NS3 In Peace and War Ch.1: The Navies of the American Revolution

What event in the spring and summer of 1775 marked a transition in Anglo-American hostilities, leading towards open war?

The clashes at Lexington and Concord, at Ticonderoga, and at Bunker Hill.

By 1760, what had the American colonies achieved that led them to resist British attempts to reorganize its political and economic empire?

They had grown into wealthy societies with a degree of maturity.

What was the primary military advantage Great Britain appeared to hold at the outset of the American Revolution?

A well-established government, a professional army, and the world's largest navy.

What institutional foundations did the American colonists possess for building military institutions at the start of the Revolution?

Colonial governments, experience with intercolonial congresses, and local militia units.

What crucial military institution did the American colonies completely lack at the start of the Revolution?

An American navy or any colonial antecedents for one.

Who simultaneously established the Continental Navy and several state navies during the American Revolution?

George Washington and Benedict Arnold, as well as the individual colonies.

During the spring of 1775, which two colonies were the first to establish their own navies?

Rhode Island and New Hampshire.

In response to a need for gunpowder, George Washington took what immediate action in the summer of 1775?

He chartered the schooner Hannah and sent it to sea to prey on British supply vessels.

Who was the commander of the seventy-four-ton schooner *Lee* that captured the 250-ton ordnance brig *Nancy* in an important early engagement?

John Manley.

What valuable cargo was aboard the British brig *Nancy* when it was captured by John Manley?

Two thousand muskets, thirty tons of musket shot, and a thirteen-inch brass mortar.

What was the primary motivation for the formation of Washington's navy in the summer of 1775?

The desperate need for gunpowder and other military supplies for the Continental Army.

When did the Continental Congress first take steps toward establishing a national navy?

In October of 1775.

Who authorized privateering on November 1, 1775, by creating admiralty courts to adjudicate prize cases?

The Massachusetts General Court.

What was the practice of commissioning privately owned armed ships to capture enemy merchant shipping known as?

Privateering.

What moral objection did William Whipple have to privateering?

He believed it was a kind of business that would lead to "effeminacy, luxury and every kind of dissipation" and corrupt morals.

How did John Adams defend privateering against moral objections?

He called it a "short, easy, and infallible method of humbling the English."

By the end of the war, American privateers had captured prizes worth an estimated $18 million, which was how many times the value captured by Continental naval vessels?

Three times.

What British action in the spring of 1775, which halted trade with all but four colonies, spurred the Continental Congress towards establishing a navy?

The passage of the New England Restraining Act, an embargo on colonial shipping.

On October 5, 1775, what did the Continental Congress recommend that the colonies do regarding British supply ships?

They recommended that the colonies arrest any British ships carrying supplies to the British army.

On December 13, 1775, the Continental Congress voted to construct a fleet of how many warships?

Thirteen frigates.

Who was appointed commander of the new Continental fleet in late 1775?

Esek Hopkins of Rhode Island.

What was the primary objective of Esek Hopkins's first naval expedition as ordered by Congress?

To proceed to Chesapeake Bay to attack the enemy fleet there and then clear the coasts of the Carolinas.

Instead of following his initial orders, where did Esek Hopkins lead his first naval expedition?

To the Bahamas, to launch an amphibious raid against the forts guarding New Providence.

What was the main prize Hopkins's forces seized during their raid on New Providence in the Bahamas?

Eighty-eight cannon, a quantity of shot, and some shells.

Why was Esek Hopkins's choice of New Providence as a target a questionable strategic decision?

It ignored the resources of the Royal Navy and stretched beyond the initial rebellion, risking foreign entanglements.

The American strategy to use the navies of which two countries to balance the power of the British fleet was a cornerstone of their diplomatic efforts?

France and Spain.

Who commanded the makeshift American fleet on Lake Champlain during the campaign of 1776?

Benedict Arnold.

What was the strategic importance of controlling Lake Champlain during the American Revolution?

It was a crucial invasion route between Canada and New York.

What was the outcome of the Battle of Valcour Island on October 11, 1776?

The American fleet was tactically defeated and largely destroyed, but it strategically delayed the British advance for a year.

By delaying Sir Guy Carleton's advance in 1776, what crucial event did Benedict Arnold's fleet on Lake Champlain help make possible the following year?

The American victory at the Battle of Saratoga.

In late 1776, what was the primary mission of the few frigates that the Continental Congress had managed to get to sea?

Commerce raiding, or guerre de course, to disrupt British trade and capture supplies.

Why were the thirteen frigates ordered by Congress in December 1775 largely ineffective during the first year of the war?

They were not ready for sea and were often blockaded in port by the superior British navy.

What was a major problem that plagued the construction of the thirteen Continental frigates authorized in 1775?

Disagreements on construction plans, political motivations in contracts, and shortages of key materials like cannons.

The cannon for the two frigates ordered from _____ Island were ready before the ships, but leaders there refused to release the guns.

Rhode

The frigate *Raleigh*, which was completed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, had to sail without its full armament because its cannon order from _____ had not been fulfilled.

France

In November 1776, Congress authorized the building of three 74-gun ships-of-the-line, but what was the ultimate fate of this program?

None of the ships were ever completed by the Continental Navy; one was given to France, and the program was never finished.

In 1777, what was the primary task assigned to the new frigates of the American components of the Continental Navy?

Commerce raiding and preying upon the smaller, less well-protected merchant vessels of the British.

In 1777, the frigates *Hancock* and *Boston* captured the British frigate *Fox*, but the *Hancock* itself was later captured. Who was blamed for this loss?

Captain John Manley was blamed by Captain Hector McNeill for failing to come to his aid.

Who was sent to France in early 1777 to act as a commercial and political agent and to arrange for attacks on British commerce from French ports?

Lambert Wickes.

In May 1777, which three American ships sailed into the Irish Sea and captured eighteen prizes before returning to France?

The *Reprisal*, *Lexington*, and *Dolphin*.

The winter of 1777-78 proved to be the turning point in the Revolution primarily because of what two events?

The American victory at Saratoga in October 1777 and the signing of the French Alliance in February 1778.

After the French alliance, the primary mission of the American navy shifted from commerce raiding to what other major objective?

Supporting joint operations against British garrisons along the American coast.

In early 1778, what strategic plan did John Paul Jones propose to the American commissioners in France?

A plan to raid British ports and shipping to create a diversion and force Britain to divert naval resources for home defense.

What body was forced to suspend Esek Hopkins as commander of the navy due to the poor record of the Continental Navy during 1777?

The Marine Committee.

In the spring of 1778, who commanded the sloop *Ranger* on an audacious cruise around the British Isles, capturing prizes and conducting a raid on Whitehaven?

John Paul Jones.

What was the result of the first major Franco-American joint operation, the expedition against Newport, Rhode Island, in the summer of 1778?

It failed due to a storm and disagreement between the French and American commanders.

The disastrous _____ expedition in the summer of 1779 represented the largest American amphibious assault of the war and resulted in a total defeat.

Penobscot

What was a major cause of the failure of the Penobscot expedition in 1779?

Indecision and a lack of unified command between the land and naval forces.

In 1780, the British capture of which southern city resulted in the loss of four Continental Navy ships?

Charleston, South Carolina.

What administrative change did the Continental Congress make in December 1779 to improve the management of the navy?

It replaced the Marine Committee with a Board of Admiralty composed of commissioners and congressmen.

By 1780, the Continental Congress recognized its diminished position and began to rely more heavily on what for its naval efforts?

The French Alliance and the French navy.

In 1781, Congress again restructured naval administration, placing responsibility for naval affairs with a single individual known by what title?

Agent of Marine.

Who was the first and only person to hold the title of Agent of Marine during the Revolution?

Robert Morris.

How was the construction of the 74-gun ship-of-the-line *America* financed?

It was paid for by a loan from France.

What crucial role did the French navy play in the final major victory of the war at Yorktown in October 1781?

The French fleet under Admiral de Grasse blockaded Chesapeake Bay, preventing the British army from being rescued or resupplied.

What happened to the Continental Navy after the Revolutionary War ended?

Its ships were sold, and its sailors and officers were dismissed, as the new nation was too poor to maintain a navy.

According to John Adams, what was the state of the nation's naval history after the Revolution?

He found it to be a "very dull and confused" story that might be better forgotten.

Though not a decisive military force, what was one of the most important contributions of the Continental Navy?

It provided a source of pride for Americans, a sign of American unity, and great morale boosters.

The naval lessons of the war and the memory of heroes like John Paul Jones and Lambert Wickes provided the basis for what future institution?

The great American naval traditions.