Nautical Chesapeake Bay in the 1600s, Part II

Captain Crimson - first and second Anglo-Dutch War In 1665, England decided she wanted a larger share of the Dutch trade, and therefore the colonies found themselves again victims of English war with the States-General of Holland, thanks to the British Navigation Act of 1651. Now past the Cromwell era, and now part of the monarchy of Charles II, the Royal Navy of England now had 230 ships, and as English logic would have it, they basically ignored the colonies, leaving them to fend for themselves.

The tobacco fleet was finally offered a Royal Navy escort and encouraged to travel in groups, piracy on the Eastern Seaboard of the Americas having grown to the point that they were "so full of pirates that it is impossible for any ships to go home safely." according to the Governor of Virginia, and Dutch privateers were seizing merchantmen like the Alexander with 600 hogsheads of tobacco. Certain points of land were fortified to protect select harbours. Not until 1667 did the Admiralty finally send one ship; one old ship, the Elizabeth, to protect Chesapeake shipping. She was a 46-gun frigate, originally built as a 32-gun ship 20 years previous.

When she finally arrived, Elizabeth was so leaky and disabled as to be unworthy, and was tied up at the dock for repairs.   The forts were a joke, and the crown had sent only ten cannon, not the twenty requested by Jamestown. Just in time for Admiral Abraham Crijnsen (Crimson, as he was called by the English) to arrive in the Chesapeake, seizing the shallop Pauls Grave off the Virginia Capes on June 1.

He then seized a merchantman from London commanded by Captain Robert Conway, who was presented with the Pauls Grave, on allowance he would sheppard the fleet into the James.  Approaching the Elizabeth while flying a british flag, they fired only one gun before fleeing the ship, which Crimson seized. (Supposedly the captain of the Elizabeth was ashore "with his wench," attending a wedding at the time.) After quickly seizing the Tobacco fleet, Crimson set parties ashore to collect water, but these parties were repeatedly repelled. Short of water, and short of men to crew the twenty ships he had seized, and with the Elizabeth still unseaworthy, Crimson was forced to burn several of the merchantmen and the Elizabeth.

According to the Governor of Virginia, the solution was to arm the York river fleet, blockage the Dutch escape, then have the James river fleet attack Crimson's flotilla's rear. Most of this James fleet consisted of converted merchantmen, and three regiments of        militia, and the crew of the Elizabeth. Captains of at least nine of the York ships developed excuses for not putting out from port, and while this was going on, Crimson sailed away on June 11, 1667.

The result of this was to finally point out to the Governor that maybe they weren't properly prepared, so the fort on Point Comfort was worked on in earnest under the supervision of Chief Gunner Gowing Dunbar, Colonel Yeo was authorized to impress any materials or men needed to complete the project, and Christopher Gould and his Sloop were directed to salvage the guns of the Elizabeth and transport them to the        fort. To complete the barn door closure, ships were restricted from leaving until June 27, in case enemy vessels were still beyond the        capes,since they didn't know that those horses had already left the barn.  Then on August 27 a hurricane washed to foundation and most of the waiting materials away. What animals remained from the 40 days of rain prior to this hurricane were now loose, eating what grain remained in the fields after the rain, and a hailstorm previous to the rains, leaving Governor of Virginia free to fortify Jamestown with a series of river redoubts, rather than Point Comfort, which had always been his preference. Convenient, no?

Third Anglo-Dutch War. By June 1671, most of these mud forts were eroding faster than they could be repaired. The guns from the original fort and the Elizabeth proved useless, and when peace was declared between the Dutch and the English, all work was abandoned. Needless to say, the very next year, The third Anglo-Dutch War started, the colony as ill prepared as ever. Virginia declared to England that she didn't even have enough powder to charge one cannon. They soon learned in April of 73 that the Dutch ships were again on their way. Two English ships arrived to escort the Tobacco fleet to England, but they needed till July to refit and take on water and supplies, while also the 20 ships of the Maryland Fleet had yet to be heard from.

A Dutch squadron of nine warships arrived at the mouth of the Chesapeake July 10, and was becalmed six miles below Cape Henry. Six Dutch warships entered the bay the next day, and flying british colors, were hailed by the unsuspecting eight ships of the Maryland flotilla before they could be warned by the Virginian. The Two Royal Navy vessels and six armed merchantmen moved out at once to their defense, then turned 1/4 mile from the Dutch, and fled for the James again, in an attempt to draw the Dutch after them, away from the Marylanders. Four merchantmen ran aground, and one was fleeing ahead of the Navy Vessels, and was also run aground. By the 13th, after days of fighting, the Dutch had seized multiple prizes and bottled the Colonials in the James River, while the Royal Navy vessels were in the Elizabeth River. by July 22, they had seized or burned a large portion of the Tobacco fleet, anything that had not made it to the safety of the shallow waters of the Jamestown part of the River and the "fort," and being unsure of the waters on the river and choosing not to try and follow and possibly        run aground, they sailed off for New York with their prizes. By 1676, the Governor was recalled to England, since his failure in providing defenses and then open rebellions protesting his too late taxation for defenses after this last action, forced England to appoint a new Governor.

William Harrison and John Manly When they sailed into York River, dropped boats, and sailed towards Tindal's Point in June of 1682, no one probably took much notice, until they had already plundered two plantation houses, returned to the ship, and sailed away. Although Colonel Cole was assigned by the state Legislator to find these men, armed with a pirate chaser vessel with eighteen officers and men, but no artillery. The raiders disappeared without a trace, but later five were captured on Long Island.  They were returned, and three escaped. Bother were sentenced to be hanged, but on December 5, they petitioned for, and received a reprieve of two days, so one of them could be baptized. They then proceeded to escape successfully, gave themselves up again three days later, crawling back into the jail. People were so moved by this that they cried out, and they were granted a full reprieve, and two years later, pardoned of all charges.

Captain Roger Jones In 1683, the new Governor of Virginia urged a strong naval fleet to oppose these pirates and privateers, to discourage the reputation the Chesapeake had gained for being easy pickings. They searched for "a sloop of sixty tons and ten guns" minimum, and finally the sloop Katherine was secured, with command assigned to Captain Roger Jones.  Jones had only a crew of 8, but drew pay for 12 (a common Royal Navy practice), and gained a reputation for actually consorting with the pirates and privateers, to his profit.

Captain Wright Up unto this time, most of the political debate and concern has been focused upon the lower western shore of the bay. Keep in mind that at this time, with no bridges, rapid communications, and the emphasis on Western Shore capitals, the Eastern Shore was isolated and often left on it's own, as the Western Shore thinking of it's appointed governors and their proximity to the Western planters influenced their actions. In many ways the inhabitants of the Eastern Shore became a more independent, loosely governed lot, resentful of government actions because of this. Even the advent of radio and Television have not completely removed the differences in lifestyle attitude and even speech patterns of some areas today. Because of this the locals tended to often trade and barter with privateers and pirates and in July of 1682, when Captain Wright arrived from Tartuga with 20 men, they settled peacefully on the Eastern Shore, with no apparent opposition.

Captain John Cook When Captain John Cook arrived with two prizes, he was able to easily refit and to trade the wines of his French prize with the locals of Accomack county. Jones did show up, but lowered his flag, choosing to surrender rather than fight, but was later released with gifts of wine, his crew, and the Katherine. Cook refitted and renamed his vessel The Revenge, and with a larger crew made from locals and some of Wright's men, set sail for the South Seas. The same storms that ravaged Cook as he departed demasted the Katherine in the James River.On November 29, Jones lost his command and Katherine was decommissioned.

Amnesty In 1687 King James reaffirmed Charles II proclamation against piracy, but modified it by offering pardons to all pirates who turned themselves in under certain conditions, and sent Admiral Sir Robert Holmes to the West Indies with a Squadron to clear the seas. He did this by cruising the islands and inlets of the Americas frequented by pirates, and the Ship Dunbarton was added to the Chesapeake area searches of vessels. On one of these searches of a shallop travelling down the bay, four men were seized with several chests and bags of plate, pieces of eight, some clothing, books and personal items. The four suspected pirates, John Hinson, Peter Cloise, Lionel Delawafer, and Edward Davis, were taken to Jamestown and imprisoned as suspected pirates.  If they admitted to piracy, they could lose their possessions, but if they did not, they could not enjoy the King's pardon.

In reality, Edard Davis had been Cook's Quartermaster and second in command, and Delawafer, originally named Wafer, was the ship's surgeon. The rest were also crew upon Cook's vessel.  They applied for pardon on August 16, 1688, but did not receive one and were not released on bail even until late April, and eventually their property, still under dispute, was sent to England to Sir Robert, and ended up in part in the Royal warehouses. Only after years of legal waggling involving Lawyers, travel back to England, clergy, ambassadors and Queen Mary, and the King, they finally got 300 pounds by decree in 1693, while that moneys procured by Captain Rowe also returned, but with parts used towards the founding of a College in Virginia. Thus was founded the College Of William and Mary, in part by treasure.

Captain Thomas Allen and his 79-Ton ketch, Quaker, was sent at the request of the new Governor Howard of Virginia to the bay from England. Though the Governor made proclamations against piracy, and those harbouring or aiding them, these were generally ignored.  Not only did pirates and privateers continue to visit the eastern shore, but home grow piracy increased. In 1686 the Royal Navy sent Deptford, an 89-ton, 10-gun ketch. Sadly, the captain, Crofts, beat his officers and was overly-fond of the bottle, and quarrelled with his wife constantly.  Worse yet, he hated Governor Howard, and complained constantly about him to the Admiralty.

Most of this time the Dunbarton kept the bay relatively pirate free, until her hull finally was worm eaten so that she was beached and broken up, her guns mounted at Tindall's Point. Then the armed Merchantman, Wolf, plied the bay from 1690 till 1791. AS well as HMS Henry Prize, but by 1692 she needed to be careened and cleaned, and in 1693 was deemed unfit. HMS Dover Prize arrived to replace HMS Henry Prize, the man-of-war commanded by an ex pirate, Thomas Pound. He was effective at his job, and the Southern Bay continued to remain relatively pirate free. HMs Essex Prize joined them in 1698 with Captain John Aldred.

Pennsylvania Pirates In 1694 Atlantic Coast rivers of Virginia's Eastern Shore were closed to lawful shipping (with the exception of Smith Island River). Regardless, Pirates still careened their ships safely on the coasts of Delaware and New Jersey. As for points North of Virginia The pirates had found a friend in Philadelphia Mayor Markham, who even accepted the marriage of his daughter to a piratical Captain Avery, who went on to gain a seat in the colonies Assembly. Captain Robert Snead purchased the position of justice of the peace. Philadelphia merchants were appealing to the Maryland Governor Nicholas. Merchants were being forced to pay four months wages in advance to compete for sailors, because privateers were openly advertising for crews to cruise the Red Sea and offering as much as the suggestion that a man could earn 3,000 pounds in three months. the merchants insurance rates were rising rapidly for their vessels and cargo.

Governor Nicholas decided to make an example of Captain Day, who had assembled a large crew, promising his men that as soon as they had seized a larger vessel they'd burn their small vessel. He promised to spare none but the english prisoners, and to take the very first vessel they met. Nicholas sent armed troops to Philadelphia, who seized Day and his crew, but were in turn threatened with jail by the mayor for seizing honest men. Day escaped in his ship, while the jurisdictional debate waged on.

By June 1697 it was reported that pirates were infesting the province of Pennsylvania, and included members of the Royal Navy from other colonies, and almost 100 Marylanders and Virginians.  The situation of Pennsylvania lawlessness continued until Markham was removed from office the next year.

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