Lambert Wickes

Lambert Wickes (1735 - 1 October 1777) was a Captain in the Continental Navy.

Revolutionary activities

Wickes was born sometime in 1735 in Kent County, Maryland. His home was on Eastern Neck Island, in the family home, Wickcliffe. Prior to the American Revolution, Wickes was captain of the merchant ships the Neptune and the Ceres. On March 28th, 1776 Continental Congress allowed the purchase of the 16-gun brig which would be renamed the "Reprisal". In May of the same year, Wickes was the Reprisal's captain and he was ordered to sail into battle against the British frigate "Roebuck" which was opening the Delaware River to British ships. Wickes would later be designated as number 11 on the Continental Navy's seniority list.

The Committee of Secret Correspondence of Congress, by arrangement with the Marine Committee, issued orders for Capt. Wickes to proceed to the West Indies in "Reprisal" and bring out munitions for use by General Washington's army. In addition, Wickes was to transport William Bingham to his post, the French possession of Martinique, as agent for the American colonies.

"Reprisal" passed down the Delaware River from Philadelphia during the latter part of June 1776. While en route, "Reprisal" went to the aid of the harried Continental 6-gun brig Nancy—bound from St. Croix and St. Thomas with 386 barrels of gunpowder—which was being chased by six British men-of-war. In order to save "Nancy", her captain ran her aground. "Reprisal" and "Lexington"—-the latter under the command of Capt. John Barry—-kept boats from HMS "Kingfisher" at bay and succeeded in landing some 200 barrels of the precious powder. In this engagement, Wickes' brother Richard was killed while serving as third lieutenant in "Reprisal".

Clearing the Delaware capes on 3 July, "Reprisal", under Wickes' sterling seamanship, captured a number of prizes in the West Indies and had a sharp engagement with HMS "Shark", beating her off and escaping into port.

On 24 October 1776, Wickes was ordered to France with Benjamin Franklin as passenger. During the voyage, "Reprisal" captured two brigs and reached Nantes on 29 November where the ship's important passenger disembarked. Setting sail in January 1777, Wickes took "Reprisal" to sea on a cruise which took her to the Bay of Biscay and the mouth of the English Channel. On 5 February, his ship captured the armed packet-boat "Swallow", carrying mail between Britain and its ally Portugal [ [http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/yale?vol=23&page=344a&rqs=149&rqs=158 Letter, Thomas Morris to American Commissioners, 18 Feb 1777] - franklinpapers.org- accessed 2007-12-06] , after a hard action of 40 minutes duration. During the battle, "Reprisal" suffered two officers seriously wounded and one man killed.

During the remainder of this foray against British shipping, Wickes took five additional prizes and left them at Port Louis. Wickes moved "Reprisal" to Lorient, but was ordered to leave the port in 24 hours by the French government—the port authorities apparently stirred to action by bitter remonstrances from the British government. Wickes, however, claimed that "Reprisal" had sprung a leak and needed to be careened for hull repairs. Wickes proved to be skillful at gaining time; as, on several occasions, he thwarted the intentions of the French government to have him sail.

In April 1777, the Continental vessels "Lexington" and "Dolphin" joined "Reprisal" and constituted a squadron under Wickes' command. Setting sail from St. Auzeau on 28 May, the ships cruised around Ireland in June, July, and August; during one phase of the voyage, the three ships captured 15 ships in five days. On 14 September, Wickes left France in "Reprisal", in company with "Dolphin", bound for home. Around 1 October, "Reprisal" foundered off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, with the loss of all hands except the cook.

Legacy

Louis H. Bolander, the assistant librarian at the Naval Academy, wrote an article on Wickes in 1928, entitled "A Forgotten Hero of the American Revolution." Appearing in "Americana," in April 1928, the article closed with a fitting epitaph for Capt. Lambert Wickes: "Thus closed a career distinguished for patriotism, gallantry and humanity, for not a single charge of cruelty or harshness was ever breathed against him by any one of his many prisoners. Franklin, who knew him well, said of him, 'He was a gallant officer, and a very worthy man.' "

Two ships in the United States Navy have been named in his honor.

The two iron balls on each side of a magnetic compass, used to balance out and counteract magnetic variations based on a ship's location, are traditionally called "Lamberts", in his honor.

Further reading

* "Lambert Wickes: Patriot or Pirate? ", Norman H. Plummer, [http://www.cornellmaritimepress.com/9032.htm Cornell Maritime Press] , 1991, 64 pages. ISBN 0-922249-03-2
* "Lambert Wickes, sea raider and diplomat; the story of a naval captain of the Revolution", William Bell Clark, Yale University Press, 1932.

Other references

External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w7/wickes-i.htm Biographical information from "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships" (DANFS), U.S. Naval Historical Center]