Nutter's Notes Concerning Prisoners Released to the British Navy 1778.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Nutter's Notes Concerning Prisoners Released to the British Navy 1778.

On the back inside cover of Jacob Nutter's notebook he made the notation "Left mill prison the 5th of October 1778. Then there is a list of names. There is a second group of names with the notation "Second gang october the.....

Charles Herberts journal describes what these gangs represented and why they were being released.

This is from Charles Herbert's book "Relic of the Revolution" published in 1847.

The list of men from Nutter's notebook are as follows:

Left mill prison the 5th day of October 1778
John Burnell
Richard Howard
William Smith
Edward Speeler
James Lowrey
John Davis
Umphery Potter
William Orsburn
David Clark
Frances Colburn
Bartholemy Barrell
William Bright
Robert Macelary
William Hall
Robert Richey
Frances Courtlen
William Creber
William Carpenter
Thomas Welch
Benjeman Loceet
Nichles Shais
Edward Lewas
Thomas Marles
Andrew Grase
William Deton
John George Stamfield
William Anderson
Benjaman Rigle
Thomas Runnels
Joseph Holt
Henery Beckley
Ellexander Fraser

The Second Gang:

Alexander Neal
James Lyons
Samuel Williams
Matthew Clear
Matthew Branson
John Steward
John Dagon
Joseph Engerson
Aaron Twidgley
Edward Hart
John Wigens
Willian Foord
Cuf Scott a negro

These names listed, match very closely with those names listed at the back of Herbert's book.

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Overview

The hellhole of Mill Prison England where hundreds of American sailors are held for high treason and most probably the noose; John Paul Jones' bloody but victorius battle between Bonhomme Richard and Serapis; the Captain Queeg-like French captain of the American Frigate Alliance whose insanity finally drives the crew to mutiny; this is the story chronicled in Jacob Nutter’s journal covering the span of 1776 to 1780 during America’s battle for independence. This journal is actually fictional as Nutter documented very little of his experience during these 4 years; rather this is a compilation written from Nutter's perspective based on first hand accounts of others, historical documents and the many books written about this important part of America's early navy.

Jacob Nutter was my ancestor. He enlisted on the privateer Dolton in Portsmouth NH in November of 1776, expecting to cruise for 3 months with a crew of 120, capturing British merchant ships. Instead, on Christmas Eve 1776, off the coast of Spain, the Dolton was taken by the HMS Raisonable. Nutter and the Dolton's crew were taken to Plymouth England where they were committed to Mill Prison for piracy and treason. In early 1779, after nearly two years of imprisonment Benjamin Franklin obtained a prisoner exchange and roughly 100 of the Mill Prison inmates were set free and sent to France. Most had no money, no clothes and no way home and therefore enlisted on American ships then recruiting mariners. Nutter enlisted on the new American Frigate Alliance, commanded by Pierre Landais, as a quartermaster thinking that this ship would soon be returning to America with supplies for the war. Instead, Franklin re-assigned the Alliance to John Paul Jones' small flotilla. The Alliance participated in the famous battle between Jones' Bonhomme Richard and the HMS Serapis. Due to Landais' poor conduct during the battle he was subsequently removed from command by Jones when the flotilla arrived in the Netherlands. In early 1780 after cruising along the coast of France and Spain, and after a near mutiny by the crew, Alliance made her way to L'Orient France. While Jones basked in his glory in Paris, the crew remained at L'Orient suffering for want of clothing, food and money. In Jones' absence Landais made his way to L'Orient and convinced much of his former crew that he was rightful commander of the Alliance. After a showdown between Jones and Landais in which the Alliance was nearly fired upon by a French fort to prevent her departure, Alliance finally made sail for America. During the 2 month cruise home, the crew mutineed when Landais informed them he would cruise to Philadelphia instead of Boston. Landais began acting irrationally and the officers were forced to take command. Finally, in August of 1780, Alliance raised the American coast and Jacob Nutter was home after nearly four years away from his family and country.

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Saturday, November 14, 2009