[ Virginia Privateering During The American Revolution ] Manuscript Document Concerning the American Privateer Grand Turk, Captured Near Scotland's Fair Isle by Michael Griff [The Capt. of the Privateer Michael Griff declares as follows .]

Anonymous

Published by Anonymous, 1783

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Anonymous / 1783 / [ Virginia Privateering During The American Revolution ] Manuscript Document Concerning the American Privateer Grand Turk, Captured Near Scotland's Fair Isle by Michael Griff [The Capt. of the Privateer Michael Griff declares as follows .] (Virginia 1, 82328) Folio sheet. Text on recto and verso. A few minor stains. Old crease marks. Otherwise quite clean. Privateering in the American Revolution: the Virginia State Navy's Grand Turk Captured in Scotland A remarkable first-hand description of the chase and capture of an American privateer just a few months before the Treaty of Paris was signed. A fascinating manuscript document relating to the capture of the American privateer, Grand Turk, a brig operating under letters of marque for the Virginia State Navy during the American Revolution. At the time British and American privateers operated under letters of marque, licenses from their respective governments allowing them to attack and capture enemy ships - essentially a legal form of piracy. An armada of more than 2000 privateers commissioned by the American Continental Congress and individual states preyed on enemy shipping on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. This severely disrupted the British economy, helping to turn British opinion against the war, often providing rich rewards for the ship owners. The Virginia State Navy was created in December 1775 by the Provisional Assembly in order to authorize the Committee of Safety to purchase, man, and outfit armed vessels to protect the colony's waters from threats posed by the British Royal Navy. In addition to commissioning several vessels of her own, Virginia issued letters of marque to authorize merchant ships to attack enemy vessels during the course of commercial voyages. While in a legal sense a vessel operating under letters of marque was different than a commissioned privateer, in practice the distinction was likely minimal. Our Grand Turk, not to be confused with the perhaps better known Grand Turk of Salem, Massachusetts, was a brig built for the Virginia State Navy that was first commissioned on October 1, 1781. She was spotted, chased, and captured near Scotland's Fair Isle in the Spring of 1783 by Michael Griff, Captain of the British privateer Tordenskjold, an event recorded in detail in the present manuscript deposition. Griff's first-hand account describes the capture as having been made off the coast of Scotland's Fair Isle in the subarctic North Sea on March 11, 1783. Griff states that "the master [i.e. Schermerhorn] and one man was left aboard the Grand Turk, which is not yet arrived but lies 3 miles from the town." Virginia's privateer was apparently selected to cross the Atlantic in order to engage in the American naval strategies abroad, perhaps on a commercial voyage. The present manuscript describes play-by-play the ensuing chase as Captain Stables attempted to steer the Grand Turk to freedom. The Grand Turk's master was Cornelius Schermerhorn (1756-1826), a sea captain described by his contemporaries as a man of "vast size and extraordinary strength," who was operating under "letters of marque and reprisal" issued by the governor of Virginia during the American Revolution. The Grand Turk was steered by a Captain Stables, a rather mysterious figure who was detained by Schermerhorn and may have originally been in the British service, a supposition made in the present document. According to the Naval Records of the American Revolution 1775-1788, Virginia's Grand Turk was equipped with 14 guns and had a crew of 60 men. She was bonded for $20,000 by Samuel Davison and Joseph Carson, both of Philadelphia. Carson was also part-owner of the vessel, the other owners being John Wright Stanly and George Emlen, also of Philadelphia. Intriguingly, one.

Seller Inventory # 82328

Bibliographic Details

• Title: [ Virginia Privateering During The American Revolution ] Manuscript Document Concerning the American Privateer Grand Turk, Captured Near Scotland's Fair Isle by Michael Griff [The Capt. of the Privateer Michael Griff declares as follows .]
• Publisher: Anonymous
• Publication Date: 1783
• Binding: No Binding
• Condition: VG
• Book Type: Map
• Seller catalogs:
  • Antique Maps