John Paul Jones and
Others
A. I. B. Stewart
Part 1
The war tor American Independence broke out in April 1775 when local levies fired on British troops at Lexington. It was not till three years later that it began directly to affect the citizens of Campbeltown.
On 22nd April 1778 John Paul Jones landed at St. Mary's isle and raided Lord Selkirk's house, stealing the family silver. He was on familiar ground. He had been brought up on the Selkirk's estates where his father was a gardener. Two days later, off Carrickfergus, he captured HMS. Drake, a sloop of 20 guns.
On 27th April 1778, the Magistrates and Councillors with the other inhabitants or Campbeltown met to consider a letter received from Collector Logy at Stranraer along with another letter trom Captain Jas. Crawford of Cumbra's wherry, informing them that American privateers were doing a great deal or mischief upon the neighbouring coasts of Galloway, Stranraer, etc., burning vessels and houses upon these coasts. The following extract from the Council Minutes is witness of their resolution.
"The Magistrates and Councillors have therefore resolved that a good going vessel shall be immediately fitted up and manned in a proper manner and thereafter to cruise upon this coast off the Island of Sanda to observe the motions of any of the said privateers that may happen to direct their course towards the Town or Harbour and to give immediate intelligence thereof to the other Sentrys that be appointed for the safety of the place by signalls to be hereafter condescended on by a committee of the Councill and they also Resolve to appoint a sentry of three men to be stationed upon the Island of Sanda another upon Corphin and a third upon Island Davaar to observe the signals from the said vessell or from one another so as to alarm the town with the soonest in case of any approaching danger. It is further resolved upon that the Town and Harbour shall be watched every night by a Guard of Twenty men to be stationed as the Magistrates appoint and such of the Inhabitants as have Guns, Swords or Cutlasses are hereby ordered to produce them in the Council Room this day and appoint this order to be intimated by Tuck of Drum immediately and the expense necessarily incurred by all those steps already mentioned for the safety of the place to be in the meantime defrayed from the Revenue of the Burrow till the Magistrates and Councill have an opportunity or settling how the Burrow afterwards is to be indemnified of this expense and for regulating the proper execution of all these appointments the Magistrates are appointed a Committee with such of the Councillors as they may choose to call to their assistance, the said Committee are also appointed to enroll two hundred men of the Inhabitants such as they may think proper for answering the Defence of the Place in the event it may hereafter be found necessary to call them together and appoint the Committee to Buy up fifty pound weight of Powder or what quantity they can find in the shops as far as necessary and also a necessary quantity of lead to be run into Bullets of different sizes for the use of the Guards or other purposes above-mentioned."
Whether John Paul Jones learned of the reception he might expect we do not know, but by 8th May he had returned to Brest without making any attempt to attack Campbeltown. There is little doubt that he had it in mind, because in his plan written in Passy, now part of Paris, on 5th June 1778 he advised the American Plenipotentiaries and the French Ministry of Marine that "The Fishery at Campbeltown is an object worthy of attention."
The alarm was renewed when the Council met again on 24th August 1778:
"Colonel Campbell at the same time communicated a letter from Lord Frederick Campbell mentioning that four French and American privateers either had or were immediately to sail from France with an intention, it's thought to infest the Western Coasts which he now communicated that the Magistrates might take any steps they and the councill might think proper for the Safety of the Town. The Magistrates upon considering this information are of the opinion that since there are one hundred stand of arms belonging to the Duke of Argyll lately come to Campbeltown Burgesses ought to be requested to form themselves into a company of volunteers to assist the military now stationed here if their assistance at any time hereafter becomes necessary and the Magistrates and Councill considering the Chamberlain of Kintyre a proper experienced person in matters of this kind they request he may take command of the volunteers and the Magistrates at the same time request that Mr. Archibald Campbell, James Maxwell and Duncan Campbell, writers, James Ballantine, Alexander and William Campbell, Merchants in Town may act as Lieutenants under the Chamberlain and it is further requested that those gentlemen shall immediately set about collecting the volunteers to co-operate with the military in any measure that may lead to the safety of the Town."
The Council met again on 5th September when the Minute reads as follows:-
"The Magistrates informed the Council that in consequence of an application from the Provost and Magistrates of Campbeltown for Arms and Ammunition to defend the Inhabitants and the Burrow from any invasion the French and American Privateers might attempt upon this coast Eight boxes containing Two hundred stand of arms with Cartouch Boxes and Straps compleat, six hundred flints and six thousand loaded cartridges all forwarded here from his Excellency Sir Adolphus Oughton by Lord Frederick Campbell are now arrived and lodged in proper stores the Councill considering the frequent and late informations received of intended invasions upon this coast by French and American Privateers Have Resolved to put the said arms in the hands of such of the Inhabitants as are able and active, fitt for service and Recommend to the Magistrates to Enroll two hundred of the Inhabitants for the purposes above mentioned to act under the command of the gentlemen mentioned in the Act of Councill of the 24th ultimo joined with Captain Scipio Campbell who it is requested will act as Captain Lieutenent. The Council are requested to forward a receipt to Sir Adolphus Oughton for the Arms with thanks to his Excellency for his confidence in the fidelity and activity of the people of Campbeltown and an assurance that everything in their power shall be done to repell any attack that may be attempted by our enemies."
These precautions were doubtless well worth while. There was at least one American Privateer operating out of Dunkirk and the Breton Ports - the Black Prince - and she might have struck at any time. There were, no doubt, French Privateers too.
A year passed before the Council minuted anything further but on 6th September 1779 there was real cause for excitement. The cause of the Council's concern was letters sent on by the Duke of Argyll, containing' information as to the movements and intentions of John Paul Jones.
The first letter was from the Secretary's office in Dublin and waa dated 27th August 1779. It read:
"Certain intelligence being this day received that on the 24th instant at one o'clock seven men landed at Ballinshillix in the County of Kerry from a Frigate mounting Forty Guns commanded by Paul Jones having in Company another Frigate mounting 36 guns, another mounting 32 guns and a Brigg mounting 12 guns, another vessell mounting 14 guns and a large Cutter mounting 18 guns having on Board in all about 2,000 men whose intention is to scour the Coast and Burn some particular Towns having a number of Combustibles shipped on Board the Vessells in France. The above information has been sent from this office by this post to every Port on the Coast to warn the People to be on their Guard and I communicate to you that you may take such steps as you shall judge most prudent for your and the Town's safety and to make it as publick as possible along the Coasts. I shall likewise acquaint you of the Transactions of these vessells as soon as they arrive here and if in this or any other matter I can make my intentions agreeable to you that satisfaction is all I wish for. P.S. On finding the above seven men had escaped from the Frigate Paul Jones dispatched after them 16 men armed as is supposed to endeavour to seize them that the coasts might not be alarmed." (sgd.) E. Goldie.
This letter had been forwarded to the Duke from Glasgow on 2nd September with a covering note as follows:
"My Lord Duke,
Inclosed I have the honour of transmitting to your Grace a copy of a letter received this morning by the Magistrates of this city from the Provost of Air. This intelligence is alarming to this Coast but I imagine Ireland is in greater danger than Scotland. An express has just been sent to the Commander in Chieff. I have the honour to be etc. Jas. Buchanan, Glasgow 2nd September 1779."
The Magistrates of Campbeltown reacted immediately and the report of the emergency meeting held on 6th September 1779 is as follows:
"The Provost having laid before the Councill letters from His Grace the Duke of Argyll mentioning that Paul Jones with six vessells of war of different sizes is upon the West Coast of Ireland with an intention to Burn and Destroy the Towns upon the Coasts, the Magistrates and Councill request in the most particular manner the volunteers of Campbeltown may give proper attention to acquiring their manual excercise and to the safety of the Burrow in case any attack should be appempted upon it and when necessary to form themselves into guards and Picquetts for the Protection of the Place."
This in fact appears to be the only occasion when John Paul Jones himself could have threatened Campbeltown.
There is a delightful story told by Colonel Charles Mactaggart in his lecture to the Society given on 25th October 1922 which he entitled "A Ramble through Old Kilkerran Graveyard."
The story goes that John Paul Jones appeared in the Loading one Sunday morning when the good folk were at church. The ladies of this time wore red cloaks rather like Red Riding Hood and when the alarm was raised the men dressed in their ladies' cloaks and emerged from church marching up and down in military formation thus frightening off the invader. Colonel Mactaggart thought it more likely, as I do, that Jones had foreknowledge of the military preparations and for this reason made no attempt to attack the town.
On this voyage Jones took a prize, "the Betsy," off the coast of Islay and sent her to Bergen. He later rendezvoused with Captain Landais and having abandoned his idea of attacking Leith sailed down the East Coast of England where on 23rd September off Flamborough Head he engaged a British Squadron causing the Serapis of 44 guns and the Countess of Scarborough of 24 guns to surrender though he lost his own command the "Bonhomme Richard" in the fight.
Following the Battle Jones went to the Texel with his captures and 500 Prisoners. Thereafter he seems to have infested our coasts no more.
The danger from Jones was past but not the danger from the French and American privateers.
In the Spring of 1779 a notorious Irish smuggler "The Favourite" had been taken prisoner and lay guarded by a crew of Revenue men in Dublin Harbour. Her part owner Luke Ryan had not been captured and he helped the rest of the crew led by his mate Edward McCatter (or McCarter or perhaps McArthur) to break out of prison, retake the vessel and sail her to France, where her Irish crew offered to sail her in the American Service. Her name was changed to the Black Prince and she had a most successful career as an American Privateer, under the ostensible captaincy of an American citizen, but in reality run by Ryan and McCatter. McCatter and most of his crew hailed from the Port of Rush, north of Dublin - not to be confused with Portrush. It was a notorious haunt of smugglers. What is interesting is that both before and after the events we are considering fishermen from Rush were invited to Campbeltown to educate the locals in the art of lining for cod and ling. No doubt the American privateers, who were largely crewed by Irishmen, numbering among their crews fishermen who were very familiar with the waters round Kintyre, and no doubt with Campbeltown itself.
The Black Prince on her fourth voyage between September 4th and 24th after successful adventures in the Irish Sea came to the West Coast of Kintyre and the Argyllshire Islands where some damage was done to herring busses.
Long afterwards, the American Captain Marchant described one of his exploits as follows:
"Being once in want of water and some refreshments on the Coast of Scotland he sent his boat to a small town and demanded a supply, promising security to the inhabitants and their property in case his demands were complied with. It was refused. Upon which he approached the town with his ships and saluted it with a broadside. A white flag was immediately displayed by the inhabitants and the Black Prince was not only supplied with water but with cattle, sheep, poultry and every refreshment the place could afford and the Commander chose to receive."
I have been unable to trace where this place may have been, but suspect it might have been in Islay, though it is not apparently mentioned in the Custom House records.
A letter from Port Glasgow dated 25th September stated that the Black Prince had taken and destroyed several herring busses.
So successful was the Black Prince that eventually Benjamin Franklin granted an American Commission for another ship, the Black Princess, to be commanded by Edward McCatter who, although fond of describing himself as a Bostonian, was a native of County Cork and, so far as is known, had never been in the States.
The Black Princess was a cutter of 60 feet keel and 20 feet beam, mounting 16 3-pounders, 24 swivels and small arms. She was to carry a crew of 65, all American and Irish, and on 21 December 1779 both Privateers put to sea in company.
The vessels had two successful cruises together in the Channel and the Irish Sea, but came nowhere near Kintyre. On 10th April 1780 the Black Prince was intercepted by a British Frigate and driven on the French Channel coast. Just about this time a new Black Princess was commissioned for McCatter in Cherbourg. She carried 18 6-pounders, 2 stern chase 9-pounders and 30 swivels and it was intended to man her with a crew of ninety. On 23rd May she put to sea for a short trial cruise in the English Channel.
Meantime, nothing much had happened in Campbeltown since September................
Part 2 in April
Page 8: Sir William MacKinnon, BT