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AFFAIR OF THE GALLEYS NEAR SANDY-POINT, JULY 23, 1776. Captain CONWAY'S Statement. Alexandria, August 10, 1776. To the Printer of the MARYLAND GAZETTE: SIR: No other motive than in justice to my own character, as well as that of my officers, could ever induce me to request of you to publish the following Narrative and Depositions; more especially at this important juncture, when it is the duty of every individual to propagate the general harmony, and to discountenance every domestick contention that would seem in any way tending to frustrate the general good. "The Deposition of JOHN THOMAS, Second Lieutenant to Captain ROBERT CONWAY, of the PROTECTOR row-galley, belonging to the Commonwealth of VIRGINIA. "This day came before me the subscriber, one of the Magistrates for the County aforesaid, John Thomas, Second Lieutenant to Captain Robert Conway, of the Protector row-galley, and made oath, that on Tuesday, the 23d day of July last, about nine or ten o'clock in the forenoon, near Sandy-Point, seven of us, with two boats, landed on the Maryland shore, within about half a mile of the enemy's fleet, which consisted of four ships, two tenders, and one row-galley, expecting, as soon as we landed, to have been guarded by a party of the Maryland Militia, having no firearms ourselves, thinking to pass the fleet the following night. As soon as we landed we conveyed our baggage to an adjacent house, when, after inquiry, we were informed the troops were opposite the Roebuck, to whom four of us immediately went; from whence we observed the fleet manning their boats, with intent (as we thought) to land on the Maryland shore, from which the Roebuck inan-of-war seemed to be two or three hundred yards; when a gentleman they called Colonel Harrison, said, Come, let us march down; to which several replied, I can't bear to shoot a man; others, that their guns were out of order, with sundry other excuses; to whom Colonel Harrison said, You that have not a mind to go, give your guns to those men that came with Captain Conway. I then said, Give me a gun and ammunition, and I will go; which one of the Militia readily did; so down we marched, under the command of Colonel Harrison. Soon after we came down to the shore, the enemy gave three loud huzzas, and rowed over to the Virginia side, with two tenders, one gondola, and ten row-boats; from which they landed and burnt Mr. Brent's house, from whence they returned in about an hour to their respective vessels. In the mean time we thought ourselves very safe under the protection of the Militia; who, by this time, as we were informed had increased from between thirty and forty men, to between three and four hundred. In justice to Colonel Harrison, I must not omit informing, that he seemed very active and resolute, encouraging his men, and telling them that nature could not form a more convenient place than where he proposed they should be stationed. About three or four o'clock in the afternoon, the enemy's gondola and a schooner tender put off and made for our boats; seeing that, I said, Gentlemen, I hope, as we came to offer you our services, you will be kind enough to assist us in taking care of our boats, having no fire-arms ourselves; they said one company should go with us; then we ran down ourselves, and hauled the smallest boat about thirty or forty yards into a marsh, the other, which had ballast in, we hauled on the beach and staved. By this time the company of Militia came down, but the enemy being close ashore where our boat was, they stopped in a valley about fifty or sixty yards distance from the boat on the beach; the enemy's row-galley rowed several times towards the boat on the beach and back again; at last the row-galley and tender fired, on which the sentinels the Colonel had placed, ran across a cornfield and made for the woods; to whom the Colonel called, Come back; No, (says I,) they will not come back till they get to Port-Tobacco, (at which he laughed.) They would peep at the enemy when they rowed close to our boat, but never offered to fire, excepting it was the Colonel, who presented once, but recovered without firing. Some of them said, if the row-galley landed she would rake them up the valley, (which indeed was impossible;) at which they ran, the men first, after whom the Colonel retreated; notwithstanding, I am pretty well assured the Colonel would have stood, had he been supported by his men. When the enemy saw them (from the Roebuck's mast-head) running off, they hallooed at them, and called them sundry names; then made signs for the row-galley to pull ashore, which they did, and launched our boat off, then gave three huzzas, and fired several shot, both small and great, at the house where our baggage had been taken to; then returned to their ships with their booty, without having one gun fired at them. Colonel Harrison seemed to have that good opinion of Captain Conway as to say, he was assured that Conway would not be backward in taking a firelock. And further this deponent saith not. "August 10, 1776. "Sworn to before me, "The Deposition of EDWARD COLES and CUTHBERT ELLISTON, Midshipmen on board the PROTECTOR row-galley, commanded by Captain ROBERT CONWAY. "Likewise Edward Coles and Cuthbert Elliston, two Midshipmen belonging to the Protector row-galley, came this day before me, the subscriber, one of the Magistrates for the County aforesaid, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and took the accustomary oaths, by virtue of which they depose and say: That on Tuesday, the 23d day of July last, coming up the river Potomack with Captain Conway, came in sight of the enemy's fleet, consisting of four ships, two tenders, and one row-galley, when we made for the Maryland shore, and landed about half a mile below them, expecting to have been protected by the Militia on shore, the number of whom (as we were informed soon after our landing) was between three and four hundred; we were seven in number, with two boats. Soon after we landed, four of us went up to the troops. After we were with the troops about an hour and a half, some of the men offered to give up their firelocks to us, and one in particular gave his gun to Mr. Thomas, our Second Lieutenant. We saw the enemy's two tenders, one row-galley, and some row-boats, filled with men, and making for the Virginia shore, (instead of coming to the Maryland shore, as we expected,) where they burnt Mr. Brent's houses; from thence they returned to their ships. Between three and four o'clock in the afternoon, we observed their row-galley and a schooner tender making down for the place where our boats lay. The little boat we pulled into a marsh out of their way, and hauled the big boat on the beach, which was staved by James Sorrell, by Captain Conway's order, before the enemy could come nigh enough to fire at us with any certainty. As soon as the enemy's row-galley began to fire, the Militia made a precipitate retreat, and ran up to the woods, after whom Colonel Harrison went up; then the enemy came and took the boat from off the beach, without having one gun fired at them, although some of the Militia were within less than one hundred yards of the boat when they took her off, and gave three huzzas. Further said deponents say not. "August 10, 1776. "Sworn to before me: Soon after I arrived at Alexandria, my row-galley was ordered down to watch the motions of the enemy's fleet, but at my return, to my great surprise, I found the following Advertisement had been stuck up at several publick places in this town; "ADVERTISEMENT. "Alexandria, July 31, 1776. "Whereas it appears, by certificates now in my possession, under the hands of Captain John II. Lowe, Mr. John
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