List of Officers, Seamen, and Marines belonging to the Continental Ship of War Alliance (1779). This undated List of Officers, Seamen, and Marines belonging to the Continental Ship of War the Alliance under the Command of Peter Landais Esq located in Box XI of the Benjamin Franklin Papers at the University of Pennsylvania was transcribed by Joseph Ross in 2011. Also included in Box XI of the Franklin Papers is a shorter “List of the Petty Officers on board the Continental Ship Alliance not including in the term, Warrant Officers” which includes nineteen of the 156 men named in this list. The crew of the frigate Alliance was recruited at Boston during the Autumn of 1778. The vessel sailed from Boston on her maiden voyage under Captain Peter Landais on 14 January 1779 with Lafayette onboard, arriving in Brest, France on 6 February 1779. It is suggested by the editors of the Franklin Papers that this list of officers and men belonging to the Alliance is possibly referenced in a letter from Landais to Franklin posted from Brest on 17 March 1779. After some time, the ship sailed for L’Orient arriving on 14 May 1779. The frigate Alliance departed from L’Orient on 19 June 1779 in company with the Bonhomme Richard. After an incident at sea between the two vessels, the Alliance returned to L’Orient on 2 July 1779, sailing from there again in company with the Bonhomme Richard on 14 August 1779. After witnessing the celebrated 23 September 1779 sea battle between the Bonhomme Richard and the Serapis, the Alliance escorted the crippled Serapis and her new commander John Paul Jones on 2 October 1779 into Texel, the deepwater port of Amsterdam, Holland. A second extant list of officers and men of the Alliance was drawn up on 3 October 1779, while the ship was still under the command of Landais who was soon relieved of his duties by Jones. Taking the frigate Alliance under his own command, Jones sailed from Texel on 27 December 1779. After a brief stop in Spain in January 1780, the Alliance returned to L’Orient in February 1780. Landais surreptitiously retook command of the vessel in June 1780 and eventually sailed from France on 7 July 1780. The frigate Alliance returned to Boston on 19 August 1780 with Lieutenant James Degge in charge, Landais having been stripped of his command and confined by mutinous officers and men of the crew. Soon after the Alliance’s return, Landais and Degge were both court martialed and Captain John Barry was placed in command. An Alphabetical List of Officers, Seamen, and Marines belonging to the Continental Ship of War the Alliance (1779) derived from this list will be located shortly on this website and will offer alternate spellings of names (in parenthesis) to assist internet browsing.
Stephen Hills, 1st Lieutenant
Joseph Adams, 2nd Lieutenant
James Degge, 3rd Lieutenant
John Buckley, Master
Amos Windship, Surgeon
Nathan Blodget, Purser
Benj’a Pierce, Gunner
John Darling, Boatswain
James Bragg, Carpenter
John Larchar, Master’s Mate *
Louis Larchar, Master’s Mate
Thomas FitzGerrad, Master’s Mate
Nath’l Marston, Midshipman
James Hogan, Midshipman
Freegift Arnold, Midshipman
Arthur Robertson, Midshipman
James Lynd, Midshipman
John Sawin, Midshipman
Samuel Guild, Surgeon’s Mate
James Daley, Surgeon’s Mate
Fitch Pool, Captain’s Clerk
Chipman Bangs, Steward
Ebenezer Fields, Armourer
Chase Rogers, Cooper
Isaac Carr, Sailmaker
Jacob Wendall, Sailmaker’s Mate
Gardner Hammond, Sailmaker’s Yeoman
Alex Taylor, Boatswain’s Mate
William Dennen, Boatswain’s Mate
John Essex, Acting Boatswain’s Mate *
Charles Dagne, Coxwain
Joshua Getchell, Carpenter’s Mate
John Green, Carpenter’s Crew
Patrick Brannon, Carpenter’s Crew
James Richards Carpenter’s Yeoman
John Smith, Cooper’s Crew
Walter Dumphy, Cooper’s Crew
James Burrows, Armourer’s Mate
John Frasier, Armourer’s Mate
Robert Embleton, Quarter Master
William Brice, Quarter Master
George Fenwick, Quarter Master
Wm McCassett, Quarter Master
Mich’l Longstaff, Quarter Master
John Durand, Quarter Gunner
John Orr, Quarter Gunner
James C. Minton, Quarter Gunner
Chancey Wheeler, Quarter Gunner
Hugh Fleming, Gunner’s Yeoman
Robert Ellis, Seaman
Jere Mahany, Seaman
James Mahane, Seaman
Henry Graves, Seaman
John Kirk, Seaman
Gregory Martenis, Seaman
Caleb Brown, Seaman
Zeph Rogers, Seaman
James Davis, Seaman *
John Ellison, Seaman
George Willson, Seaman
Samuel Wall, Seaman
John Ambrose, Seaman
Thomas Andrews, Seaman
Arch McCarter, Seaman
Alex Gallaway, Seaman
John McLane, Seaman
Thomas Cox, Seaman
Samuel Rogers, Seaman
Robert Salmon, Seaman *
Thomas Felds, Seaman
John Fitzgerald, Seaman
James Rogers, Seaman
Gard Mentor, Seaman
Charles Howard, Seaman
John Anniball, Seaman
John Cockran, Seaman *
John Gray, Seaman
Hendrick Nylander, Seaman
Richard Rian, Seaman
Robert Calder, Seaman
James Mann, Seaman
Timothy Heath, Seaman
Daniel Moncor, Ordinary Seaman
Luther Breck, Ordinary Seaman
John Downing, Ordinary Seaman
Joseph Evans, Ordinary Seaman
Prince Patterson, Ordinary Seaman
Juba Blodget, Landsman
George Allen, Landsman
Peter Adams, Landsman
Richard Woodrow, Landsman
Ceasar Hall, Landsman
John Ferress, Landsman
John Heligo, Landsman
William Woodhead, Landsman
Juba Whitwell, Landsman
Juba Bowen, Landsman
James Brown, Landsman
William Taylor, Landsman
Peter Lyons, Landsman
Samuel Getchell, Boy
John Terry, Boy
Thomas Bolton, Boy
James Chester, Boy
Thomas Dupree, Boy
Aaron Francis, Boy
Joseph Ferdinand, Boy
Samuel Gray, Boy
Peter Greenwood, Boy
Moses Hilton, Boy
Joseph Bill, Boy
Edward Jarvis, Boy
Lewis Russell, Boy
David Rice, Boy
Robert Smith, Boy
David Trow, Boy
John Wier, Boy
Elisha Caesar, Boy
Jacob Wendall, Junr, Boy
Henry Colligin, Boy
Phoenix Baker, Boy
Mathew Parke, Captain of Marines
James Warren, 1st Lieutenant of Marines
Thomas Ellwood, 2nd Lieutenant of Marines
John Farnum, Sergeant of Marines
Edmund Ogden, Sergeant of Marines
Joseph Butler, Corporal of Marines
James Whitney, Corporal of Marines
George Cox, Marine
Moses Stocking, Marine
Dan’l Cumstock, Marine
Stephen Turner, Marine
Jeremiah Perry, Marine
George Skipper, Marine
James O’Neill, Marine
James Haslum, Marine
Samuel Dale, Marine
Nich’l Woodbury, Marine
William Riley, Marine
John Kennady, Marine
Oliver Arnold, Marine
John Weatherby, Marine
Benj’a Taylor, Marine
Abra Bradley, Marine
John Forester, Marine
John Doile, Marine
Samuel Platt, Marine
John Theaf, Marine
Edward Fling, Marine
John Sadler, Marine
William Scott, Marine
Mich’l Lyons, Marine
John Fitz Gerrald, Marine
James Dickinson, Marine
John Morand, Marine *
Patrick Martin, Marine *
* them with this mark are still on board the Prize Ship