To George Washington from Jabez Bowen, 17 May 1780
From Jabez Bowen
Providence May 17. 1780
Sir
since my last1 yours to Major Perkins has been Received in consequence wheirof he has this Day sent on the principal part of the Amunition as directed;2 and the Inhabitants of the Town are freed from their apprehensions of Danger.
As I know every piece of Intelligence that informs that the Town of Charles Town is ours must give you satisfaction, inform that a Privateer belonging to Georgia come past Charles town on the 26. or 27. ultimo at which time the Siege was carrying on as they discovred from the heavy and constant Canonade on each side. The Privateer was taken by the Mifflin and Pilgrim who also took two 20 Gun Ships from Jamaica with near one Thousand Hhds of Rum: one of the Ships has arived hear from Boston3 we are informd of a smart Engagement between Adml Rodney and Mosr Chefault. Twenty one Ships of the line on each side, the Battle was long and pretty obstinate and both sides claim the advantage. the English Illuminated at St Cristophers the Frrench keept their Station off that Island. tis said Adl Rodney had 170 Men Killd & Wounded on Board his owne ⟨Ship⟩ this is the best acco. we can get of the affair.4 if The French can look them in the Face with an equal Number they will soon learn to Beat them every wheir. I am Your Exellencys Most Obedient & Most Humb. Servant
Jabez Bowen
P.S. Since Writing the foregoing your Exellencys of the 6th of May has come to hand.
ALS, DLC:GW.
2. Bowen is referring to GW’s letter to Maj. William Perkins of 10 April, a duplicate of which GW enclosed for Perkins when he wrote Bowen on 6 May (see Bowen to GW, 25 April, n.2). GW had ordered Perkins to remove stores and ordnance from Providence to Springfield, Massachusetts.
3. Bowen is alluding to the Massachusetts privateers Pilgrim and General Mifflin. The Continental Journal, and Weekly Advertiser (Boston) for 25 May printed an article dated 17 May at Providence: “Yesterday arrived in the river the privateer ship Mifflin, Capt [George] Babcock, from a cruize of about a week. Capt. Babcock has captured and bro’t in with him, a large letter-of-marque ship, laden with 500 puncheons of rum, &c. She was bound from Jamaica for New-York. The prize mounts 19 guns and 75 men. She engaged the Mifflin a few minutes, but the Captain having his arm broke by a shot, he struck his colours.
“The privateer ship Pilgrim is arrived at Newport from a short cruize: During which she has taken 4 prizes, viz. A ship from Jamaica, bound to New-York, laden with rum, &c. A privateer brig from New York; a brig, packet from Augustine, bound to New York; and a sloop, belonging to eastward, laden with oil, &c. that had been taken by one of the enemy’s cruizers. The people belonging to the packet, informs that they passed Charlestown, South-Carolina, the 26th of April ult. in the afternoon, when they heard a heavy firing, and supposed that a general attack on the town had taken place.” An item in The Connecticut Gazette; and the Universal Intelligencer (New London) for 19 May noted that one of the captured ships was “laden with 500 hogsheads of rum” and another, carrying 480 hogsheads of rum, was sent to Boston. The prizes sailed from Jamaica for New York “and were taken off Sandy Hook.”
4. Bowen likely is referring to the indecisive engagement of 17 April near Martinique and Dominica between the fleets of Adm. George Rodney and Rear Admiral Guichen that resulted in more than 400 British and about 750 French casualties (see James Duane to GW, 26 May, n.5). A report of the engagement maintained that the French had intended “to make an Attack on St. Kitts [St. Christopher] or Barbados” (New-York Gazette: and the Weekly Mercury, 5 June 1780).