A Privateering Case Off Chincoteague and in the Chesapeake in 1762 - Part 1

 This is taken from The Pennsylvania Gazette, a newspaper of Philadelphia, #1755, printed Thursday, 12 August 1762, page 2, column 3 (carried to page 3, column 1).  The sub-heading under the name of the newspaper is "Containing the Freshest Advices, Foreign and Domestic."  (I will not be capitalizing some of the words, as is done in the original printing.)

   "PHILADELPHIA, August 12.

  The following is the substance of a letter wrote by a person in Snow-Hill [Maryland], dated the 31st of last month, viz.

    'That he had just parted with three men who had been taken in a schooner, at Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of York River, on their way from Norfolk to some river in Maryland:  That in the schooner were goods to the value of six thousand Guineas:  That the vessel that took them was a sloop of 8 carriage and 12 swivel guns, and 75 men from Cape-Francois, commanded by Don Pedro Ordogriez:  That the Captain informed them;  a few days before the sloop attacked a Letter of Marque brig from Philadelphia off the Capes of Delaware, but was obliged to leave her, with the loss of her first Captain, a Frenchman who had a French Commission, tho' the chief of the crew were Spaniards, as is the above named Captain:  That afterwards they took Captain Baird, from Wilmington to Sinepuxent, whose vessel they scuttled, and endeavored to sink her, but she ran ashore on Assateague Beach:  That they gave a small schooner that they took in the Bay to the prisoners who got into Sinepuxent Inlet:  That there was on board the privateer an Englishman, born on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, who was well acquainted with the bays and shores, and had agreed with the enemy to plunder and destroy the plantations, &c, and that accordingly, they had landed 25 men, in order to carry off some Negroes from a vessel just arrived; but the Captain, having notice of their design, got his men together, and stood on his defence; upon which the privateer's men went on board again.'

   One of our pilots, who was on board the boat they gave the prisoners, informs, that the sloop had also taken two vessels off of Carolina.

   And a gentleman who arrived here on Monday last, from Wilmington, in North Carolina, says that, on the 3rd instant, off the Capes of Virginia, he was chased by a privateer schooner, and went into Hampton Road, where he met with Captain Stiles, in a Bermudian schooner, from Turks Island with salt, who had likewise been chased by the same vessel; which vessel, it is said, has a sloop in company with her, thought to be the one above-mentioned; who, this gentleman heard, had found goods to the value of nine thousand pounds Sterling, on board the schooner in Chesapeake Bay; and that part of her crew had landed, in order to carry off some Negroes, but had been disappointed.   

.......... "

From the same newspaper, #1760, printed on Thursday, 16 September 1762, on page 1, column 1; three Affidavits:

  "Wilmington Borough, New Castle County.

 Personally appeared before me John McKinley, Chief Burgess of said Borough, John Baird, late master of the sloop 'Charming Sally;' who being solemnly sworn, on the Holy Evangelists, doth depose and say, that he, this Deponent, was taken in the said sloop, in his passage hence to Virginia, on the 20th day of July last, off Chincoteague Inlet, by a Spanish privateer sloop:  That the 27th of the same month the said privateer likewise took a schooner from Norfolk, in Virginia, off York River, in Chesapeake Bay, loaded with dry goods.  The said privateer then proceeded to sea, and about 10 o'clock at night, the 29th of said month, gave to him, this Deponent, about four leagues east of Cape Charles, a very old, leaky and small schooner, without anchor or cable, and with only a little bread, about one gallon of rum, and four gallons of water:  That he then took with him the two men he had when taken:  That three men who were passengers on board the Norfolk schooner when taken, requested to go with this Deponent:  That though he had it in his power to take them or not, yet he took them, notwithstanding the scarcity of his provisions and room, and shewed them what kindness was in his power:  That having a pretty favorable wind for Sinepuxent, and not knowing another harbour, he stood for it:  That about an hour and a half after leaving the privateer, they discovered three sail of vessels, one of which, having a light in her top, appeared to be a man of war; which the three aforesaid passengers wanted him to speak with, but his own men were against it, for fear of being pressed:  That as he was fully perswaded, was his own schooner ordered along-side, she would be dashed to  pieces, he therefore chose to proceed on to Sinepuxent, without speaking her:  That next day, about four o'clock, the wind chopp'd about right a-head, and the weather threatened much:  That not having proper sails to work the schooner, they took to their oars, and rowed briskly to get in, otherwise they must have run her shore: That about two hours after they got up as far as South Point; and that all hands wrought freely and voluntarily, with no compulsion necessary.  And this Deponent further saith, that from his leaving the privateer aforesaid, until his parting with the above said passengers, he never mentioned, nor heard mentioned, a word about insurance.

                                  John Baird

   Sworn this 4th of Sept. 1762 before John McKinly

******

   Wilmington Borough.

Michael and Hugh LeCroy, being likewise solemnly sworn, do depose, that they were with Captain Baird when taken, likewise all the time on board the schooner given him by the Captain of the privateer; and that the above deposition is just and true, particularly that the abovementioned passengers rowed voluntarily, no compulsion being necessary; and that they never heard a word spoke about insurance between them and the Captain, which, if such conversation had been, they must have heard, as they were constantly in company with them.

                                 Michael LeCroy (his mark)

                                 Hugh LeCroy

   Sworn the day within mentioned, before John McKinly

******

   We the subscribers hereof, Freeholders and inhabitants of the Borough of Wilmington, in the County of New Castle, upon Delaware, upon hearing, with the utmost concern, that the good name and character of John Baird, late master of the sloop Charming Sally, is much traduced, with respect to his behavior to some passengers which he had on board a small schooner, given him by the Captain of the Spanish privateer, who took his own vessel from him; as likewise that some insinuations are made by said passengers, as if he was guilty of a fraud, in respect of having insurance made on said sloop; we therefore, freely and voluntarily, of our own accord, do certify whom it may concern, that the above named Captain Baird hath been an inhabitant of said Borough for upwards of twenty years; that during the whole time he has maintained the character of a very honest man, and we have never heard of any frauds, dishonesty, or collusions charged against him.  As witness our hands, this 4th September 1762,

      John McKinly                                 James Robinson

      John Stapler                                    James Lee

      Matthew McKinnie                        James Broom

      Edward Dawes  "

   

The Lewis R. French, a gaff-rigged topsail schooner, built in 1871,

out of Camden, Maine.