To George Washington from Winthrop Sargent, 14 March 1776
From Winthrop Sargent
Glocester [Mass.] March [14] 1776
Sir
I Rote your Excellence Last Tusday Sence which we have got all the Sails & Most of the Rigen from the Ship with about (50) Cask of Portor & Two fine Cabels & Two Ankors Last night Capt. Dosson had the Impedence to Run in & Set fier to the Ship it being high warter Our Guns would no⟨t⟩ reach him & She is burnt down to the warter This Low warter If the Storm Seases we Shall Sea what we Can git Out of the Ship the Poor Capt. Whatts has Lost all his Venter [venture] being about 150£ Starling the reason of his not cumming befor he was unwell.1 I Rem[ai]n Yr Excl. Very Hu. Sar.
Winthrop Sargent
ALS, DLC:GW.
1. For the capture of the ship Stakesby, James Watts, master, see Sargent to GW, 12 Mar. 1776. Lt. George Dawson commanded the British armed brig Hope. The master’s log of the Hope for 13 Mar. 1776 says: “Saw a Vessel, on Shore on the East Point of Cape Ann, with a Number of the Rebels on b[oar]d Sent the Master, in a Boat Mand & Armd to hir, on the Approach of our Boat the Rebels Quitted hir, found hir to be A Transport Named the Stacksby Stove a Number of Casks of Porter and Set hir on fire” (, 4:317). For a detailed account of the items that Sargent saved from the cargo, see his letter to GW of 26 Mar. 1776.