Page:History of Barrington, Rhode Island (Bicknell).djvu/488

 390 THE HISTORY OF BAREINGTON. pointed to her. In the meanwhile, the Washington had blown up, April 2, 1777. She was repaired as a schooner, and, in June, 1777, placed in command of Joseph Carlo Mauran, then only twenty-nine years old. On the 25th of May, 177S, General Pigot, the English commander at Newport, sent up the bay about five hundred men, under Lieut.-Col. Campbell, to destroy a number of boats collected at Kickemuit River, east of Warren. Landing at daybreak, a little below the town, they entered Warren and marched across to Kickemuit, and burned seventy flat boats, and the galley Washington, then repairing The marauders, reaching Bristol, began to ravage the village, burning some twenty-two houses, and would have destroyed the whole place, had not an armed force made an attack on them, and forced them back to their landing-place. It is said that Captain Mauran rendered effective service on this occasion, having brought to the scene of con- flict a cannon which did good work in repelling the enemy. " The Washington had been kept in service until her destruction by the enemy. Her loss was quite serious; she had been fitted up at a great expense, had been recently schooner rigged and otherwise well equipped." On June 6, 1778, the Council-of-War took action as fol- lows : "Resolved, that Captain Joseph Mauran late commander of the galley Washington^ be, and is hereby directed to cause the wreck of the Washington to be cut up in order to get ye iron, that he secure all of the iron belonging to her in some secure place, that because ye guns which belonged to said galley to be bro't to Providence in order that they may be rendered fit for use, and that he get the same done on the best terms he can." Subsequently, the following resolution was passed: "In Council-of-War, July 15, 1778- The galley Washington being destroyed by ye enemy in their late excursion to Warren, whereby Captain Joseph C. Mauran, who had commanded her, is put out of Business, and the State having no armed vessel to put in pay for ye present, 'Tis therefore resolved that ye said Joseph C Mauran be dismissed from ye service of this State, and he is hereby Recommended as a good and faithful sea officer to all ye friends of ye United American States.'' Signed by order of ye Council-of-War, Wm. Coddingtox, Clerk. The unfortunate history of the galley Washington does not seem to have dampened the patriotic ardor of Captain Mauran, for before the end of the year we find him again at sea. The Records of the State of Rhode Island give us, under date of Oct. i, 1778, the following : " I acknowl- edge the foregoing to be a true copy of the instructions delivered to me this day by his Excellency', the Governor, with my commission or Letters of Marque and Reprisals as commander of the Private schooner of war, Wcazle. Witness Wm. Mumford, Dept. Secretary. Signed, Joseph C. Mauran.