Frederica naval action
Encyclopedia
The Frederica naval action was a naval battle
during the American Revolutionary War
in which three galleys of the Georgia State Navy
defeated a British
raiding party off the coast of Georgia
. The action occurred on April 19, 1778.
The state of Georgia had twice attempted, without success, to invade the British colony of East Florida
. In 1778 a third attempt was launched, to be headed by Colonel Samuel Elbert
. The catalyst for the invasion was the discovery, in April of that year, that four British ships were sailing in St. Simons Sound
. Two of these, the sloop
Rebecca and the watering brig
Hatter, were private vessels under contract to the Royal Navy
; the other two, the frigate
HMS Galatea
and brigantine
HMS Hinchinbrook, were official Royal Navy ships.
For defense, Elbert had the galleys of the Georgia State Navy
; four of these, Washington, Lee, Congress, and Bulloch, had been underwritten by the Continental Congress
and constructed in Savannah
between 1776 and 1777. All four were under the command of Commodore Oliver Bowen.
; from here they were to embark upon three of the galleys, Washington, Bulloch, and Lee. The first was led by Captain John Hardee, the second by Captain Archibald Hatcher, and the third by Captain John Cutler Braddock.
By the middle of the afternoon on April 18, the flotilla
had entered the Frederica River
and anchor
ed at Pikes Bluff, close to a mile and a half above Fort Frederica. Troops under Colonel Robert Rae and Major Daniel Roberts were the first to land, followed, under Elbert's orders, by Captain George Young and the artillery
detachment. They set up the field piece on the island. Officers were chosen to command troops on the galleys. Colonel John White was assigned to Lee, Captain George Melvin to Washington, and Lieutenant Barnard Patty to Bulloch. Elbert ordered Rae to take 100 of his men and march them to the fort, where British prisoners were taken. Some of the men in the scouting party which had been landed escaped by boat, taking word to Galatea to alert Captain Thomas Jordan
to the imminent American attack. Jordan responded by sending a ship loaded with soldiers to assist Hinchinbrook and Rebecca.
Elbert received some intelligence regarding the two British ships; he decided, however, that it was too late in the evening to initiate an attack, and ordered his men to rest for the night.
. The galleys likely initiated the attack shortly after first light, around 5:30 that morning, beginning their assault on the Hinchinbrook, Rebecca, and Hatter. Galleys are lightly built craft that are optimized for rowing. They are fragile and at a severe disadvantage against strongly built sailing vessels. However, galleys have a tactical advantage against pure sailing vessels in restricted waters or when there is no wind. Either by happenstance or by brilliant planning, the ebb tide combined with the lack of wind to give the Americans the advantage; with no wind, the British ships were unable to sail forward to board and storm the galleys, and were forced to remain stationary. Consequently, the galleys began by firing a few random shots at the British vessels before anchoring a safe distance away and beginning a heavy cannon
ade.
Hinchinbrook and Rebecca carried four-pounders which were no match for the heavier ordnance on the galleys, so they began dropping downriver, hoping to find a place to maneuver and possibly catch a breeze. They thought that the channel was deep, and sailed accordingly; however, at around 10 in the morning, Rebecca suddenly became grounded at a place called "Raccoon Gut". Hinchinbrook and Hatter soon suffered the same fate. As the galleys were drawing nearer, the British made the decision to abandon ship
. Most of the officers and men crowded into the ship's boat
s and rowed downriver to Galatea, which was still anchored in the sound. A few of Hinchinbrook crew were left behind.
and Georgia coasts. More importantly, it helped to delay by over eight months a British attempt to capture Fort Morris and the town of Sunbury. At the same time, it demonstrated the effectiveness of galleys, when heavily armed, in confined waters.
Elbert, for his part, was deeply impressed with the victory, writing to General Robert Howe
that
Fresh from the victory at Frederica, Elbert went on to lead the disastrous Third Florida Expedition later that year.
Naval battle
A naval battle is a battle fought using boats, ships or other waterborne vessels. Most naval battles have occurred at sea, but a few have taken place on lakes or rivers. The earliest recorded naval battle took place in 1210 BC near Cyprus...
during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
in which three galleys of the Georgia State Navy
Georgia State Navy
During the American Revolutionary War, the Georgia State Navy consisted of only a few ships, most of which were destroyed in 1778 and 1779.-History:Georgia was one of the first of the Thirteen Colonies to engage a ship for its own naval purposes...
defeated a British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
raiding party off the coast of Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. The action occurred on April 19, 1778.
Background
East Florida
East Florida was a colony of Great Britain from 1763–1783 and of Spain from 1783–1822. East Florida was established by the British colonial government in 1763; as its name implies it consisted of the eastern part of the region of Florida, with West Florida comprising the western parts. Its capital...
. In 1778 a third attempt was launched, to be headed by Colonel Samuel Elbert
Samuel Elbert
Samuel Elbert was an American merchant, soldier, and politician from Savannah, Georgia.Elbert fought in the Revolutionary War, commanding the victorious American colonial forces in a naval battle near St. Simons Island, Georgia on April 19, 1778...
. The catalyst for the invasion was the discovery, in April of that year, that four British ships were sailing in St. Simons Sound
St. Simons Sound
St. Simons Sound is a sound in Georgia that lies between Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island. It is part of the waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Brunswick River to the port at Brunswick, Georgia. The St. Simons lighthouse stands on the north side of the sound....
. Two of these, the sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
Rebecca and the watering brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
Hatter, were private vessels under contract to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
; the other two, the frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
HMS Galatea
HMS Galatea (1776)
The HMS Galatea was a British 20-gun sixth-rate [frigate]]. It fought during the American Revolutionary War.- History :In 1776, the ship was sent to America and was captained by Thomas Jordan with a crew of 200. It defeated and captured 30 American ships. An American naval squadron led by Samuel...
and brigantine
Brigantine
In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...
HMS Hinchinbrook, were official Royal Navy ships.
For defense, Elbert had the galleys of the Georgia State Navy
Georgia State Navy
During the American Revolutionary War, the Georgia State Navy consisted of only a few ships, most of which were destroyed in 1778 and 1779.-History:Georgia was one of the first of the Thirteen Colonies to engage a ship for its own naval purposes...
; four of these, Washington, Lee, Congress, and Bulloch, had been underwritten by the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
and constructed in Savannah
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
between 1776 and 1777. All four were under the command of Commodore Oliver Bowen.
Prelude
On April 15 Elbert received word that the Royal Navy had been spotted off the coast, and detailed around 360 men of the Georgia Continental battalions of Fort Howe to march to DarienDarien, Georgia
Darien is a city in McIntosh County, Georgia, United States. It lies on Georgia's coast at the mouth of the Altamaha River about 50 miles south of Savannah, and is part of the Brunswick, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of Darien was 1,719 at the 2000 census. The city is the...
; from here they were to embark upon three of the galleys, Washington, Bulloch, and Lee. The first was led by Captain John Hardee, the second by Captain Archibald Hatcher, and the third by Captain John Cutler Braddock.
By the middle of the afternoon on April 18, the flotilla
Flotilla
A flotilla , or naval flotilla, is a formation of small warships that may be part of a larger fleet. A flotilla is usually composed of a homogeneous group of the same class of warship, such as frigates, destroyers, torpedo boats, submarines, gunboats, or minesweepers...
had entered the Frederica River
Frederica River
The Frederica River is an tidal river in Glynn County, Georgia. It forms the western boundary of Saint Simons Island of the Georgia Sea Islands. Fort Frederica National Monument is located on the eastern bank of the river on Saint Simons Island....
and anchor
Anchor
An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the vessel from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ancora, which itself comes from the Greek ἄγκυρα .Anchors can either be temporary or permanent...
ed at Pikes Bluff, close to a mile and a half above Fort Frederica. Troops under Colonel Robert Rae and Major Daniel Roberts were the first to land, followed, under Elbert's orders, by Captain George Young and the artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
detachment. They set up the field piece on the island. Officers were chosen to command troops on the galleys. Colonel John White was assigned to Lee, Captain George Melvin to Washington, and Lieutenant Barnard Patty to Bulloch. Elbert ordered Rae to take 100 of his men and march them to the fort, where British prisoners were taken. Some of the men in the scouting party which had been landed escaped by boat, taking word to Galatea to alert Captain Thomas Jordan
Thomas Jordan (Navy)
- Biography :Jordan was captan of the HMS Galatea, a 44-gun frigate. Jordan fought at the Frederica naval action of 1778, in overall command of British naval forces. His ship was the only not to be captured by the American marines in the battle....
to the imminent American attack. Jordan responded by sending a ship loaded with soldiers to assist Hinchinbrook and Rebecca.
Elbert received some intelligence regarding the two British ships; he decided, however, that it was too late in the evening to initiate an attack, and ordered his men to rest for the night.
Battle
Early on the morning of April 19, Elbert took the galleys down the river to attack the British ships, which were already ranged in their order of battleOrder of battle
In modern use, the order of battle is the identification, command structure, strength, and disposition of personnel, equipment, and units of an armed force participating in field operations. Various abbreviations are in use, including OOB, O/B, or OB, while ORBAT remains the most common in the...
. The galleys likely initiated the attack shortly after first light, around 5:30 that morning, beginning their assault on the Hinchinbrook, Rebecca, and Hatter. Galleys are lightly built craft that are optimized for rowing. They are fragile and at a severe disadvantage against strongly built sailing vessels. However, galleys have a tactical advantage against pure sailing vessels in restricted waters or when there is no wind. Either by happenstance or by brilliant planning, the ebb tide combined with the lack of wind to give the Americans the advantage; with no wind, the British ships were unable to sail forward to board and storm the galleys, and were forced to remain stationary. Consequently, the galleys began by firing a few random shots at the British vessels before anchoring a safe distance away and beginning a heavy cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
ade.
Abandon Ship
"Abandon Ship" is the first single from Gallows' debut Orchestra of Wolves. It was released on 4 June 2007. It was released on CD and 2 different 7 inch records.-Digital version:#Abandon Ship#Abandon Ship #Abandon Ship...
. Most of the officers and men crowded into the ship's boat
Ship's boat
Ship's boats are utility boats carried by larger vessels to act as tenders amongst other roles. Boats had different names depending on hull form, rig, size and role during the Age of Sail, this nomenclature persisting to the present, especially in military circles, long after most distinctions have...
s and rowed downriver to Galatea, which was still anchored in the sound. A few of Hinchinbrook crew were left behind.
Aftermath
Although the battle was comparatively minor, it had a galvanizing effect on the people of Georgia, for it disabled two ships which had been capturing American merchant ships off the South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
and Georgia coasts. More importantly, it helped to delay by over eight months a British attempt to capture Fort Morris and the town of Sunbury. At the same time, it demonstrated the effectiveness of galleys, when heavily armed, in confined waters.
Elbert, for his part, was deeply impressed with the victory, writing to General Robert Howe
Robert Howe (soldier)
Robert Howe was a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.-Early life:His great-grandfather was James Moore, colonial governor of South Carolina...
that
...you must imagine what my feelings were, to see our three little men of war going on to the attack of these three vessels who have spread terror on our coast, and who were drawn up in order of battle; but the weight of our metal soon damped the courage of these heroes, who soon took to their boats: and, as many as could, abandoned the vessels with everything on board, of which we immediately took possession. What is extraordinary, we have not one man hurt...
Fresh from the victory at Frederica, Elbert went on to lead the disastrous Third Florida Expedition later that year.
Great Britain
- HMS Galatea (frigate)
- HMS Hinchinbrook (brigantine) - Aground and captured
- Rebecca (sloop) - Aground and captured
- Hatter (brig) - Aground and captured