The Pennsylvania Navy, 1775-1781 : The Defense of the Delaware

Preface Contents Illustrations I War Threatens the Delaware Valley—177? II Building the Fleet—1775- III Organization—1775"-1776 IV The Roebuck Affair—1776 V Building and Rebuilding A Navy—1776 VI Trenton and Princeton—1776 VII The Navy Board—1776-1777 VIII Summer of Decision—1777 IX Preparations for the Assault—1777 X Fort Mercer and the Augusta—1777 XI Aftermath of Victory—1777 XII Fort Mifflin and Fort Mercer—1777 XIII Navy in Eclipse—1778 XIV The General Greene—1779 XV Disbandment of the Navy—1779-1783 Appendix A: The Fleet Appendix B: Chevaux-de-frise Appendix C: Pay Scale of the State Navy Appendix D: Rules and Regulations for Administration of the Pennsylvania Navy Appendix E: Captain Robert Whyte (White) Appendix F: Howe's Strategy in the Delaware Appendix G Notes Bibliography Index Long, my thanks for guiding me on a very delightful excursion into the naval archives. Mr. Edwin Wolf and Mrs. Lillian Tonkin of the Library Company of Philadelphia extended their fullest cooperation in making available several rare and out-of-print volumes on the Revolution. I wish to thank Mr. Elmer Parker, Mr. Harry Swartz, and Miss Marie Booknight of the National Archives for their efforts to seek out records germane to this study. Miss Barbara Berthelsen and Mr. Evan Young of the Olen Library, Cornell University, graciously assisted in my examination of the Fleury maps in the Jared Sparks Collection. My thanks are also extended to several individuals who contributed information in their specialized fields. Mr. Leon de Valinger, Jr., State Archivist of Delaware, help in identifying modern locations of Revolutionary sites in Delaware. Mr. Robert I. Alotta, President of the Shackamaxon Society, the administrator of Fort Mifflin, granted me freedom of the old fort and the use of his compilation of eighteenth-century military terms. My niece Miss Judy Gersteneker helped me with translating certain abstruse eighteenth-century French expressions. My thanks to Mr. A. Modelski x The Pennsylvania Navy, 1115-1181 of the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, for his patience and assistance in reviewing their excellent Revolutionary map collection. The Mariners Museum, Newport News, Virginia, purchased the Bailey collection of 254 watercolors in London, England, in 1940. This collection is attributed to Charles Turner Warren and or his son Alfred William Warren. It is believed that the watercolors were intended to illustrate a history of the United States Navy. The Warrens began painting these watercolors in the late eighteenth century with the last one completed in the mid-nineteenth century. The watercolors cover the period from 1775 to 1823 with exception of one dated 1745 and one 1850. Through the courtesy of Mr. Barnes, Beulah Tisdale, Katherine Fox, and Carolyn Ritger and the Mariners Museum, I have reproduced in this volume five of the watercolors depicting naval actions on the Delaware River during 1777. While somewhat at variance with the known facts of the engagements, they provide the only near-contemporary portrayal of the Pennsylvania galleys. To my good friend John Squillace, artist, the Chosen Freeholders of Gloucester County, New Jersey, and the Gloucester County Historical Society, I extend my gratitude for permission to reproduce the "Burning of the Augusta." Mr. Squillace has also graciously granted permission to reproduce his painting, "The Battle of Fort Mercer, 1777." My friend Mrs. Kurt (Edith) Hoelle spent many hours delving into the archives of Gloucester County, read a portion of the manuscript and made several excellent suggestions which served to clarify part of the narrative; my sincerest thanks. To another friend, Mrs. Robert (Merry Rose) Pollsen, I am deeply grateful for reading the entire manuscript. In no small measure the clarity of the narrative is the result of her diligence and excellent recommendations. As is customary, I have reserved mention of my wife Kathryn until the end. In addition to typing the manuscript, her encouragement, patience, and dedication made the completion of the book possible. This book is dedicated to her in partial appreciation of the suffering and exultation we experienced in preparing the manuscript.