July 30, 1776

After a brief skirmish with Continental forces, Lord Dunmore abandoned Gwynn’s Island. This eyewitness account was first published in Williamsburg in the same issue of Alexander Purdie’s Virginia Gazette as an extract from the Declaration of Independence. It described a horrific scene on the island after the departure of Dunmore and his “piratical crew.” They had “evacuated the place with the greatest precipitation” and left behind a two-mile stretch of “dead bodies, in a state of putrefaction…without a shovel full of earth upon them; others gasping for life; and some had crawled to the water’s edge who could only make known their distress by beckoning to us.” Smallpox and other diseases had taken the lives of members of Dunmore’s crew as well as many of the enslaved men, women, and children who had come to Dunmore seeking the freedom promised in his 1775 proclamation. Some of the temporary shelters on the island were set on fire as Dunmore’s ships prepared to leave, and some people left behind burned alive. “In short,” the eyewitness explained, “such a scene of misery, distress and cruelty, my eyes never held.”

The Pennsylvania Evening Post
Printed by Benjamin Towne

WILLIAMSBURG, July 19.
[...]
The following is a particular account of the attack and rout of Lord Dunmore, with his piratical crew, from Gwyn’s island.

WE got to the island on Monday the eighth, and next morning, at eight o’clock, began a furious attack upon the enemy’s shipping, camp, and fortifications, from two batteries, one of five six and nine pounders, the other mounting two eighteen pounders. What forces the enemy had were encamped on a point of the island, nearly opposite to our five gun battery, covered by a battery of four embrasures, and a breastwork of considerable extent. Besides this, they had two other batteries, and a stockade fort, higher up the haven, where troops were stationed to prevent our landing. In the haven were three tenders, ene a sloop (the Lady Charlotte) mounting six carriage guns, a schooner of two carriage guns, six swivels, and a cohorn, and a pilot boat, badly armed; who had orders from Capt. Hammond, of the Roebuck, to prevent our boats passing over to the island, and to annoy the rebels by every means in their power.

Gen. Lewis announced his orders for attacking the enemy by putting a match to the first gun, an eighteen pounder, himself; and the Dunmore being then nearest to us, at the distance of only four or five hundred yards, the shot passed through her hull, and did considerable damage. Our five gun battery likewise began playing on the fleet, the enemy’s camp and works; and the fire soon became so hot that the Dunmore was obliged to cut her cables and haul off, after receiving ten shot, some of which raked her fore and aft. The Otter lay next to her, and it was expected would have taken her birth, but the first shot we gave her took place, supposed between wind and water, as she immediately slipped her cable likewise, and hauled out on a careen, without firing a gun. By this time all the fleet, any way near shore, began to slip their cables, in the utmost confusion; and had the wind set in with a flood tide, we must have taken great numbers of them. Our eighteen pounders did great execution from the upper battery, which raked the whole fleet; and Capt. Denny, who commanded the other battery, soon silenced the enemy at the point, knocking down several tents, which put their camp into great confusion. At half after nine the firing ceased, which was renewed again at twelve, with double vigor, from both batteries; and nothing prevented our pushing to the island during the cannonade, but the want of vessels.

The Gen. being determined to cross next day, gave orders for all the small craft to be collected together from the neighbouring creek that night, and two brass field-pieces, six pounders, to be carried to a place called Lower Windmill Point, to attack the tender that lay there, and facilitate our crossing. Accordingly, in the morning, Capt. Harrison, who had the direction of those field-pieces, began playing upon the tenders, which he galled so much, that the schooner ran up a small creek which made into the island, where the crew abandoned her, and the sloop got around in reach of our cannon; upon which the General ordered Capt. Smith, of seventh regiment, with his company, to man the canoes and board her, which was done with alacrity. However, before our men came up with her, the crew got into their boat and pushed for the island; but Capt. Smith, very prudently passing the tender, pursued them so close, that, before they could reach the shore, he exchanged a few shot with them, and took part of them prisoners. The enemy’s lookouts, perceiving our men close upon the lower part of the island, cried out “The shirtmen are coming,” and scampered off. The pilot boat made no resistance.

Gen. Lewis then ordered two hundred men, under Colonel McClanahan, to land in the island, which was performed as expeditiously as our small vessels would admit of. On our arrival, we found the enemy had evacuated the place with the greatest precipitation, and were struck with horror at the number of dead bodies, in a state of putrefaction, strewed all the way from their battery to Cherry-point, about two miles in length, without a shovel full of earth upon them; others gasping for life; and some had crawled to the water’s edge, who could only make known their distress by beckoning to us. By the smallpox, and other malignant disorders, which have raged on board the fleet for many months past, it is clear they have lost, since their arrival at Gwyn’s island, near five hundred souls. I myself counted one hundred and thirty graves, or rather holes loosely covered over with earth, close together, many of them large enough to hold a corporal’s guard. One, in the middle, was neatly done up with turf, and is supposed to contain the remains of the late Lord of Gosport. Many were burnt alive in brush huts, which, in their confusion, had got on fire. In short, such a scene of misery, distress and cruelty, my eyes never held; for which the authors, one may reasonably conclude, never can make atonement in this world.

The enemy left behind them, in their battery, a double fortified nine pounder, great part of their baggage, with several tents and marquees, besides the three tenders, with their cannon, small arms, &c. also the anchors and cables of the Dunmore, Otter, and many others, to the amount, it is supposed, of twelve or fifteen hundred pounds. On their leaving the island, they burnt some valuable vessels, which had got aground. Mr. John Grymes’s effects on the island have fallen into our hands, consisting of thirty-five Negroes, horses, cattle and furniture.

Major Byrd, on the approach of our canoes to the island, was huddled into a cart, in a very sick and low condition, it is said, and carried down to Cherry-point, where he embarked. The second shot the Dunmore received cut her boatswain in two, and wounded two or three others; and she had scarcely recovered from the shock when a nine pounder from the lower battery entered her quarter, and beat in a large timber, from the splinters of which Lord Dunmore got wounded in the legs, and had all his valuable china smashed about his ears. It is said his Lordship was exceedingly alarmed, and roared out, “Good God, that ever I should come to this!” We had our information from one of his people that came ashore after the engagement, who was taken by our scouts; he likewise said, that many were killed in the fleet, which had sustained some thousand pounds worth of damage. The Fowey and Roebuck were the lowermost ships, besides which there were one hundred and large odd sail of vessels, who took their departure on Thursday afternoon, and are supposed to have gone into Potowmack.

In this affair we lost not a man but poor Captain Arundel, who was killed by the bursting of a mortar of his own invention, although the Gen. and all the officers were against his firing it. His zeal for the service lost him his life.”