Weather somewhat
more moderate & our people a little recruited, Our enterprising Capt. with
about 30 men went on shore about 11 P.M. with a Design to fire the Town of
Whitehaven.2
_______________
* Jones in his
report says: “The 21st, being near Carrickfergus, a fishing boat came off which
1 detained. I saw a ship at anchor in the road, which I was informed by the
fishermen was the British ship of war Drake, of twenty guns. I determined to
attack her in the night; my plan was to overlay her cable, and to fall upon her
bow, so as to have all her decks open and exposed to our musquetry, &c.; at
the same time, it was my intention to have secured the enemy by grapplings, so
that, had they cut their cables, they would not have attained any advantage.
The wind was high, and unfortunately the anchor was not let go as soon as the
order was given, so that the Ranger was brought to upon the enemy’s quarters at
the distance of half a cable’s length. We had made no warlike appearance, of
course had given no alarm; this determined me to cut immediately, which might
appear as if the cable had parted, and at the same time enable me, after making
a tack out of the Loch, to return with the same prospect of advantage which I
had at first. I was however prevented from returning, as I with difficulty
weathered the light-house on the lee-side of the Loch, and as the gale
increased. The weather now became so very stormy and severe, and the sea ran so
high, that I was obliged to take shelter under the south shore of Scotland.”
2 Jones’s account of this important affair is
as follows:—
“ The 22d introduced
fair weather, though the three kingdoms were, as far as the eye could reach,
covered with snow. I now resolved once more to attempt Whitehaven; but the wind
became very light, so that the ship would not in proper time approach so near
as I had intended. At midnight I Left the ship with two boats and thirty-one
volunteers; when we reached the outer pier the day began to dawn; I would not,
however, abandon my enterprise, but despatched one boat under the direction of
Mr. Hill and Lieut. Wallingford, with the necessary combustibles to set fire to
the shipping on the north side of the harbor, while I went with the other party
to attempt the south side. I was successful in scaling the walls and spiking up
all the cannon in the first fort; finding the sentinels shut up in the guard
house, they were secured without being hurt. Having fixed sentinels, I now took
with me one man only (Mr. Green), and spiked up all the cannon in the southern
fort, distant from the others a quarter of a mile.
“On my return from
this business, I naturally expected to see the fire of the ships on the north
side, as well as to find my own party with every thing in readiness to set fire
to the shipping on the south; instead of this, I found the boat under the
direction of Mr. Hill and Mr. Wallingford returned, and the party in some
confusion, their light having burnt out at the instant when it became necessary.
By the strangest fatality, my own party were in the same situation, the candles
being all burnt out. The day too came on apace, yet I would by no means retract
while any hopes of success remained. Having again placed sentinels, a light was
obtained at a house disjoined from the town, and a fire was kindled in the
steerage of a large ship, which was surrounded by at least one hundred and
fifty others, chiefly from two to four hundred tons burden, and lying side by
side, aground unsurrounded by the water. There were, besides, from seventy to a
hundred large ships on the north arm of the harbor, aground clear of the water,
and divided from the rest only by a stone pier of a ship’s height. I should
(would) have kindled fires in other places if the time had permitted; as it did
not, our care was to prevent the one kindled from being easily extinguished.
After some search, a barrel of tar was found, and poured into the flames, which
now ascended from all the hatchways. The inhabitants began to appear in thousands,
and individuals ran hastily towards us. I stood between them and the ship on
fire, with a pistol in my hand, and ordered them to retire, which they did with
precipitation. The flames had already caught in the rigging, and began to
ascend the mainmast; the sun was a full hour’s march above the horizon, and as
sleep no longer ruled the world, it was time to retire. We re-embarked without
opposition, having released a number of prisoners, as our boats could not carry
them. After all my people had embarked, I stood upon the pier for a
considerable space, yet no person advanced; I saw all the eminences around the
town covered with the amazed inhabitants.
“When we had rowed
to a considerable distance from the shore, the English began to run in vast
numbers to their forts; their disappointments may easily be imagined when they
found, I suppose, at least thirty heavy cannon rendered useless. At length,
however, they began to fire, having, as I apprehend, either brought down ship’s
guns, or used one or two cannon which lay on the beach at the foot of the
walls, dismounted, and which had not been spiked. They fired with no direction,
and the shot falling short of the boats, instead of doing us any damage
afforded some diversion; which my people could not help showing, by discharging
their pistols, &c. in return of the salute. Had it been possible to have
landed a few hours sooner, my success would have been complete. Not a single
ship, out of more than two hundred, could possibly have escaped, and all the
world would not have been able to save the town. What was done, however, is
sufficient to show, that not all their boasted navy can protect their own
coasts; and that the scenes of distress, which they have occasioned in America,
may soon be brought home to their own door. One of my people was missing; and
must, I fear, have fallen into the enemy’s hands after our departure. I was
pleased that in this business we neither killed or wounded any person. I
brought off three prisoners as a sample.”
In a memorial to
congress Jones says, “His first object was to secure an exchange of prisoners
in Europe, and his second to put an end, by one good fire in England, of shipping,
to all the burnings in America,” and he expresses the opinion, that had his
officers in the Providence and Alfred been with him in the Ranger, two hundred
and fifty to three hundred large ships at Whitehaven would have been laid in
ashes. In the Ranger’s logbook the man left on shore is named David Smith, and
it was thought he remained on shore voluntarily, and that under the name of
Freeman, he gave information at several houses that fire had been set to the
ships.
SOURCE: Dr. Ezra
Green, Diary of Ezra Green, M.D., Surgeon on Board the Continental Ship
“Ranger,” Under John Paul Jones, from November 1, 1777 to September 27, 1778, pp.
22-3
