the French and sold by the latter to the State of Virginia. They were merchantmen originally. The ship Virginia was built at Gosport; the Grey-hound, at Minge's Ferry on James River, and others at Quarles' Landing in King William County. Some were built and fitted out at Fredericksburg, as was the ship Dragon. Others, farther down on the Rappahannock; at Frazier's, on the Mattaponi; on the upper James and Appomat tox rivers, and many at South Quay, Hampton, and in the waters near Norfolk. The galleys, Accomac and Diligence, were built on Muddy Creek in Accomac Co., and carried round to Guilford Creek to be fitted out for service, in 1777. All of the other galleys were built at some of the places mentioned above, and distributed along the shores, as the wants of the people required them. In the early part of the war, some of these vessels were constructed and fitted out under the eye of some one of the members of the Committee of Safety, as is shown by the following extract of a letter from George Mason to General Washington. After speaking of other matters relating to the state of affairs in Virginia, he mentions his having under his charge two row galleys of forty or fifty tons burthen, each to mount light guns, three and four pounders, and then adds-"The other, the American Congress,' is a fine stout vessel of about one hundred and ten tons burthen, and has such an easy draft of water, as will enable her to run into most of the creeks or small harbors if she meets with a vessel of superior force. She mounts fourteen carriage guns, four and six pounders, though we have thoughts of mounting two nine pounders upon her main beam if we find her able, as we think she is, of bearing them. The guns are mounted and to be tried to-morrow. We have twenty barrels of powder and about a ton of shot ready. **** Swivels we have not, but she may make a tolerable shift without, until they can be furnished. We have got some small arms, and are taking every measure to increase them, and hope to be fully supplied in about a week more. Her company of marines is raised and have been

for sometime exercised to the use of the great guns. Her complement of marines and seamen is to be ninety-six men. We are exerting ourselves to the utmost, and hope to have her on her station in less than a fortnight; and the other vessels will quickly follow her, and be able to protect the inhabitants of this river, from the piratical attempts of all the enemy's cutters, tenders and small crafts." This letter is dated at Gunsten Hall, Va., April 2nd, 1776, and shews the interest felt, and the necessity for, a naval force at that time, and in that region of country.

Very little seems to be known regarding the size and tonnage of most of the vesself found on the foregoing list. This applies particularly to the ships, inasmuch as brigs and schooners are generally of uniform dimensions such as will best suit their peculiar style of rigging. The largest were, no doubt, two, which are found to have been ordered by the Naval Board in October, 1776, and which are described as two frigates carrying thirty two guns each. It does not certainly appear whether they were ever built, and if so which of those on our list correspond to that description. Judging merely from their number of guns, some of them must have been, at least of five hundred tons burthen, as for instance the Renown, which mounted twenty-six guns, and the Tempest twenty, with crews in proportion. Their batteries were generally composed of six and ten pounders, a weight of metal requiring vessels of considerable size.

The largest brigs carried from twelve to fourteen guns, four and six pounders, but several, as the Jefferson and Liberty, mounted eighteen, and the Mosquito and Raleigh, twelve each. The Mars had only eight. Some of the larger schooners mounted ten guns, but generally not more than six and these of small calibre.

But amongst all the vessels built and owned by the State, there seems to be more misapprehension relative to what were called Galleys, than of any other. They are generally thought of, as having been a very insignificant class of boats, fit only to float safely in shallow water;

and ever ready upon the slightest pretext to seek shelter from the swell of the outer sea under a lee-shore. A small swivel at the bow and one in the stern may have been considered their entire armament, leaving just space enough amid ships for a few militia men, armed with musket and cutlass. But when examined, their capacity and power will be found to exceed very far any such estimate. It is true that they were built, so that at the appearance of a superior force, they could easily retire up the creeks, out of range of the guns of the British tenders; but they were also capable of venturing out upon the .broad waters of the bay when tempted by an enemy of equal force. They were very broad in proportion to their length, and not drawing much water, could support immense weight upon their decks; hence we find them frequently transporting troops, with their horses and baggage, and carrying guns of the largest size. Their operations were for the most part confined to the protection of the shores, and mouths of creeks, but they occasionally extended over a much greater space, as when some of them in October, 1776, carried a large body of North Carolina troops from Portsmouth to the head of Elk in Maryland. Generally they had two masts and were rigged as schooners, but from what will be seen hereafter, some must have had three masts. Some were without masts, called row-galleys. These were only halfdecked, were provided with high and strong bulwarks for the better protection from marksmen, and were propelled by cars only. Indeed, in their construction and appointments, a rigid regard for strength and utility seems to have been

For main and fore shroud,
For fore and jib stays,

For bow-sprit shrouds,

For mizzen shrouds,

For main and fore topmast shrouds,

For mizzen topmast,

observed; and these too, at the expense of sailing qualities, and nautical beauty. Their average length on deck was about seventy-feet, but the Accomac and Diligence were nearly ninety feet in the clear. The armaments of these galleys were much more formidable in proportion to their tonnage, than were those of any of the other vessels. The two just mentioned, for instance, carried, each, two eighteen pounders, four nine pounders and several swivels, in all ten guns: and in November 1776, "two large galleys for river and sea service," were ordered to be built, carrying four twenty-four pounders, and fourteen nine-pounders; also, in October, 1780, two more large ones were ordered, "to carry two thirty-two pounders in the bow, and two in the stern and six-pounders at the sides, for the protection of Chesapeake Bay, &c." These are the exact words of the orders, and as it may be seen are, to some extent, ambiguous; particularly in the first, where it is difficult to determine precisely, whether each boat was to carry four such large guns, or the two were to divide the armament between them.

These examples, however, are enough to show the power and strength of this portion of the Navy, and the service it was capable of rendering when called upon. We have said that some of them had three masts. Such was the case with the Gloucester Galley, as appears from the following order given for her benefit. She of course must have been one of the largest. It is dated April 30th, 1777, and sent to Capt. Charles Thomas at Warwick, where were the public rope-walks; this place being quite a village at that time

200 fathoms of 5 inch rope.
20 fathoms of 6 inch rope.

20 fathoms of 5 inch rope.

20 fathoms of 5 inch rope.

100 fathoms of 3 inch rope. Amount not given.

This order proves that the aforesaid galley had a foremast, a mainmast and a mizzen-mast, and bow-sprit, and must have been of considerable size to have required

ropes and cables of such dimensions. These cables and ropes were of course measured by the circumference of a verical section of each of them. There is

also a peculiarity in this order expressed as follows, “All the above rigging, to have a rogue's yarn in it, that it may ever hereafter be distinguished from the merchant-rope as also all the other rope that shall be made hereafter for the Navy of this State to be distinguished in the above manner." A rogue's yarn, was a single thread, coloured red or blue, which was twisted into the rope at the manufactory and served thus to distinguish it from all other. The object was, of course, to be able to identify it when stolen; or when found in the rigging of a vessel which may have been wrecked or otherwise destroyed. These galleys, then, were not unimportant vessels in the plan of naval defences suggested by the Board of Commissioners. They may be likened to huge water-spiders, that lurked unobserved in the shadows of the forests along the shores of the creeks, ever ready to use their terrible stings, when tempted by the incautious approach of an enemy.

The next class in order were pilot boats, of which, as appears from the record, there were only two armed. But there were also in the service sundry

Look-outs," as they were called-small, fast-sailing craft, whose duties were attended with many hardships, and were extremely perilous. They were obliged to hover along a dangerous coast in all weathers; and were expected to give timely notice. of the approach of every sail that appeared in the offing, whether friend or foe. They were a sort of flying sentry, that fluttered, as it were, at the gates of the Chesapeake, but constantly exposed to the winds and storms of the broad Atlantic outside. And lastly, in addition to all these, there were numerous smaller boats, without masts, but broad

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and strong enough to transport troops with their baggage across the rivers, and to carry from point to point large quantities of ammunition and provisions as they were required. In retreats, in rapid marches, and when it became necessary, as was frequently the case, to concentrate the land forces, these had been found so indispensable, that in September 1776, the naval board ordered thirty of them to be built for such purposes; each to be large enough to carry a complete company of sixty-eight men with their arms, baggage, &c." Of course the Navy had one of those dark, forbidding looking floating prisons, that hang fast-anchored, like huge coffins suspended upon the waters. The ship Gloucester was struck from the list of her more favored consorts, to perform this degrading duty. We do not find where she was moored, but suppose it was most probably in Hampton creek, afar down in Elizabeth river, out of the reach of the enemy.

From the foregoing array of the vessels of the Virginia Navy during the Revolution, it will be readily seen what was its capacity and strength so far as they were concerned. But we shall find hereafter, that with all this show of power, there was a lamentable deficiency of men; and it must not be supposed that all or even most of these vessels were in active service at the same period of time. This remark will be appreciated when we come to examine the following list of armed vessels, sent by order to the Board, as a report of their actual condition. These were fully armed and lying at Coxes' dale on James River; but sadly wanting in men, as will be seen by comparing their reported number with their complement when full:

16

14-4 pounders,

Had this been otherwise, our adversaries would have met with a much stouter resistance in their favorite element. It was often found necessary to shift the crew of one vessel to the decks of another when she had been detailed for some special service; and it is for this reason that we find the officers of the Navy to have had so many different commands at various times. The calls for their services were so numerous, and from so many opposite quarters, that they were rarely able to sail in what might be properly denominated squadrons. Such a concentration of forces would have been at the expense of interests elsewhere, and was incompatible with the original plan of this arm of the service. But there are two occasions, and only two, of which mention is made, where they appeared in fleets.

Commodore J. Boucher early in the war commanded the brig Mosquito, and fourteen sail in the Potomac and waters of the upper Bay, and Captain Richard Taylor at a later period was in command of a squadron in Hampton Roads, for the purpose of rendering assistance to the troops in the neighborhood of Portsmouth, Williamsburg and upper James River. These were probably the largest fleets ever assembled in the waters of Virginia as State forces since the days of Sir Wm. Berkeley. These vessels were not always though, without the presence of a consort in their cruises, to give assistance against a superior force of the enemy or to send timely warning of his approach; as will appear from the following order issued August 6th, 1776, to Capt. Thos. Lilly: "Sir: You are to proceed with the Brig Liberty under your command to Hampton Roads, or wherever Capt. James Cocke is, to join him and Capt. Calvert of the Row-Galley, to act in conjunction with them against the enemies of America, if such junction shall be judged necessary; or separately as you may think best. You are to protect and defend all friends, &c. * * As your cruiser was fitted out principally for the defence of York River, vessels trading in that river and the inhabitants of its shores should be objects of your peculiar attention. The

*

same instructions are intended for Captains Travis, and Deane of the Revenge schooner. It is left to your discretion when and in what manner to engage the enemy;" also from the following order to Captain Calvert, July 1776: "You must with all convenient dispatch, proceed with the Norfolk Revenge under your com mand down James River and into the Bay, as far as you may judge safe and necessary, for the purpose of annoying and distressing the enemy, and for protecting our trading vessels, &c., subject to the orders of Capt. Cocke, of the brig Raleigh."

From what is known of most of the vessels built in Virginia, it is to be presumed that no unnecessary labour was expended in their construction; that in their internal and external finish they could not compare favorably with those magnificent, winged fortresses, that had been launched from the Dock-Yards of Europe, and that now reared their towers of white canvass above the western waters. Their prows were neither graced with royal effigies, nor adorned with fanciful groups of sea-nymphs and naiads to please a luxurious taste. There were to be found upon them no rare woods, from eastern climes, richly carved in basilisk and dolphin and caryatide, grinning and gazing unconscious, from high poops, out upon the waters; there was no outlay of treasure in their internal arrangements upon apartments well furnished with all that wealth could command, and adorned with the appliances of taste and art. They were models of republican simplicity: but to the seaman's eye, as they sat upon the water guarding their country's honor, they presented at every point a symmetry and beauty of outline rarely equalled by the vessels of any other people. And when under sail they bore away with them that heroic air, so suggestive in a man-of-war, of a self-reliant and audacious gallantry. Not being able to compete with their powerful opponents in equal fight, what they lacked in size was made up in spirit and agility, for they were the creations of a race of men whose characters were stamped upon the work of their hands, and whose natures seemed to

have made their very ships instinct with heroism. They were probably the fastest sailors in the world, excepting the latteens of the Mediterranean and the East-Indies, or some of the vessels of the same class that were built in the northern part of our country. These remarks are warranted by the evidence afforded of their performances at sea, when, as was sometimes the case, they were pursued by a superior force for whole days together. In such trials of speed, a small vessel labors under disadvantages, which are not felt by a larger one, especially should there be much swell or wind upon the ocean. Nevertheless it happened that our infant navy frequently found safety in flight from those veterans of the deep whose keels had ploughed the waters of the world: an accomplishment not to be undervalued, for success in running, when "discretion is the better part of valor," is as much to be commended, as is speed, when the chase holds out a hope of victory. It is perhaps from this time, that we may date that new era in the art of ship-building which now produced the firstlings of that brood of fast-sailing clippers, that afterwards were to astonish and charm the naval world with their brilliant perform

ances.

The Americans were the originators of this improved naval architecture. It was developed by that spirit of invention and love of adventure, so characteristic of a young and vigorous people, urged by necessity. It was the earnest of a future career of successful competition with the older powers of the world, for the dominion of the sea. Our brethren in some of the northern colonies were perhaps more energetic and active in their enterprises, and sent a larger number of vessels to sea during the revolutionary struggle than did the South, but the far-famed Baltimore-Clipper, soon established the reputation of that long, low, rakish-looking craft, which has ever since been the cynosure of the seaman's eye.

The fate of many of the vessels in the Virginia navy is entirely unknown; it forms part of that oblivion which rests upon most of its history. As will be seen hereafter some were destroyed by the English in our rivers, and others

were sold at the close of the war-many were no doubt, left to rot upon the solitary shores of the bay, or up the deserted creeks and inlets where they had been stationed. Suffice it to say, that so far as we know, not a vestige or a relic of one of them can now be found, to excite our emotions at the associations it might recall.

The State owned but one ship-yard, of the purchase of which for such purposes, any record is left; though, as has been frequently mentioned, there were numerous points, at which her vessels were built and fitted out. The most important one, was in Charles City County, on the Chickahominy River, about twelve miles. from its mouth. In April 1777, the Naval Board purchased one hundred and nineteen acres of land, for the sum of five hundred and ninety-five pounds at that point, to be used as a rendezvous, and place for building and repairing vessels. This place was probably selected on account of the fine timber to be found along the shores of that stream, and because it was accessible from the broad waters of the James, and yet sufficiently retired to escape the notice of the British cruisers. There were dock-yards on nearly all the large streams, from whose stocks vessels were launched.

In addition to these establishments there were public rope-walks and manufactories of ducking, sail-cloth, &c., the chief of which was at Warwick, on James River, about five miles below Richmond; also points at which stores for the use of the navy were deposited under the supervision of agents. The chief of these was at Cave's near the head of Potomac Creek, another was at Warwick, and others on the Rappahannock and near Norfolk. The Board thought proper to appoint a general superintendent over the affairs of the navy-yard, who should be the agent through whom their orders were carried out. James Maxwell, Esq., was chief superintendent, and Capt. Christopher Calvert, was also appointed to inspect and direct the building of vessels. These officers were not strictly military men, though the former in 1782 was put in command of the ship Cormorant.