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Silas Talbot
Captain Silas Talbot (January 11, 1751 – June 30, 1813) was an officer in the Continental Army and Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Talbot is most famous for commanding USS Constitution from 1799 to 1801. Silas Talbot was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati's New York branch.
Talbot was born on 11 January 1751 at Dighton in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, into a large farming family. At twelve, he took to seafaring, serving as a cabin boy in a coasting vessel. Talbot's performance proved outstanding, and by 1772 had saved up enough money to buy property on Weybosset Street in Providence, Rhode Island, and build a stone home, having learned the trade of stone masonry earlier in life. He was a slaveowner.
On June 28, 1775, Talbot received the commission of a captain in the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment. After participating in the siege of Boston, Talbot and the Continental Army began their march to New York. En route, they stopped at New London, Connecticut, whose port had just received Esek Hopkins, who had just landed from a naval expedition to the Bahamas. After learning that Hopkins would petition General George Washington for 200 volunteers needed to assist his squadron in reaching Providence, Talbot volunteered his services in this effort.
After Talbot made his way back to New York, where he was aiding in the transportation of troops, he obtained command of a fire ship and attempted to use it to set fire to the Royal Navy warship HMS Asia on September 14, 1776. The attempt failed, but the daring it displayed, and the fact that Talbot was severely burned during the effort, won him a promotion to major on October 10, 1777, retroactive to September 1.
After suffering a severe wound at Fort Mifflin on October 23, 1777 while fighting to defend Philadelphia, Talbot returned to active service in the summer of 1778 and fought in the Battle of Rhode Island on August 28, 1778.
As commander of the 8-gun galley Pigot (which he had captured from the Royal Navy in the Sakonnet River on October 28, 1778), and later the 12-gun sloop Argo, both under the Army, he cruised against Loyalist vessels that were harassing American trade between Long Island and Nantucket and made prisoners of many of them. On November 14, 1778, the Continental Congress passed a resolution that recognized his success in capturing Pigot and promoted him to lieutenant colonel on the same date. In October of the same year, the Rhode Island General Assembly voted to present Talbot with a "genteel silver-hilted sword" for the same action. Silversmith John Gladding Gibbs of Providence made the sword.
Because of his success fighting afloat for the Army, Congress commissioned Talbot as a captain in the Continental Navy on September 17, 1779. However, since Congress had no suitable warship to entrust to him, Talbot put to sea in command of the privateer General Washington. He took one prize in it, but he soon ran into a Royal Navy fleet off New York. After a chase, he struck his colors to Culloden, a 74-gun British ship-of-the-line and remained a prisoner of war until exchanged for a British officer in December 1781.
Talbot was twice involved in mercantile enterprises, both for a slave ship cargo including slaves. In late 1783 he had an interest in a cargo of produce and slaves shipped to Charleston, South Carolina, in the sloop PEGGY. In August 1785 he bought half of the 90-ton brigantine Industry. Both vessels transported slaves from the Guinea region to Charleston. On one 1786 voyage of the Industry, Talbot was notified by his solicitors, Murray, Mumford, and Bower, on 9 September 1786 of a significant financial loss: "We hear about one hundred & eighty Slaves off the coast of Guinea, near half of which died before the brig arrived in Charleston where she is now." Talbot later sold his half of the Industry, but, as late as 1801, he was still trying to collect his half of the cargo that he claimed had not been included in the sale.
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Silas Talbot
Captain Silas Talbot (January 11, 1751 – June 30, 1813) was an officer in the Continental Army and Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Talbot is most famous for commanding USS Constitution from 1799 to 1801. Silas Talbot was a member of the Society of the Cincinnati's New York branch.
Talbot was born on 11 January 1751 at Dighton in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, into a large farming family. At twelve, he took to seafaring, serving as a cabin boy in a coasting vessel. Talbot's performance proved outstanding, and by 1772 had saved up enough money to buy property on Weybosset Street in Providence, Rhode Island, and build a stone home, having learned the trade of stone masonry earlier in life. He was a slaveowner.
On June 28, 1775, Talbot received the commission of a captain in the 2nd Rhode Island Regiment. After participating in the siege of Boston, Talbot and the Continental Army began their march to New York. En route, they stopped at New London, Connecticut, whose port had just received Esek Hopkins, who had just landed from a naval expedition to the Bahamas. After learning that Hopkins would petition General George Washington for 200 volunteers needed to assist his squadron in reaching Providence, Talbot volunteered his services in this effort.
After Talbot made his way back to New York, where he was aiding in the transportation of troops, he obtained command of a fire ship and attempted to use it to set fire to the Royal Navy warship HMS Asia on September 14, 1776. The attempt failed, but the daring it displayed, and the fact that Talbot was severely burned during the effort, won him a promotion to major on October 10, 1777, retroactive to September 1.
After suffering a severe wound at Fort Mifflin on October 23, 1777 while fighting to defend Philadelphia, Talbot returned to active service in the summer of 1778 and fought in the Battle of Rhode Island on August 28, 1778.
As commander of the 8-gun galley Pigot (which he had captured from the Royal Navy in the Sakonnet River on October 28, 1778), and later the 12-gun sloop Argo, both under the Army, he cruised against Loyalist vessels that were harassing American trade between Long Island and Nantucket and made prisoners of many of them. On November 14, 1778, the Continental Congress passed a resolution that recognized his success in capturing Pigot and promoted him to lieutenant colonel on the same date. In October of the same year, the Rhode Island General Assembly voted to present Talbot with a "genteel silver-hilted sword" for the same action. Silversmith John Gladding Gibbs of Providence made the sword.
Because of his success fighting afloat for the Army, Congress commissioned Talbot as a captain in the Continental Navy on September 17, 1779. However, since Congress had no suitable warship to entrust to him, Talbot put to sea in command of the privateer General Washington. He took one prize in it, but he soon ran into a Royal Navy fleet off New York. After a chase, he struck his colors to Culloden, a 74-gun British ship-of-the-line and remained a prisoner of war until exchanged for a British officer in December 1781.
Talbot was twice involved in mercantile enterprises, both for a slave ship cargo including slaves. In late 1783 he had an interest in a cargo of produce and slaves shipped to Charleston, South Carolina, in the sloop PEGGY. In August 1785 he bought half of the 90-ton brigantine Industry. Both vessels transported slaves from the Guinea region to Charleston. On one 1786 voyage of the Industry, Talbot was notified by his solicitors, Murray, Mumford, and Bower, on 9 September 1786 of a significant financial loss: "We hear about one hundred & eighty Slaves off the coast of Guinea, near half of which died before the brig arrived in Charleston where she is now." Talbot later sold his half of the Industry, but, as late as 1801, he was still trying to collect his half of the cargo that he claimed had not been included in the sale.