissioned on 5 Feb.1778. M-Ar, Revolutionary Rolls Collection, vol. 6, pp. 292, 295; Mass. Archives Collection, vol. 168, fol. 172.

17. Massachusetts privateer brigantine Pluto, Capt. John Hill, commander, mounting 8 carriage guns and 8 swivels, a crew of 45 seamen, owned by Henry Williams and Samuel Ward, of Salem, was commissioned on 5 June 1778. M-Ar, Revolutionary Rolls Collection, vol. 6, pp. 244, 247; Mass. Archives Collection, vol. 168, fol. 352.

18. Massachusetts privateer ship Bunker Hill, Capt. Edward Rolland, commander, mounting 20 carriage guns. Boston-Gazette, and Country Journal, 14 Sept. 1778.

19. Massachusetts privateer ship Black Prince, Capt. Elias Smith, commander, mounting 18 carriage guns, a crew of 130 seamen, owned by William Pickman, William Orne, Larkin Thorndike, and others, of Salem, was commissioned on 17 June 1778. M-Ar, Revolutionary Rolls Collection, vol. 5,pp. 49, 51; Mass. Archives Collection, vol. 169, fol. 4.

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Date

1778 May 27

Volume

Volume 12

Series

American Theatre from April 1, 1778 to May 31, 1778

Naval Documents of the American Revolution

William Pickman to Timothy Pickering, Jr., May 27, 1778

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