User:Jgb2/General Armstrong(1812 privateer)

Brig-of-War General Armstrong

Battle of Surinam River
11th March 1813 Under the captaincy of Guy R Champlin, the General Armstrong encountered a vessel that it presumed to be a British privateer.

Coquette

In his log-book he wrote: "In this action we had six men killed and sixteen wounded, and all the halyards of the headsails shot away; the fore-mast and bowsprit one quarter cut through, and all the fore and main shrouds but one shot away; both mainstays and running rigging cut to pieces; a great number of shot through our sails, and several between wind and water, which caused our vessel to leak. There were also a number of shot in our hull."

The General Armstrong returned to the US and arrived in Charleston 4th April.

1812
29th Nov 1812 unsuccessful attack on Maxwell off coast of Brazil Sir Sidney Smith, captured and ordered to port, founderd off Nantucket.

Brig Union, from Guernsey for St Christopher's captured and sent to New York

Brig Lucy and Alida, with full cargo of dry goods, captured by General Armstrong and ordered to port, recaptured by British privateer Brenton of Liverpool, recaptured by Revenge from Norfolk.

1813
Unnamed Schooner, captured by General Armstrong on her passage to France, and burnt.

Unnamed Brig, captured by General Armstrong on her passage to France, and burnt.

1814
Sloop resoulution, from Jersey for Lisbon with linen and paper, captured by the General Armstrong on her passage from France, disposessed of her cargo and released.

Brig Phoebe, from Forney for Maderia, laden with butter and potatoes, captured and scuttled.

General Armstrong arrived in New York.

Lloyds list 26 April 1814 reported that the General Armstrong was seized and the crew taken prisoner when in put into Dunkirk

June 25th 1814, The General Armstrong, capt Champlin, captured the Portugese ship Mercury, allowed to proceed as she was neutral.

Niles' Register 30 July 1814 details the following sucesses by the General Armstrong:

Brig, Duke of York, of Grenock, captured and burnt

Sloop George, laden with pork, captured off the coast of Ireland, and sunk.

Brig Swift, in ballast, captured, and made a cartel of

Brig Defiance, laden with whiskey, butter and bread, for Lisbon, captured and burnt

Brig Freindship, laden as above, captured and burnt

Brig Stag, laden with a full and very valuable cargo of dry goods, captured and divested of some articles and burnt, in sight of a Brittish frigate, brig and schooner.

Ship Dorcas, out of Anguilla, captured by the boats of the General Armstrong, and sunk.

19th July 1814, Sloop Henrietta, bound to Chesapeake with stores, captured and sent to Egg Harbour

Three other very valuable prizes, captured, manned by prize crews and ordered into port.

18th April 1814 the General Armstromg captured the Fanny, possibly the Fanny was one of the 3 unnamed prizes detailed in Niles' Register.

Of the prizes that were captured and ordered to port, about a third were recaptured. Battle damaged and short manned they were fairly easily re-captured. Niles' Register details the plight of one such captured vessel.


 * "Shifting Owners! The prize schooner to the General Armstrong (lately arrived at an Eastern Port) was formerly the Matilda, American privateer. She was captured on the Brazil coast, some months since, by the Lion, British privateer ship of 28 guns, after severe action, recaptured going into England bu the late U.S. Brig Argus, re-captured going into France by a British 74, and again re-captured by the American privateer Armstrong. "

After a successful cruise, General Armstrong, capt. Guy Champlin arrived in home port late July 1814. Samuel Reid took over as captain and departed Sandy Hook on xx Aug 1814.

Battle of Fayal
25th & 26th September 1814

Under the captaincy of Samuel Chester Reid, the General Armstrong sailed from New York on 9th September 1814. After an uneventful passage, the General Armstrong arrived in the neutral port of Horta in the Azores to replenish its supplies of fresh water.

At about sunset, HMS Carnation, Captain Bentham, HMS Rota 38 guns, Captain P. Sommerville and HMS Plantagenet, 74 guns, Captain Robert Lloyd, arrived in the harbour.

Destroyed 26th Sept 1814 by HMS Plantagenet, HMS Rota and HMS Carnation

Subsequent events
Fowwowing their safe return to America, Captain Reid and others claimed compensation for their loss form the US government. This was declined by congress. The feeling was that although the captain and crew showed tremendous valour in defending their position, that to pay compensation to Reid would set a precedent for others. The case rumbled on for a number of years and was only brought to a conclusion 41 years later.