Written by Jan Bevan


On the track of the French privateer...
 

A French Privateer in Buzzards Bay, 1693  

Jan Bevan, 07 August 2016

The recorded facts of Dr. Francis LeBaron’s life are few indeed, and all are from Massachusetts. Published records—or legends—of his life all date from a hundred or more years after his death, and in most of them the details are equally sparse. I have collected over twenty versions of Francis LeBaron’s story. Most versions are very brief, and agree on the following few points.

During a time of war between France and England in the 1690s, a French privateer ship was wrecked in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. The crew were taken prisoners and were marched towards Boston. In Plymouth, where there was no doctor, the ship’s French surgeon performed a medical procedure on a resident. The surgeon was later released. He settled in Plymouth, where he married, and practiced medicine until his death in 1704.

Some of the stories add further details. Three LeBaron descendants give fuller versions of the French crew’s encounter with the English colonists. One version is found in John A. Goodwin’s 1876 article "The First of the LeBarons". Another descendant, Lemuel LeBaron, writing at the age of 83 in 1830, described it as follows:

The event alarmed the adjacent towns. "The French are landing", was the cry. The militia and a mixed multitude, armed and unarmed, ran to the spot; they saw the French drawn up on the shore, completely armed, who made signs of surrender, but were not understood until a clergyman appeared, who pinned a white handkerchief to his cane and, lifting it up, marched toward the armed host. He was soon met by a flag; good treatment was promised, a surrender took place, and the captives were marched off to Plymouth, and soon, by the Governor’s orders, were escorted to Boston and sent in a cartel to their own country.

In my years of research, I have never found any record of such a shipwreck in Buzzards Bay in the early 1690s. The Massachusetts Historical Society, in a short article about Francis LeBaron in 1815, likewise observed, “We have never noticed the loss of this vessel in our annals.”

However, I have found historical documents relating to an incident in Buzzards Bay which bear a striking similarity to the legends of Francis LeBaron.

On July 13, 1693, Massachusetts Governor Sir William Phips wrote hastily to Governor Fletcher of New York. His letter reported that a French privateer from Petit-Goâve (in the French colony of Saint Domingue, now Haiti) was discovered in the Sound between Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard and was chased and captured by Their Majesties’ Frigate the Nonsuch. The letter continued:

...by a Letter received yesterday from Sandwich [on Cape Cod] I have the acco’t of their Surprizing upwards of one hundred French which landed on ye back side of that Town, being now under Guards conducting to this place [Boston]...

I hired an English researcher to find the logbook of the Nonsuch in the National Archives in London. Captain Thomas Dobbins (or his clerk) recorded the chase and capture in brief notes in the ship’s logbook.

On Saturday July 8, while anchored at Naushon Island, they received information of "a Ship and Brigantine" seen off Martha’s Vineyard. In fog and with head-winds, the Nonsuch sailed south-west into Rhode Island Sound.

There, on Sunday July 9, they "Espied a Ship and Brigantine in Block Island Rhoad" —that is, the harbor of New Shoreham. The Nonsuch approached, but "ye Shipp came to saile", and with the advantage of the wind, headed north-east into the Sound.

The logbook recorded that "we Chased the Shipp into Buzards Bay on the North Side of Eliz: Island", but by nightfall "we lost Sight of our Chase". At four o’clock in the morning of July 10, "we weighed [anchor] and Stood up the Bay, Seekeing for y^e Ship".

In the confines of Buzzards Bay, "we Spyed the Ship Close Under the Shoare", but it got under sail and turned into a cove. The Nonsuch followed, and anchored within cannon-shot range. There, the two ships "fired at each Other but growing very Darke we Left off".

On July 11, 1693, Captain Dobbins’ logbook reported a successful finale to his pursuit of the foreign vessel: in the Morning the French Captaine Sent on board with a Truce Offering to Surrender which I Accepted and Sent my boate and took possesion of their Shipp. She was of 148 Men and 16 Gunns belonging to Pettiguavoes

Captain Dobbins, however, did not name the captured ship or its captain, and did not state how many men were aboard. He did observe that one French prisoner died on board. His muster roll showed the addition of two English names for July 11, perhaps English prisoners from the French ship.

Whether the French vessel was sailed or towed is not clear, but the Nonsuch and her "prize" reached Rhode Island harbour (Newport) on July 13. There, on July 19, 1693, the logbook reported "this day I Delivered the Prize by order of the Governor", who at that time was John Easton.

Unfortunately, the Governor’s records for 1693-94 are missing from the Rhode Island Archives. However, a published copy of a letter written to King William and Queen Mary in October 1693 briefly describes the incident, although again the ship is unnamed. It adds the detail that the French privateers had been "ashore on Block Island, plundering".

With this new information, I was able to find an eyewitness account of the 1693 plundering of Block Island, written many years afterwards by Samuel Niles. As an adolescent, Niles lived with his grandparents, James and Sarah Sands, in a stone house overlooking the port of New Shoreham.

The family had survived two previous raids by French privateers: a week-long attack in 1689 and a short night-time raid in 1690. Each time the French took over his grandparents' stone house as headquarters for their pillaging—killing livestock, injuring and robbing the settlers. In 1690, Niles, aged sixteen, had been beaten and tied up.

When the French landed yet a third time, in 1693, Niles and his elderly grandparents hastily abandoned their house and camped in the woods, along with other islanders. Niles and another young man took turns spying on the French raiders. On Sunday morning, the thick fog lifted, and—

...we espied a large ship about a league to leeward of the township, ...which happens to be Captain Dobbins, in the Nonesuch man-of-war...

The French raiders were clearly much alarmed and quickly departed the island. With the wind in their favor, "these privateers took to their heels,... hotly pursued by the Nonesuch." When he was sure that the French were gone, Niles examined the house, and found "a melancholy sight"—it was filled with dead geese and pigs, which the privateers has butchered.

Niles’ report of the French raid includes the pursuit of the French vessel by the Nonsuch, and the conclusion (which he did not actually see):

The former steered for Noman’s Land [island], but in the fog missed their course, ran into Buzzards Bay, where they were land-locked and captured by their pursuers. Forty of the French endeavored to escape by running ashore, but were soon seized by the people and sent as prisoners to Boston. The rest Captain Dobbins made prisoners of war, and took their ship as a prize back to Newport.

Niles’ eyewitness account confirms the event as recorded in the logbook of the Nonsuch. It also suggests to me that the 1693 raid was led by French privateers who were already familiar with Block Island from one or both of the earlier attacks.

The July letter of Governor Phips and the account by Samuel Niles both state that some of the French went onshore, where they were captured, although they do not agree as to the number. Gérard Anglade has located other letters written by Phips which state the number as 130. These letters also claim that the vessel was from Martinique, a different French colony in the Caribbean.

Then, in a report dated September 26, 1693, to William Blathwayt, colonial administrator in the War Office in England, Phips explained more fully:

In July last a French Privateer from Martinica with 130 men landed one Hundred and nine of them att a place called Sandwich in this Province but they had not been longe on Shoar before two Companyes of our Militia marched against them and tooke them all Prisoners and att the Same time their Maj^ties Ship NonSuch commanded by Captain Thomas Dobbins... after two dayes Chase tooke their Ship with the Rest of the men and retooke a Brigantine w^ch was by them taken from the English. I caused the men to bee brought to Boston and put on board the Fleet because of their want of men.

This letter adds important information to the July 1693 incident in Buzzards Bay—the number of crew members on the French privateer, the number captured on shore by the colonial militia, confirmation of their being sent to Boston, and their deployment aboard the English fleet.

The fleet of warships and supply ships, commanded by Rear Admiral Sir Francis Wheler (or Wheeler), had sailed from England in January with orders to attack the French in the Caribbean and in Canada. After a failed attempt to take Martinique, Wheler’s fleet sailed for New England, his crews and soldiers sick and dying in great numbers from Yellow Fever. Wheler’s fleet left Boston at the end of September, and arrived in England by mid-October, with the crew numbers badly reduced.

Phips’ report to Blathwayt also concludes the matter of the brigantine, which Captain Dobbins had seen at Block Island. It was an English vessel, captured by the French, and later recaptured by the Nonsuch.

These historical records agree on almost all points with the stories of Francis LeBaron’s arrival in Massachusetts:

• The date was in the 1690s, during “King William’s War”.
• The ship was French, and a privateer.
• The ship entered Buzzards Bay.
• The crew went ashore on Cape Cod.
• The crew were taken prisoners and were sent to Boston.

Therefore, I believe that this unnamed French vessel is probably the ship in which Francis LeBaron arrived in North America. Francis may have sailed from some port in France to the French colonies in the Caribbean (Petit Goâve or Martinique), before the July 1693 privateer plundering voyage to the New England coast.

There are, however, a few points that do not match. This French ship was captured, not wrecked. However, it may have run aground on a reef in Buzzards Bay before the gun battle, and after a day’s cannon fight, the French ship may have been quite damaged.

Another possibility is that the men were taken prisoners inland. If the local inhabitants explained by signs or pidgin language to the crew that their ship was “gone” or “lost”, the French men may have assumed it was wrecked.

The most likely explanation is simply this: as the story passed from Francis LeBaron to his wife Mary, and by her to the children (who were quite young when their father died), the story became distorted. The chase, cannon fight, and capture of the privateer were remembered by LeBaron descendants as “a wreck”, and the story was repeated by later writers.

If this is indeed the ship on which Francis LeBaron came to New England, and if indeed Francis’ shipmates were pressed into service aboard English ships, further details, such as the name of the ship or the French captain, may yet be found in other records in American, English or French archives.

Gérard Anglade and I continue the search.

Écrit par Jan Bevan
Traduit par Gérard Anglade

Sur la piste du navire corsaire français...
 

Un navire corsaire français dans Buzzards Bay en 1693  

Jan Bevan, 07 aout 2016

Les faits historiques sur la vie du Dr Francis LeBaron sont peu nombreux, et sont tous du Massachusetts. Archives (ou légendes) sur sa vie datent de plus de cent ans après sa mort, et pour la plupart d'entre eux les détails sont tout aussi rares. J'ai rassemblé plus de vingt versions de l'histoire de Francis LeBaron. La plupart sont très brèves, et d'accord sur les quelques points suivants.

Au cours de la guerre entre la France et l'Angleterre dans les années 1690, un navire corsaire français a fait naufrage dans Buzzards Bay au Massachusetts. L'équipage fut fait prisonnier et conduit à pied vers Boston. Passant par Plymouth, où il n'y avait pas de médecin, le chirurgien du navire français fut sollicité pour mettre en pratique ses compétences sur un des colons anglais. Suite à son succès il fut libéré, resta à Plymouth où il se maria et pratiqua son art jusqu'à sa mort en 1704.

Certaines histoires comportent plus de détails. Trois descendants LeBaron donnent des versions plus complètes de la rencontre de l'équipage français avec les colons anglais. Une version se trouve dans l'article de John A. Goodwin, écrit en 1876 "Le premier des LeBarons". Un autre descendant, Lemuel LeBaron, écrit à l'âge de 83 ans en 1830:

Les villages alentour furent alertés et tout le monde criait "Les français débarquent." La milice et une multitude d'hommes en armes ou sans arme, accoururent; ils virent les français sur le rivage, complètement armés, qui faisaient des signes de reddition, mais personne ne comprenait, jusqu'à l'intervention d'un pasteur qui accrocha un mouchoir blanc au bout de sa cane et le brandit en marchant vers les français en armes. Il fut aussitôt rejoint par un drapeau [français?]; les français reçurent la promesse d'être bien traités, acceptèrent leur reddition et furent conduits hors de Plymouth, ensuite, sur les ordres du Gouverneur, ils furent conduits à Boston où ils furent renvoyés dans leur pays [conformément aux accords entre les deux pays.]

Durant mes années de recherche, je n'ai jamais trouvé aucune trace d'un naufrage dans Buzzards Bay au début des années 1690. La Massachusetts Historical Society, dans un court commentaire au sujet de Francis LeBaron, disait de même en 1815 "Nous n'avons jamais noté la perte de ce navire dans nos annales".

Cependant, j'ai trouvé des documents historiques relatifs à un incident dans Buzzards Bay qui a une ressemblance frappante avec les légendes de Francis LeBaron.

Le 13 Juillet, 1693, Sir William Phips, gouverneur du Massachusetts, s'est empressé d'écrire au gouverneur Fletcher de New York. Sa lettre disait qu'un navire corsaire français de Petit-Goâve (colonie française de Saint-Domingue, aujourd'hui Haïti) a été découvert dans le détroit entre Block Island et Martha's Vineyard, il a été poursuivi et capturé par la Frégate anglaise le Nonsuch. La lettre poursuit:

...par lettre reçue hier de Sandwich [au Cape Cod] me disant leur grande surprise de voir plus de cent français débarquer de l'autre côté de cette ville, ils sont maintenant conduits en ce lieu [Boston]escortés par nos gardes...

J'ai sollicité un chercheur anglais pour trouver le journal de bord du Nonsuch dans les Archives nationales à Londres. Le Capitaine Thomas Dobbins (ou son second) a enregistré la poursuite et la capture en quelques mots dans le journal de bord.

Le samedi 8 Juillet alors ancré à Naushon Island, ils ont reçu des informations au sujet d'un "navire et d'un brigantin" vus au large de Martha's Vineyard. Dans le brouillard et avec des vents contraires, le Nonsuch a navigué au sud-ouest dans le détroit de Rhode Island.

Là, le Dimanche 9 Juillet, ils "aperçurent un navire et un brigantin à Block Island Rhoad", (c'est-à-dire le port de New Shoreham). Le Nonsuch s'est approché, mais "le navire mis les voiles," et avec l'avantage du vent, il se dirigea vers le nord-est dans le détroit.

Le journal de bord dit "nous avons chassé le navire dans Buzards Bay sur la côte Nord d'Eliz: Island", mais à la nuit tombante "nous avons perdu de vue notre proie". A quatre heures du matin le 10 Juillet, "nous levons l'ancre et remontons la baie à la recherche du navire".

Aux confins de Buzzards Bay, "nous épions le navire près du rivage," mais il mis les voiles et s'engagea dans une crique. Le Nonsuch le suivi et jeta l'ancre à portée de canon. Là, les deux navires "firent feu l'un vers l'autre, mais il faisait de plus en plus sombre et nous avons cessé le combat."

Le 11 juillet 1693, le journal de bord du capitaine Dobbins rapporte la fin victorieuse de sa poursuite du navire étranger: Dans la matinée, le capitaine français vint à mon bord avec une offre de trêve, pour se rendre, que j'ai acceptée, et j'ai envoyé mon bateau pour prendre possession du navire français, il était de Pettiguavoes, de 148 hommes et 16 canons.

Toutefois, le capitaine Dobbins n'a pas donné le nom du navire capturé, ni du capitaine, ni du nombre d'hommes à bord. Il a seulement noté qu'un prisonnier français était mort à bord, le 14 juillet. Son rôle d'équipage comporte deux nouveaux noms anglais à la date du 11 juillet, peut-être des prisonniers anglais du navire français.

Que le navire français fut remorqué ou naviguant n'est pas claire, mais le Nonsuch et sa "prise" ont atteint le port de Rhode Island (Newport) le 13 Juillet. Là, le 19 juillet 1693, le journal de bord rapporte "ce jour, j'ai livré la prise sur ordre du Gouverneur", qui était John Easton à cette époque.

Malheureusement, Les Archives de Rhode Island ne comportent pas les dossiers du Gouverneur pour 1693-1694. Cependant, la copie d'une lettre adressée au Roi William et à la Reine Mary, en octobre 1693, décrit brièvement l'évènement, bien qu'encore une fois il n'y a pas le nom du navire français. Il précise que le navire corsaire français était allé "à terre pour piller Block Island".

Grace à cette nouvelle information, je fus en mesure de trouver l'histoire d'un témoin oculaire du pillage de Block Island en 1693,écrit plusieurs années plus tard par Samuel Niles. Adolescent, Niles vivait avec ses grands-parents, James et Sarah, dans une maison en pierre qui donnait sur le port de New Shoreham.

La famille avait survécu à deux précédentes descentes des corsaires français: une attaque d'une semaine en 1689 et une courte incursion de nuit en 1690. Chaque fois les français ont pris la maison en pierre de ses grands-parents pour y établir le quartier général de leur pillage, tuant le bétail, blessant et dévalisant les colons. En 1690, Niles, âgé de seize ans, avait été battu et ligoté.

Quand les français débarquèrent une troisième fois, en 1693, Niles et ses grands-parents âgés abandonnèrent précipitamment leur maison et campèrent dans les bois avec d'autres insulaires. Niles et un autre jeune homme se relayaient pour espionner les français. Le dimanche matin, l'épais brouillard se leva, et-

Les pillards français furent alertés et quittèrent l'ile précipitamment. Avec le vent en leur faveur, "ces corsaires ont tourné les talons,... chaudement poursuivi par le Nonesuch". Quand Niles fut certain que les Français étaient partis, il entra dans la maison et découvrit "un triste spectacle", ", c'était rempli d'oies et de porcs morts que les corsaires avaient massacrés.

Le compte rendu de la descente des français, par Niles, comprend la poursuite du navire français par le Nonsuch, ainsi que la conclusion (qu'il n'a pas réellement vue):