David Hawley
Encyclopedia
David Hawley Captain in the newly formed United States Navy
and Privateer
, commanded the USS Royal Savage in the first U.S. naval battle of the American Revolutionary War
in 1776.
was born into a Connecticut
seafaring family in 1741. His parents were James and Eunice Hawley who lived in the Stratfield section of Stratford, Connecticut now Bridgeport
. Hawley's grandfather was Gideon, his great grandfather was Ephraim
and his great great grandfather was Joseph Hawley (Captain)
, a shipbuilder and the first of the name in America.
on the Lakes to the northward, to which he was appointed Captain.
at the Battle of Valcour Island
on Lake Champlain on October 11, 1776. Hawley commanded the two-masted schooner USS Royal Savage (1776) with a crew of 50 men. His cousin Ephraim Hawley (1746–1777) served as his Lieutenant and his young nephew Samuel Hawley was also a seaman. The ship ran aground during the battle and was burned by the crew to prevent it from falling into British hands. The Royal Savage had been Arnold's flagship until he went aboard the USS Congress (1776)
. All of Arnold's personal belongings were destroyed when the Royal Savage was burned. This naval battle was the first of the newly formed United States Navy
and delayed for one year the British attempts to cut the colonies in half
.
in Long Island Sound
, bringing several prizes into Black Rock Harbor
. He commanded the USS Guilford (1776), until she fell prey to the British in New Haven harbor in July 1779, when he escaped capture and fitted out a flotilla of armed boats by warrant authority, before being commissioned.
and the vicinity, crossed the Sound in a daring raid and brought back from Long Island, Thomas Jones, Esq, of Suffolk County, one of the Judges of the Ministerial Supreme Court of the Crown, and delivered him up as a hostage to exchange for General Gold Selleck Silliman who had been taken prisoner earlier that year. The daring raid and subsequent prisoner exchange were made into the film Mary Silliman's War produced by Heritage Films, under the auspices of The Institute for Early American History in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. It is based on the biography by Richard and Joy Day Buel, The Way of Duty (Norton, 1984).
with three armed boats under his command to Blue Point, Long Island and captured eleven British and Tory vessels, all of which he either destroyed or ransomed, except four which he brought back to Fairfield and libeled. One of the latter was richly laden with West India goods. On April 6, 1780, in company with Capt. Ebenezer Jones, he took a Tory sloop commanded by Jared Bell. On Oct 15 1780, he partook in the capture of the sloop Dorset. Under his last commission he was especially active in the Sound and performed important naval service in the prevention of illicit trade, seizing and libeling many boats and cargoes in the Fairfield Court. During his several exploits, first and last Captain Hawley is credited with the capture of over 20 sail of enemy craft during the American
War for Independence
.
from bricks that may have been supplied by Nero Hawley
. The home was located at the corner of Water and Gilbert Streets and was used, after Hawley's death as a saddle factory by Seth B. Jones and was the arena of great theological discussions among the workmen, especially; Joshua Lord, William Wright, Edwin B. Gregory and Alexander S. Gordon.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and Privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
, commanded the USS Royal Savage in the first U.S. naval battle of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
in 1776.
Biography
HawleyHawley
-People:* Alan Ramsay Hawley, early American aviator* Cameron Hawley, American fiction writer* Caroline Hawley, BBC war correspondent* David Hawley , Stratfield, Connecticut, captain and privateer during the American Revolution...
was born into a Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
seafaring family in 1741. His parents were James and Eunice Hawley who lived in the Stratfield section of Stratford, Connecticut now Bridgeport
Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
. Hawley's grandfather was Gideon, his great grandfather was Ephraim
Ephraim Hawley House
The Ephraim Hawley House, located in New England, is a Colonial American wooden post-and-beam timber-frame farm house built between 1670 and 1690...
and his great great grandfather was Joseph Hawley (Captain)
Joseph Hawley (Captain)
Joseph Hawley , born in Parwich, Derbyshire, England, was the first of the Hawley name to come to America in 1629. He settled at Stratford, Connecticut in 1650, becoming the town's first town clerk or record keeper, tavern keeper and a shipbuilder.-Surname:The surname of Hawley is one of locality...
, a shipbuilder and the first of the name in America.
Commission
David Hawley was appointed a Lieutenant on July 11, 1776 to serve on the state man of war USS Oliver Cromwell (1776). At a meeting with the Governor of Connecticut and Council of Safety on August 16, 1776, it was voted to draw an order in favour of Captain David Hawley for 180 pounds to enable Hawley to raise a crew of seamen for the Naval Service of the United States of AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on the Lakes to the northward, to which he was appointed Captain.
Battle of Valcour Island
He served under Benedict ArnoldBenedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
at the Battle of Valcour Island
Battle of Valcour Island
The naval Battle of Valcour Island, also known as the Battle of Valcour Bay, took place on October 11, 1776, on Lake Champlain. The main action took place in Valcour Bay, a narrow strait between the New York mainland and Valcour Island...
on Lake Champlain on October 11, 1776. Hawley commanded the two-masted schooner USS Royal Savage (1776) with a crew of 50 men. His cousin Ephraim Hawley (1746–1777) served as his Lieutenant and his young nephew Samuel Hawley was also a seaman. The ship ran aground during the battle and was burned by the crew to prevent it from falling into British hands. The Royal Savage had been Arnold's flagship until he went aboard the USS Congress (1776)
USS Congress (1776)
USS Congress was a row galley that served the Continental Navy during the American Revolution.The galley – which was rowed by oarsmen instead of using sail - had the distinction of serving the young American Navy for only a week before being scuttled after combat with the British.- American...
. All of Arnold's personal belongings were destroyed when the Royal Savage was burned. This naval battle was the first of the newly formed United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and delayed for one year the British attempts to cut the colonies in half
Saratoga campaign
The Saratoga Campaign was an attempt by Great Britain to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War...
.
Revolutionary War service
He was taken prisoner several times, and after being taken with the State sloop USS Schuyler (1776) in 1777, he was again exchanged, and continued his service as a privateerPrivateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
in Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
, bringing several prizes into Black Rock Harbor
Black Rock Harbor
Black Rock Harbor is located in Bridgeport, Connecticut on the Long Island Sound. The Black Rock Harbor Light on Fayerweather Island marks the entrance to the harbor on its east, while St. Mary's by the Sea forms its western beachhead. Seaside Park runs along the northeastern part of the harbor....
. He commanded the USS Guilford (1776), until she fell prey to the British in New Haven harbor in July 1779, when he escaped capture and fitted out a flotilla of armed boats by warrant authority, before being commissioned.
Daring raid
In November, 1779, he commanded a voluntary force of 20 men from Stratford, ConnecticutStratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It was founded by Puritans in 1639....
and the vicinity, crossed the Sound in a daring raid and brought back from Long Island, Thomas Jones, Esq, of Suffolk County, one of the Judges of the Ministerial Supreme Court of the Crown, and delivered him up as a hostage to exchange for General Gold Selleck Silliman who had been taken prisoner earlier that year. The daring raid and subsequent prisoner exchange were made into the film Mary Silliman's War produced by Heritage Films, under the auspices of The Institute for Early American History in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. It is based on the biography by Richard and Joy Day Buel, The Way of Duty (Norton, 1984).
Protecting the Connecticut shore
The next spring, on April 20, 1780 he went from Fairfield, ConnecticutFairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is bordered by the towns of Bridgeport, Trumbull, Easton, Redding and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 59,404...
with three armed boats under his command to Blue Point, Long Island and captured eleven British and Tory vessels, all of which he either destroyed or ransomed, except four which he brought back to Fairfield and libeled. One of the latter was richly laden with West India goods. On April 6, 1780, in company with Capt. Ebenezer Jones, he took a Tory sloop commanded by Jared Bell. On Oct 15 1780, he partook in the capture of the sloop Dorset. Under his last commission he was especially active in the Sound and performed important naval service in the prevention of illicit trade, seizing and libeling many boats and cargoes in the Fairfield Court. During his several exploits, first and last Captain Hawley is credited with the capture of over 20 sail of enemy craft during the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
War for Independence
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
.
Private life
It is believed by some that Captain David Hawley built the first brick house within the city limits of Bridgeport, ConnecticutBridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 144,229 at the 2010 United States Census and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area...
from bricks that may have been supplied by Nero Hawley
Nero Hawley
Nero Hawley , born into slavery in North Stratford, now Trumbull, Connecticut, enlisted in place of his owner, Daniel Hawley, in the Continental Army on April 20, 1777 during the American Revolution and earned his freedom...
. The home was located at the corner of Water and Gilbert Streets and was used, after Hawley's death as a saddle factory by Seth B. Jones and was the arena of great theological discussions among the workmen, especially; Joshua Lord, William Wright, Edwin B. Gregory and Alexander S. Gordon.