To George Washington from Colonel David Forman, 17 June 1780
From Colonel David Forman
Freehold [N.J.] 17th June 1780
Sir
I have the Honr to Inform Your Excely that I have Establishd difrent posts for upwards of fifty Miles along the Sea Costs, that I think it will be Impossable for any Number of Ships to be on this Coast without my Immediately being informed of it.
Enclosed your Excely will have the examination of three Masters of Vessells & a Mercht that have made there Escape from the Prison Ship—They appear to have taken some pains to get information.1
There Information respecting the Assembling of the New York and Long Island Militia I Thought of suffitient importance to Warrt my sending there examination to your Excly by Express.
On Monday Last2 an American Privateer Laying under Long Island found Means from her situation & her English Colours to Introduce her self Unsuspected amidist fifteen of the Trading Vessells from Shrewsberry to New York—They was on a Genl Fishing party on the Banks off Shrewsberry—My Information (& I belive it is good) Says that Elevin or Twelve of them was Taken—As the Privateer Immediately stood to the Southward with her Prizes, we are not Informed who the Prisoners are, we Expect all the principle Traders & Plunderers of this County—Immediately on Information I sent to Egg Harbour where I presume the Prisoners are, if Possable to prevent there being Parol’d or discharged untill there Charactors are fully known.
should they prove the gang we suppose they are I hope it will be instrumental in restoreing peace to this County. I have the Honr to be Yr Excelys Most Obdt Humble Servt
David Forman
This Minute a Report has reached me that a Sloop is arrived at Egg Harbour that was two Days in Company with a Large French fleet—that he Left them a little to the Southward of Cape Henlopin—the Moment any Fleet Appears your Ecly may depend on My pushing Forward the Accounts.3
ALS, DLC:GW. A note reads “⅌ Express” on the cover.
On 14 June, GW had written from headquarters in Springfield to the officer commanding the militia of Monmouth County: “As General Forman will probably, in the course of some Months to come, have occasion to transmit me intelligence of a very interesting nature from the Coast of Monmouth, you will be pleased, whenever required by him, to direct one or more Light Horsemen of the County Militia to attend him and bring forward his dispatches to me. By doing this, you will render a very essential service to the public” (LS, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, owned (2000) by Hayden B. Peake, Alexandria, Va.).
1. Forman enclosed an intelligence report taken down at Freehold on 16 June: “Capt. Samuel Davis, Late of the Privateer Brig. Genl Reid Taken by the Iris a British Frigate the 21st of April past—Capt. John Ridge of the Argo Privateer Taken the 1st of May by the Iris Capt. Downs—Taken in March by the Galatee Frigate Mr James Byas Mercht from Maryland Taken in May.
“They Inform that they were all Prisoners on Board the Jersey Prison Ship Laying off New York Betwen Brooklyn Ferry and Govenors Island—That they made there Escape on Tuesday the 13th of this Inst: to Long Island—That they ware there Two days, & had full and free Conversation Withe American Prisoners and the Inhabitents of Long Island and ware all of them Particularly Attentive in Collecting Intilligence—They say that a Capt. Wipple from the Eastward on his parole Informed them that he had been at New York on Thursday the 8th of this Inst., and Saw the Enemy Land part of there Wounded—that he (Capt. Wipple) heard the officers Say they had Landed 250 Wounded—that he dare not Ask particular Questions But was fully Convinceed that he saw 250 at Least and did not see all of them—that Capt. Wipple allso Informed them that he heard them say Genl Stirling was Badly wounded—& that it was Generally allowed in New York that Knip Hausen had five Hundered men kill’d and Wounded, Some said Many More. … That there was No regular Troops on Long Isand Except a Small Guard at Brooklyn and a Small Guard at South Ampton—That there had been a Guard of 16 at Oyster Bay But that some Whale Boats from New Engla⟨nd⟩ had Landed, Surprised and Taken 14 of them on Wednesday the 7th Ins. That they saw Two Soldiers that Escaped & heard them Tell it.
“That they ware well Informed there had been grate Desertion amongst there New rais’d Troop particularly Fannings Regt that 18 of them Went off in a Body towards the East end of the Island—That Genl Stirling Dyed on Sunday of his Wound—That from the Best Accts The Enemy In New Jersey ware 4000 regular Troops—that there was none on York Island but a Very small Garrison at or about Fort Washington—That the People on the West end of Long Island ware Universally disaffected to the British Government—That they had this Spring a Demand made on them for Every Ten Men to furnish a Horse for the Use of the Army or Each man to pay Ten Dollars.
“That on the first of Last Week (they Could not affix the Day) A Small Vessell Comeing down the North River In Comeing to Stay Missd and fell on Board the Scorpion Prison Ship—That the American Prisoners on Deck Immediately Secured the Guard on Board the Prison Ship and Took the Shallop, that About 50 Prisoners and the Guard escaped up the North River—That the Next Night the Prisoners that Could not be Taken off in the Small Shallop made a second attempt to secure the New Guard—That the Guard then Killed one and Wounded Several and reduceed the Prisoners.
“That on Saturday the 11th [10th] They saw a Letter of Marque Ship Mounting 26 Nine pounders Arrive from Liverpool in a Very Shatterd Condition, She Had 170 Men & had under her Convoy 4 Sail of Merchantmen—She and her Consorts off Long Island fell in with some Privateers—the fore Merchant ⟨sh⟩ip ware said to be Taken—That The Iris frigate had ben Sailed but a few days for Hallifax & was Tow’d in to New York on Sunday the 12th [11th] by A Sloop of War, the Iris was a Mere Wreck She had fell in with the Hermoine a Frigate of France on Her passage to Hallifax had her fir[s]t Lt and Sevin Men Killed in the Action—How the Iris got away they Could Not learn.
“Naval Force at New York & Cruissing about Sandy Hook—Iris—Frigate a mere Wreck Now in Dock[.] Two Frigates there Names they had forgot[.] Galatee—Twenty Gun Ship[.] Delight—Sloop—18 Guns[.] Otter—Sloop—14 Guns[.] That 30 Sail of old Vessells Brigs—Schooners & Sloops Lay at Sandy Hook Loaded with Stone for the purpose of Stoping the Channell on the appearance of a French Fleet—Taken at Freehold 16th June 1780” (DLC:GW).
The identity of “Capt. Wipple” is unknown. Continental navy captain Abraham Whipple had been paroled to Philadelphia after his capture at Charleston, S.C., on 12 May (see William Heath to GW, 21 June). Two other officers with the surname Whipple are known to have served as sea captains in state or Continental service, both from Rhode Island (see , 334).
2. The previous Monday was 12 June.
3. GW replied to Forman on 18 June from his headquarters at Springfield: “I had last evening the pleasure of receiving yours of yesterday. I hope the intelligence brought by the Sloop to Egg Harbour may prove true, but I apprehend the Captain may have fallen in with a fleet of French armed Merchantmen which arrived in Delaware a few days ago—I thank you for your promise of the earliest communication should any Fleet appear off—The Enemy remain in the same position upon the point, which they were in when you were here” (LS, in Tench Tilghman’s writing, owned (2009) by Bruce Gimelson).