The Continental Navy Part II

westmohney
Aug 6, 2023
6 min read

Updated: Mar 14, 2024

. . .without a decisive naval force we can do nothing definitive, and with it, everything honorable and glorious. ~ George Washington

the USS Revenge

The USS Revenge was a Schooner in the Continental Navy built in the summer of 1776 by our engineer and diary writing cousin, Colonel Jeduthan Baldwin (3C7X). He oversaw the building of the ship during his time at Fort Ticonderoga in New York. On August 24th, the schooner left Ticonderoga to join a fleet commanded by General Benedict Arnold at Crown Point.

At the same time the Revenge was being built, the British were busy creating a large fleet of their own to challenge Arnold for control of Lake Champlain. The meeting of these two navies resulted in the Battle of Valcour Island with Jeduthan's Revenge right there in the thick of the action. That battle will be recounted in detail in a future post.

After Valcour Island, the Revenge, along with the few American ships that survived, returned to Fort Ticonderoga. No one knows for sure the final fate of Jeduthan's ship. It may have been taken by the British when they captured Ticonderoga in July of 1777. It's also possible the Revenge was sunk to prevent its capture.

The August/September 1909 issue of The Vermonter magazine has a photo of the remains of a ship recovered from the bottom of Lake Champlain that is believed to be the Revenge. Below is a photo of the salvaged ship. The caption below the photo reads:

The Revenge, one of the battleships of Benedict Arnold's fleet. - This vessel, with two others, escaped to shelter of Fort Ticonderoga, after a running battle with a superior British force in 1776. In January 1909, it was recovered from the lake bottom and is now on exhibition near the lake shore at Fort Ticonderoga.

In a tricentennial tour of the lake in 1976, the remains of the believed to be the Revenge lay on the shore of Lake Champlain. Included was this description:

Ashore in the shadow of Ti's (Ticonderoga's) high bluff - we come upon a curious relic - a water-beaten hulk, some fifty feet long, ribs and planking quite intact, set on piers and surrounded by a fence. This is placarded as the schooner Revenge, one of Arnold's fleet escaped to shelter of the Fort in '76, to be burned and sunk by Col. Brown the following year.

Timbers from the recovered boat believed to be Jeduthan's Revenge were used by Ernest F. Birmingham, editor and publisher of the Fourth Estate weekly newspaper, to create a chair for President Warren G. Harding which was presented to him at his Inauguration in 1921.

Our relatives in the Continental Navy

I was able to find the records of some of our relatives who served in the Navy in the twenty volume publication of Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War.

DANIEL LUNT

Captain Daniel Lunt (5C6X) of Newburyport was just one member of the adventurous seafaring Lunts whose stories will be told in a future post. In February of 1776, Daniel was the captain of a brigantine in the Continental Navy. According to his own narrative, he "fell in with and was taken by the Lively sloop of war and carried into Boston, the next day was put on board the Renown."

Note: Daniel was taken to Boston one month before the British evacuated the city.

On the Renown, Daniel and his crew were searched, robbed and set to hard labor. He reported that "we were commanded and constantly insulted. . .having the breath of Hell continually flaming about our ears. . .informed us our toments were to be perpetual by assuring us we should never again set our feet on American ground."

These insults heightened Daniel's resolution "to attempt an escape at all hazards." And escape he did. On March 21, "finding the watch on deck asleep, I cut away a boat from along side, and got on shore on Point Shirley." Luckily for Daniel, the ship he was on hadn't sailed with the rest of the fleet when the British army left Boson on March 17th.

Sadly, Daniel's freedom would be short lived. In December of 1776, he along with three other Lunt relatives, would be captured off the coast of England and thrown into Mill prison. We'll have that story in a future post.

THE CROSBYS

Our Crosby family appeared to be a seafaring bunch. We had more Crosby's in the Continental Navy than any other family except the prolific Richardsons.

Cousin Daniel Crosby (3C10X) was a mariner in the Continental Navy in service on the USS Protector when it was captured by the British on May 5, 1781. He was confined to the British prison ship Old Jersey, known for its depolorable conditions. His name in found on a list of 8,000 prisoners who were held there. Cousin Daniel was one of the lucky ones. According to Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors: "Crosby, Daniel, Marine, ship protector, engaged Oct 1 1780, returned from captivity Oct. 12 1781..."

Note: We had other relatives confined to prison ships as well. We'll have that story in a future post.

Nicholas Crosby (3C10X) was a first lieutenant in Penobscot, ME. He was "chosen Naval Officer for port of Penobscot for 1 year 1778, again in 1779, Naval Officer for Falmouth 1780," finally achieving the rank of captain.

Paul Crosby (5C8X) served on the frigate Hague. He evidently died during his service as records show a receipt signed on 20 May 1783 "by Samson Crosby (4C9X), father, for service to May 10 1783."

In Oct of 1778, Tully Crosby (5C8X) was on a list of prisoners sent from Halifax to Boston in the cartel Silver Eel "to be exchanged for British prisoners."

Brothers John (5C8X) and Thomas Crosby (5C8X) of Boston, both served on the Massachusetts State brigantine Tyrannicide.

Crosby, Elkanah, (5C8X) Barnstable, Brigantine Lively

Crosby, John (5C8X) Barnstable, Brigantine Lively

Crosby, Nathan (4C9X) Plymouth Brigantine Independence

London Crosby, who is undoubtedly in our family but I'm unable to place, served on the sloop Winthrop and the frigate Deane.

THE RICHARDSONS

Like our cousin Daniel Crosby, our cousins James (2C8X) and William Richardson (2C8X) also served on the Protector. They're first listed in October of 1780. William was a boatswain. He was "reported died Jan 23, 1781," four months before the Protector was captured.

Moses Richardson (4C6X) of Boston served as a steward on the brigantine Freedom. In 1782, he was a midshipman on the state ship Tartar. Some months later, in 1783, Moses' brother Elias (4C6X) served on the same ship. The father of these two brothers was Moses Richardson (3C7X) who was shot and killed by the British in Cambridge on the day of the alarm, April 19, 1775. We wrote about him in our "The British Retreat" post.

Brothers Joel (4C7X) and Henry Richardson (4C7X) of Attleboro, MA served on the brigantine Pallas for the 1779 Penobscot expedition. The Pallas was part of a squadron of ships commanded by John Paul Jones.

Richardson, Andrew (3C7X) Middleton, Brigantine Rover, 1780

Richardson, Elias (5C6X) Boston State ship Tartar

Richardson, Joel (3C7X) served on the ship Franklin in 1781

Richardson, Moses (6C5X) Boston, Brigantine Freedom, State Ship Tartar

Richardson, Reuben (4C7X) sloop Macias Liberty 1776

Richardson, Richard (3C7X) Boston, Sloop Republic 1776

Richardsons I can't place with families:

Richardson, Samuel, Boston, ship General Mifflin 1780

Richardson, James, Boston ship Viper, 1780 and ship Franklin, 1781

Richardson, Henry Brigantine Pallas 1779

OTHER FAMILY

Our cousin Samuel Haseltine (4C8X) of Haverhill served on the famed Frigate Boston.

Joseph Rea Ballard (1C8X) was a grandson of our immigrant grandfather William Ballard (9GGF) of Andover and his second wife Rebecca Rea. Joseph was only a boy when he served on the brigantine Tyrannicide.

William Ballard (4C6X) of New Hampshire served on the ship Vengeance

The men below are most probably of our family but I have been unable to place them.

Morley Stickney served on the ship Vengeance which was under the command of John Paul Jones.

A Bartholomew Ballard who served on the sloop Defence is probably the same boy who was indentured out when he was nine years old to our cousin Joseph Ballard (3C7X) of Boston. Most probably the two were related in some way. Bartholomew is on a list compiled by the Overseers of the Poor of Boston. He was either orphaned or belonged to a family that couldn't support him. The indenture was for twelve years and was to teach Bartholomew to be a ship joiner. Below is a copy of the indenture signed by Joseph:

The Joseph Ballard who took Bartholomew in was great-great-grandson our grandmother Elizabeth Knight Ballard (9GGM). Grandma Elizabeth married William Ballard of Lynn, MA who is no relation to us. The Lynn Ballards are not related to our Andover, MA Ballards. We wrote about the Lynn Ballards in our "Lynn and Reading" post. Elizabeth's grandson John (1C9X) was a ship joiner and John's grandson Joseph, who accepted Bartholmew's indenture, took up the trade as well.