The Boys of 1812 and Other Naval HeroesSoley, James Russell
History
The Boys of 1812 and Other Naval Heroes
Soley, James Russell
United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Naval operations; United States. Navy -- History
The other vessels also took their share of prizes, even the leaky old
"Harrison" bringing in a sloop and a schooner. Broughton's ships, the
"Lynch" and the "Franklin," seized several vessels that were supposed to
belong to Tories, but most of these were released. After their return
the "Franklin" was given to James Mugford, a daring Marblehead captain.
This was in the spring after the British had evacuated Boston, but
ships laden with supplies were still coming to America. One of these,
the "Hope," of six guns, fell in with Mugford near Boston, and he
determined to attack her, though an English squadron was in sight not
many miles away. He had just boarded her, when the English captain
ordered his men to cut the topsail-halliards, so that the ship would be
delayed until the squadron could come up. But Mugford roared out that
any man who carried out the order would suffer instant death, and no one
dared to move. The prize had fifteen hundred barrels of powder in her
hold, and it was almost hopeless to try to get her into the harbor by
the usual channel in the face of the enemy's fleet. But just then the
"Lee" came up, and Captain Waters, who knew every shoal and winding
passage in Boston harbor, told Mugford he would carry her in through
Shirley Gut, a narrow channel where none of the English ships would dare
to follow her. He made good his promise; for though the "Hope" did run
ashore on Handkerchief Shoal, he got her off, and brought her with her
precious cargo safely into Boston.
[Illustration: "HE SENT COLONEL GLOVER AND MR. PALFREY IN HOT HASTE TO
RAISE THE MINUTE-MEN."]
Poor Mugford did not long survive his exploit; for, leaving port a few
days later by this same Shirley Gut, he too grounded, and while he was
lying hard and fast, the boats from the enemy's fleet put off to capture
him. There were three times as many men as Mugford had on board the
"Franklin;" but he gave them a warm reception with his muskets and such
guns as he could bring to bear. They came alongside and prepared to
board; but as soon as any of them put their hands upon the rail, the
crew hacked them off with cutlasses. Mugford himself was in the hottest
of it, and as he leaned over the gunwale a bullet struck him in the
breast. He called his first lieutenant and said to him, "I am a dead
man: do not give up the vessel; you will be able to beat them off." And
so he died; but the enemy were driven back, with two of their boats
lost, and the ship was saved.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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