On this day 14 October - a two-day capturing excursion

[7eat51]

Between 13 and 14 October [the HMS] Racoon [a brig-sloop armed with 16 x 32-pounder carronades and 2 x 6-pounder bow chasers] captured four French schooners and a cutter. The schooners were the Jeune Adelle and Liza, plus two others whose names were not recorded. The cutter was the Amitie, of four guns and six swivel guns. All were mostly in ballast, but also carrying some dry goods or ironmongery. Jeune Adele and Amitie (or Amelie) were part of a group of three naval vessels, including the brig Petite Fille.

On the afternoon of 13 October, Racoon had observed several vessels sail along the coast of Cuba and enter Cumberland Harbour before sunset. [Commander Austin] Bissell believed that they were French and part of the evacuation of Port-au-Prince. He anchored in a nearby small bay until morning. At 6:30 a.am. Racoon chased nine vessels, and came to engage a brig, schooner, and cutter. After a broadside or two from Racoon, the brig struck. Bissell sent aboard a small prize crew comprising an officer and some men and then turned his attention to the other two vessels. At 11 they approached Racoon with an intent to board. Bissell maneuvered Racoon to block this attempt and continued to engage the two with broadsides, receiving cannon and extensive small-arms fire in return. After about an hour Racoon had battered the cutter into a wreck. He had many casualties and struck. Bissell sent a prize crew to him, and then set off after the schooner, which had started to flee when the cutter struck. At 1 p.m., Racoon caught up with him, fired a few shot, and he too struck. Racoon then chased a brig, which proved to be American, before returning to the French brig that she had captured in the morning.

Bissell discovered that while Racoon was engaged the cutter and schooner, the Frenchmen on the brig Petite Fille had overpowered the prize crew Bissell had put aboard him and had run the brig onshore, where they escaped with their weapons. Petite Fille had been under the command of Lieutenant de Vaisseau M. Piquet (the elder), and had had on board 180 troops, in addition to crew. Bissell was able to recover his prize crew unharmed. Petite Fille had been stationed at Port-au-Prince, where she had carried supplies to Saint-Marc. When captured, she was evacuating troops and civilians from Port-au-Prince to Cuba. The British were able to refloat her and she was sold at Santiago de Cuba. The schooner Jeune Adele was under the command of Lieutenant de Vaisseau M. Serin, and had 80 troops aboard. The cutter Amelie was under the command of Ensign de Vaisseau M. Puy and had on board over 70 troops.

The French commanders disclosed that they knew that Racoon was in the area and that the three French vessels had sortied from Cumberland Harbour with the intent to take Racoon by boarding, using their superiority in numbers. Bissell was of the opinion that had the wind remained as calm as it was early in the morning, they might have succeeded, though at great cost. As it was, the French had over forty dead and wounded. Racoon had only one man injured. Though Racoon had little damage, only some shot to her sails, Bissell returned to port, stating that "the very disabled State of the Prizes, and having expended nearly all the Shot on board, will, I hope, plead my excuse for returning to Port before I was regularly recalled." The Lloyd's Patriotic Fund awarded Bissell an honour sword worth 100 guineas. Head money for 37 men, pronounced to have been aboard the Amitiė, was paid in December 1824.

Soon after this Bissell received promotion to post captain and command of Creole, which the British had captured in July. James Alexander Gordon, first lieutenant of Racoon, replaced Bissell on 22 October.

Capture of privateers Jeune Adele and Amelie by HMS Racoon:




Today's event is taken directly from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Racoon_(1795)

[csadn]

This was 1803, BTW.

[Berthier]

Reads like an episode from Hornblower et al.