Journal of Lieutenant Isaac Bangs, May 24, 1776

Spend my Time very disagreably upon account of the Caprice of several pretended Gentlemen. However I have several worthy Friends; I am determined to take as little of insults as possible. Had News from Boston of a valuable Prize being taken by Capt Mugford in a Continental armed Schooner. Capt. Mugford unhapily lost his Life by opposing 13 Boats from the Men of War, who endeavoured to board him & retake the Prize; but they were repulsed with great loss.

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Blog Editor’s Note:  The Franklin was a 60-ton, six-gun armed schooner originally employed as a fishing vessel at Marblehead, Massachusetts, before being fitted out for American military service by order of General George Washington in 1775. On May 17, 1776, while operating in Boston Harbor under the command of James Mugford, she captured the British transport ship Hope, a vessel of approximately 300 tons that had sailed from Cork, Ireland, carrying a valuable cargo of military supplies, including 1,500 barrels of gunpowder and 1,000 carbines intended for British forces. The capture was accomplished without resistance, despite the presence of British warships nearby, and the Hope was brought safely into Boston. Two days later, on May 19, Mugford took the Franklin out on another cruise in company with the American privateer Lady Washington, commanded by Captain Cunningham. After running aground near Point Shirley, Massachusetts, the Franklin was attacked during the night by a British force of twelve or thirteen boats filled with armed men. Mugford and his crew vigorously defended the schooner, reportedly sinking several enemy boats and inflicting considerable casualties before repulsing the attack. Mugford, however, was mortally wounded during the engagement. According to General Artemas Ward's report to General George Washington dated May 20, 1776, Mugford was run through with a lance while attempting to prevent the British from boarding his vessel; Ward also noted that no other member of the Franklin's crew was killed or wounded. The schooner subsequently escaped and was returned to her original owner later that year.

Sources:

1. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, entry for Franklin (Schooner), 1776.
2. General Artemas Ward to George Washington, May 20, 1776, Naval Documents of the American Revolution, vol. 5.
3. Chester G. Hearn, "The Death of the Valiant Mugford," Naval History, April 1995.

Historical note: Contemporary accounts differ concerning the precise circumstances of Mugford's fatal wound, with some reporting that he was shot and General Ward's report stating that he was pierced by a lance.

SOURCE: Edward Bangs, Edited, Journal of Lieutenant Isaac Bangs, April 1 to July 29, 1776, p. 36