British New York Vice-Admiralty Court. Captured ship: Washington (master unknown),...

British New York Vice-Admiralty Court.

Captured ship: Washington (master unknown), together with several other American ships.

History: an American merchant ship (schooner, 40 tons), lading tobacco at Osbourne's near City Point on the James River, Virginia, and [7] other ships; taken on 27 April 1781 and brought into New York: part of the military and naval expedition le by Brigadier-General Benedict Arnold: the joint captors were the military forces; the privateers Trimmer (John Phillips commanding), Surprize (David Peas), General Arnold (William Probert; and the naval vessels HMS Guadeloupe (Hugh Robinson commanding), HMS Bonetta (Ralph Dundas), HMS Thames (Williams), HMS Hope (William Thomas), HMS Swift (Richard Graves), HMS Fowey (Peter Aplin), HMS Vulcan (George Palmer), and HMS Independence (John Dilworth).

Court papers, numbered CP 1-.CP 15:-

• [CP 1]: libel in Advocate General at the relation of Benedict Arnold and HM Army v The Washington and her cargo, 13 June 1781;
• [CP 2]: answer and claim of Phillips (Trimmer) and Peas (Surprize) for themselves and Probert (General Arnold), [the privateers who carried away the cargoes], 11 July 1781;
• [CP 2A]: replication of Arnold to Philips;
• [CP 2B]: rejoinder of Philips;
• [CP 3]: answer and claim of Samuel Kemble on behalf of Aplin (HMS Fowey), Palmer (HMS Vulcan) and Dilworth (HMS Independence), [the troop ships moving the army], 11 July 1781;
• [CP 3A]: replication of Arnold to Kemble;
• [CP 3B]: rejoinder of Kemble:
• [CP 4]: answer and claim of Henry White and Alexander Wallace, merchants of New York and agents for the Virginia Squadron of the Royal Navy, i.e. Robinson (HMS Guadeloupe), Dundas (HMS Bonetta), Williams (HMS Thames), Thomas (HMS Hope), and Graves (HMS Swift, 13 July 1781);
• [CP 4A]: replication of Arnold to White;
• [CP 4B]: rejoinder of White;
• [CP 5]: affirmation of Joseph Shoemaker, a loyal subject born in Pennsylvania, that (though not present at the capture) he saw the Army in possession of the schooner Washington, 23 July 1781;
• [CP 6-CP 7]: depositions of Peter Henry Ormsby, lieutenant on board HMS Garland, 14-15 January 1782;
• [CP 8-CP 9]: depositions of Captain Mungo Noble of the 60th Foot, on board HMS Guadeloupe, 16-17 January 1782
• [CP 10]: written instruction from George Palmer of HMS Vulcan to John Phillips of the Trimmer to take the Washington to the protection of Aplin, HMS Fowey, in Hampton Roads [referred to in CP 6 and CP 8];
• [CP 11]: list of army corps under General Philips (2,656 total), 13 March 1782;
• [CP 12]: list of crew in the Virginia Squadron (777 total);
• [CP 13]: crew list of the privateer Trimmer (67 total), 14 January 1782; resworn to exclude 13 ex-slaves, 27 March 1782;
• [CP 14]: crew list of the privateer Surprize (66 total), 15 January 1782;
• [CP 15]: list of ratings and numbers aboard HMS Guadeloupe.

[Papers previously wrongly identified as Court papers: 1-51 (large pencil numbers): sorted and renumbered in 2025.]

[To find other ships and tobacco etc taken on this raid on the James River, search in HCA 32 for"27 April 1781".]