Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 4.djvu/78

 MRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY

the brig. "Dolphin," Anthony Knapp, mas- ter, from Xewburyport to Barbadoes, and thence returned by way of Newfoundland to his port of departure. He enlisted in De- cember. 1775. for a twelve months' service in the Continental army under Captain l-lnoch Putnam, in a regiment commanded by Colonel Israel Hutchinson, of Dan vers. He was stationed at Winter Hill until after the evacuation of Boston, in the spring of 1776, after which his regiment was quar- tered in the college buildings, at Cambridge. He assisted in the fortification of Dorches- ter Ileights, and in ^lay. 1776. went with his regiment to New York, where he was en- gaged several weeks in building the defences of I'ort Washington. He volunteered as an artillery man in the expedition against the British on Long Island and served in Cap- tain Foster's company under command of Colonel Henry Knox, in the battle of Flat- bush. Two months later he rejoined his regiment at Fort Washington, New York, and was in the battles of Harlem Heights and White Plains. New York. After the re- treat of the northern army across New Jer- sey, he was in the expedition under Wash- ington that captured the Hessians at Tren- ton. New Jersey, December 26, 1776, and took part in the later expedition against Trenton, January 2, and Princeton, Janu- ary 3, 1777; however, his term of enlistment having expired on February 5, 1777, he was discharged from the service. He returned to Massachusetts in company with Captain Brown, of Cambridge, and Captain Win- throp Sargent, of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Soon after his release from military duty in 1777, he shipped on board a sloop, Isaac Elwell, master, bound for Demerara, and the next year made a voyage to Martinique, wdth Captain IMoses Hale. In 1779 he was mate of an armed schooner carrying six guns, which sailed for Guadeloupe, commanded by John Holmes, of Ipswich, Massachusetts. On the return voyage the vessel was taken a prisoner to Cork Ilaven, Ireland, but escaped and returned home by way of Bar- badoes and St. Eustatius, after absence of eleven months. Later he sailed in the prize ship, '"Uriah," Isaac G. Rearson, master, and was again captured and taken to An- tigua, but escaped and returned home in the brig, "Ruby," John IJabson, master, in 1780. Next he shipped on board the brig. "Mar- quis de Lafayette," carrying six guns, Seth

Thomas, master, and made a voyage to ( iuadeloupe and back. He then sailed on tl'C brig. "Cormorant." John Perkins, mas- ter, but was captured on the homeward voy- age and taken to Bermuda. Records of the Pension Piureau at Washington state that Abraham Wheelwright served about three years in all. on board the brig, "Spy," six guns. Captain Lane. The vessels previously mentioned were all privateers or armed ves- sels of other character. After the close of the revolution he sailed as master and part owner of the brig. "Active," for Joseph Mar- guand. At a later date, in partnership with Ids brother. Fbenezer Wheelwright, he es- tablished a profitable maritime business with the W^est Indies.

Captain Abraham Wheelwright, in com- pany with eight other merchants, among whom were Captains William Coombs, Moses Brown. \\'illiani P. Johnson, Nich- olas Johnson, A\'illiam Paris. Fbenezer Stocker, all members of the Marine Society, sent the following letter to the President of the United States. June i. 1798: "Sir: — A number of the inhabitants of Newburyport have agreed to build and equip a ship of three hundred and fifty-five tons burthen, to be mounted with twenty-six pound can- nons, and to offer her to the government of the United States for their use, requiring no other compensation than six per cent, on the net cost of the ship and equipments, and a final reimbursement at the convenience of the Government of net cost." This ofifer was accepted, the ship was built in seventy- five working days. The keel was laid on July 9, and she was launched on October ]2, 1798. She was named the ''Merrimack,"' and was sent to sea under the command of Captain Moses Brown. At the end of five \ ears she w^as sold in Boston ; her name was changed to the "Monticello," and she was soon afterwards wrecked and lost on Cape Cod.

Captain Abraham AMieelwright purchased land and buildings in Newburyport, Massa- chusetts, September 30, 1789. of Samuel Noyes and wife Abigail, of Campton, New Hampshire; on June 4, 1791. Mary Wheel- wright, widow of Jeremiah Wheelwright, sold .Abraham and E]:)enczer \Mieelwright all her real estate in Gloucester devised to her by her father, Abraham Davis, late of Gloucester. Massachusetts. On January 3. 1806, John Greenleaf sold to Abraham