Some time before the close of the eighteenth century Admiral Nicholas Vincent, R. N., who as a captain commanded the British 64-gun ship of the line Yarmouth in her dramatic action with the United States 32-gun frigate Randolph, March 7, 1778, authorized the publication of a statement giving details of that battle which, so far as the writer knows, have never been given in their entirety to the American public. This "statement" appeared in the form of a "broadside," printed on one side only of a single sheet of paper, size about 10 by 16 inches and containing about 1000 words. It seems that only a small edition of .this "broadside" was published, for the paper is regarded by English collectors as "rare" and, so far as the writer knows, only one copy is preserved in America.
As is well known, South Carolina, early in February, 1778, sent a naval expedition to capture a quantity of military stores which were known to be on the island of Tobago, at the extreme south-eastern West Indies. The expedition was under the command of Captain Nicholas Biddle, U. S. N., who had his flag on the 32-gun Continental frigate Randolph. With him were the 18-gun ship General Moultrie, the 16-gun brig Notre Dame, the 16-gun brig Polly, the 14-gun brig Fair American and an armed schooner, all belonging to South Carolina.
The squadron had nearly reached its destination when, on March 7, about 150 miles east of Barbadoes, it fell in with the Yarmouth. Realizing the hopelessness of arraying his scattered forces against the concentrated power of the "dreadnought," Biddle signaled his vessels to make sail in flight while he stood down to engage the "Goliath of the sea" single-handed—hoping to detain and damage her enough to prevent her capturing the other vessels of the American squadron. The temerity of Biddle's sacrifice is more apparent when we realize that, not only did the Yarmouth carry twice the number of guns aboard the Randolph, but the calibers of the cannon in the "dreadnought" were larger, so the Randolph was pitted against an antagonist of three times her weight of metal.
The general result of this unequal contest is well known. After engaging the Yarmouth at close quarters for nearly an hour, a shot penetrated the Randolph's magazine and she blew up-311 of her complement of 315 officers and men perishing. But Biddle had accomplished his purpose—all the other vessels of the American squadron, excepting the schooner, escaping. Admiral Vincent's "broadside," however, not only gives additional details of this notable ship-duel, but gives an interesting account of the fate of the four surviving American seamen. The writer begs to acknowledge the courtesy of the managers of "Baker's Great Book Shop" in John Bright Street, Birmingham, England, who put him on the track of a copy of Admiral Vincent's "broadside," which is given in full as follows :
A REMARKABLE INSTANCE OF FOUR MEN BEING PROVIDENTIALLY SAVED
On the 7th of March, 1778, between five and six o'clock in the afternoon, his Majesty's ship Yarmouth (Captain, now Admiral Vincent) being in the latitude of the island of Barbadoes and about fifty leagues to the eastward of it, the man at the masthead called out that he saw several sail to leeward, near each other. Soon afterward there were discovered from the gun-deck six sails—two ships, three brigs and a schooner, on the starboard tack, all sails set and close to the wind, then about northeast. The captain and officers of the Yarmouth had not the least doubt of their being American privateers. For even a single merchant ship which had not a letter of marque was, perhaps, never seen upon a wind in the latitude of Barbadoes, and forty to fifty leagues to the east of it, and the wind easterly.
The Yarmouth accordingly bore down upon them and, about nine o'clock got very near to the largest of the two ships, which began to fire on the Yarmouth, before the Yarmouth did on her. In about half of an hour she blew up, being then on the Yarmouth's lee beam, and not above three or four ships' length distant. The rest of the squadron immediately dispersed. The damage the Yarmouth received in her masts, sails and rigging was prodigious and she had five men killed and twelve wounded. A great variety of articles were thrown into her—one, an entire American ensign, which was not even singed or torn.
This happened between nine and ten o'clock Saturday night. On the Thursday following, the Yarmouth being in chase of a ship, steering about west (the wind in the northeast quarter), the man at the masthead called down to the officer on the quarter deck, that he saw something on the water, abaft the beam (the starboard), but could not tell what to make of it. A question immediately arose, what was to be done? If the Yarmouth hauled up to see what it was, there would be little or no chance of coming up with her (the chase) before dark. Humanity, however, pleaded for it and prevailed. Accordingly she hauled her wind and by the help of a spy-glass, discovered four men, that seemed to be standing on the water; for what supported them was not at first visible. In two or three hours she got up to the little float on which they stood, and brought them on board. The captain and officers were greatly surprised to find they belonged to the ship that was blown up the preceding Saturday. So they had been five whole nights and nearly as many days floating on the waves, and buried alive, as it were, under the vault of heaven. Being young and hardy, they did not appear much discomposed when they came on the quarter deck. They said they were not hungry, although they had not eaten anything, but [were] thirsty and very sleepy. A bason [spelled this way in the original] of tea, however, and a hammock to each perfectly restored them in a few hours. When they arose, the only complaint they had, was that of their feet being greatly swollen, by having been so long in the water.
The account they gave of themselves was only this—that they were quartered in the captain's cabin and [were] thrown into the water without receiving any hurt. But they could give no account by what accident the ship blew up.
Being good swimmers, they got hold of some spars and rope with which they made the raft on which they were found. And, providentially for them, they picked up a blanket, which served them as a reservoir of water; for during the time they were on the raft, there fell a few showers of rain, of which they saved as much as they could in their blanket, sucking it from time to time, which, no doubt, preserved all their lives.
On the arrival of the Yarmouth, two days after, at Barbadoes, proper officials came on board in order to take the depositions of these four men, respecting the blowing up of the ship, etc., and particularly as to the number of men on board her when the action began. For without a certificate to this purpose, the treasurer of the navy had no authority to pay the head-money allowed by the Government, which is five pounds a head and which, on this occasion came to 1575 pounds. Thus this little act of humanity seems to have been rewarded. They deposed that the ship which blew up was called the Randolph of thirty-six guns, twenty-six of which were twelve pounders, and her complement of men three hundred and fifteen. The other ship was called General Moutray [General Moultrie], but the number of her guns or her complement of men, or of the force of the three brigs, Admiral Vincent told the writer of this account, he could not precisely ascertain. The schooner was [made] a prize.
The captain of the Randolph was the commodore of this little squadron, which had sailed just a month from Charlestown, South Carolina, where it was fitted out with the design of attacking the island of Tobago, for which they were steering when they first saw the Yarmouth.
In a foot-note the writer of the above account states that, afterward, it was learned that the merchantman the Yarmouth was chasing when she discovered the four men on the raft, was a British West Indianian—so Captain Vincent suffered no pecuniary loss when he gave up that chase in the cause of humanity.