Marines on the Reprisal
On March 28, 1776, the Marine Committee of the Continental Congress purchased the merchant ship Molly and outfitted her for war. She was renamed Reprisal, and Continental Navy Captain Lambert Wickes was placed in command. Two and a half months later, the Committee of Secret Correspondence of Congress issued orders for the Reprisal to sail to Martinique and pick up weapons and ammunition for George Washington's armies.
The Continental Marine Officers on board were Captain Miles Pennington and Lieutenant John Elliot. The ship officers recruited 24 privates and two sergeants for duty onboard the Reprisal, including the first African American Marine, John Martin, aka "Keto." At the time, Keto was a slave to William Marshall in Delaware, and Captain Pennington recruited him without his owner's permission. Throughout July, the Reprisal captured multiple ships in the West Indies, including an encounter with the HBMS Shark on July 27. As with most naval battles, Marines played a pivotal role as sharpshooters from the ship's topmasts.
Throughout their service on the Reprisal, Marines performed exceptionally well, and Wickes wanted to reward Lieutenant Elliot for his service. He sent a letter to Commandant Captain Samuel Nicholas strongly recommending Elliot to serve as the senior Marine officer for the Deane, stating that Elliot has "been in the service from the commencement of the Reprisal being armed and behaved himself very well." Captain Nicholas agreed and requested the American Commissioners at Paris to send him a commission for Lieutenant Elliot to serve as Captain of Marines for the Deane. The commission accepted the Commandant's request, and Elliot was promoted to Captain.
The feeling was bittersweet for Captain Pennington. Elliot's promotion was well deserved, but the two Marines had a great relationship. About a month after Elliot relocated to the Deane, the Reprisal sailed from St. Malo, France, with the Dolphin. The Reprisal separated from the Dolphin and headed west towards Portsmouth, New Hampshire. On her way home, she encountered a large storm, and the ship sank off the coast of Newfoundland, killing all on board except for the cook, Nathan Jaquays, who was picked up by a French ship headed for Bordeaux.
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