David Hawley (1741–1807) was a captain in the

Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War and was founded October 13, 1775. The fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron John Adams ...

and a

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. He commanded in the 1776

Battle of Valcour Island The Battle of Valcour Island, also known as the Battle of Valcour Bay, was a naval engagement that took place on October 11, 1776, on Lake Champlain. The main action took place in Valcour Bay, a narrow strait between the New York mainland and ...

, which is generally regarded as one of the first

naval battle Naval warfare is combat in and on the sea, the ocean, or any other battlespace involving a major body of water such as a large lake or wide river. Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Even in the interior of large lan ...

s of the

, and one of the first fought by the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

Early life and education

Hawley is born into a

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

seafaring family in 1741. His parents were James and Eunice Hawley who lived in the Stratfield section of Stratford, Connecticut now

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

. Hawley's grandfather was Gideon, his great grandfather was

Ephraim Ephraim (; he, ''ʾEp̄rayīm'', in pausa: ''ʾEp̄rāyīm'') was, according to the Book of Genesis, the second son of Joseph ben Jacob and Asenath. Asenath was an Ancient Egyptian woman whom Pharaoh gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughte ...

and his great great grandfather was Joseph Hawley, a shipbuilder and the first of the name in America.

Career

Commission

Hawley was appointed a lieutenant on July 11, 1776 to serve on the state man of war ''Oliver Cromwell''. At a meeting with the

Governor of Connecticut The governor of Connecticut is the head of government of Connecticut, and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Connecticu ...

and Council of Safety on August 16, 1776, it was voted to draw an order in favor of Captain David Hawley for 180 pounds to enable Hawley to raise a crew of seamen for the naval service of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

on the Lakes to the northward, to which he was appointed Captain.

Battle of Valcour Island

He served under

Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold ( Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American military officer who served during the Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defect ...

at the

on Lake Champlain on October 11, 1776. The battle is generally regarded as one of the first

s of the

, and one of the first fought by the

. Hawley commanded the two-masted schooner USS ''Royal Savage'' with a crew of 50 men. His cousin Ephraim Hawley (1746–1777) served as his lieutenant and his young nephew Samuel Hawley was also a seaman. The ship ran aground during the battle and was burned by the crew to prevent it from falling into British hands. The Royal Savage had been Arnold's flagship until he went aboard the USS ''Congress''. All of Arnold's personal belongings were destroyed when the Royal Savage was burned. This naval battle delayed for one year the British attempts to cut the colonies in half.

Revolutionary War service

He was taken prisoner several times, and after being taken with the State sloop USS ''Schuyler'' in 1777, he was again exchanged, and continued his service as a

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

, bringing several prizes into

Black Rock Harbor Black Rock Harbor is located in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Long Island Sound. The Black Rock Harbor Light on Fayerweather IslandUSS ''Guilford'', until she fell prey to the British in

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

harbor in July 1779, when he escaped capture and fitted out a flotilla of armed boats by warrant authority, before being commissioned.

Daring raid

In November 1779 he commanded a voluntary force of 20 men from

Stratford, Connecticut Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is situated on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. Stratford is in the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was settled ...

and the vicinity, crossed the Sound in a daring raid and brought back from Long Island, Thomas Jones, Esq, of Suffolk County, one of the Judges of the Ministerial Supreme Court of the Crown, and delivered him up as a hostage to exchange for General

Gold Selleck Silliman Gold Selleck Silliman (1732–1790) was a Connecticut militia General during the American War for Independence. Biography Silliman was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, graduated from Yale University and practiced law and served as a crown attorney ...

who had been taken prisoner earlier that year. The daring raid and subsequent prisoner exchange were made into the film Mary Silliman's War produced by Heritage Films, under the auspices of The Institute for Early American History in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. It is based on the biography by Richard and Joy Day Buel, ''The Way of Duty'' (Norton, 1984).

Protecting the Connecticut shore

The next spring, on April 20, 1780 he went from

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan area ...

with three armed boats under his command to Blue Point, Long Island and captured eleven British and Tory vessels, all of which he either destroyed or ransomed, except four which he brought back to Fairfield and libeled. One of the latter was richly laden with West India goods. On April 6, 1780, in company with Capt. Ebenezer Jones, he took a Tory sloop commanded by Jared Bell. On October 15, 1780, he partook in the capture of the sloop ''Dorset''. Under his last commission he was especially active in the Sound and performed important naval service in the prevention of illicit trade, seizing and libeling many boats and cargoes in the Fairfield Court. During his several exploits, first and last Captain Hawley is credited with the capture of over 20 sail of enemy craft during the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

War for Independence.

Personal life

It is believed by some that Captain Hawley built the first brick house within the city limits of

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

from bricks that may have been supplied by

Nero Hawley Nero Hawley (1742 – January 30, 1817) was an African-American soldier who was born into slavery in North Stratford, Connecticut, and later earned his freedom after enlisting in the Continental Army in place of his owner, Daniel Hawley, on Apri ...

. The home was located at the corner of Water and Gilbert Streets and was used, after Hawley's death as a saddle factory by Seth B. Jones and was the arena of great theological discussions among the workmen, especially; Joshua Lord, William Wright, Edwin B. Gregory and Alexander S. Gordon. Orcutt, Vol. 1 page 553
/ref>

Notes

References

* Claghorn, Charles E. ''Naval Officers of the American Revolution: A Concise Biographical Dictionary''. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1988. . * Connecticut Historical Society, ''Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society'', Vol VIII, Hartford, 1901 *

William Richard Cutter William Richard Cutter (August 17, 1847 – June 6, 1918) was an American historian, genealogist, and writer. Life Born in Woburn, Massachusetts on August 17, 1847, he was the son of Dr. Benjamin Cutter and Mary Whittemore Cutter. He attended ...

, ''New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial'', Lewis Historical Publishing, NY, 1914 * Reverend Samuel Orcutt, ''History Of The Old Towns Of Stratford, Connecticut'', Fairfield County Historical Society, 1886 * Louis F. Middlebrook, ''History of Maritime Connecticut During the American Revolution 1775 – 1783'', The Essex Institute, Salem, Mass, 1925 * Jim Mathews, ''The Connecticut Society Of The Sons Of The American Revolution'', East Haddam, CT * James Trumbull, ''Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut 1636–1776'', Connecticut General Assembly, Lockwood & Brainard, 1890

External links

The Society of the Hawley Family, Inc. official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawley, David 1741 births 1807 deaths United States Navy personnel of the American Revolution People of Connecticut in the American Revolution American privateers Military personnel from Bridgeport, Connecticut Continental Navy officers People of colonial Connecticut