Captain Gamaliel Bradford, was a

sea captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficie ...

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 ...

sman, and later a

prison warden The warden (United States, US, Canada) or governor (United Kingdom, UK, Australia), also known as a superintendent (US, South Asia) or director (UK, New Zealand), is the official who is in charge of a prison. Name In the United States and Canad ...

who earned notoriety during the

Quasi-War The Quasi-War (french: Quasi-guerre) was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States. The ability of Congres ...

with France commanding two privately owned and armed merchant vessels known as letters of marque. Born November 4, 1763 in

Duxbury, Massachusetts Duxbury (alternative older spelling: "Duxborough") is a historic seaside town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb located on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore approximately to t ...

, he served in the

14th Massachusetts Regiment The 14th Massachusetts Regiment was raised on September 16, 1776, under Colonel Gamaliel Bradford at Boston, Massachusetts. The regiment would see action at the Battle of Saratoga and the Battle of Monmouth. The regiment was disbanded on Janua ...

at a young age during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, initially as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

and eventually was commissioned a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

. At the end of the war he went to sea as a mariner and by the 1790s commanded merchant vessels as a master mariner. In 1799, he commanded the American ship ''Mary'' and successfully repulsed an attack by four French privateers off the coast of

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

. In July 1800, in command of the ''Industry'', he again routed four French privateers off the coast of Cadiz, Spain. During the latter engagement, Bradford was struck by

grapeshot Grapeshot is a type of artillery round invented by a British Officer during the Napoleonic Wars. It was used mainly as an anti infantry round, but had other uses in naval combat. In artillery, a grapeshot is a type of ammunition that consists of ...

and the injury required the amputation of his leg. For his performance during these engagements, Bradford earned renown among the American merchant and naval fleets. The injury prompted his retirement from seafaring. In 1813, he was appointed warden of the Massachusetts State Prison at Charlestown. He continued in that position until his death at his home in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

on March 7, 1824. Bradford and his wife had nine children, many of whom accomplished notoriety in their fields. In 1942, 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 ...

named the USS Bradford (DD-545) after Capt. Gamaliel Bradford for his performance during the Quasi-War.

Early life and family

Gamaliel Bradford, was born in Duxbury, Massachusetts on November 4, 1763 to Gamaliel Bradford and Sarah (Alden) Bradford. His father was a captain of local

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

prior to the Revolutionary War and served eight years as Duxbury's representative to the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

. He married Elizabeth Parker Hickling on August 5, 1792.

Revolutionary War service

In 1776, his father was given the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

and command of the

. The younger Gamaliel Bradford at first enlisted as a private with the 10th Massachusetts Regiment but soon joined his father's 14th regiment. He fought at the battles of Saratoga and Monmouth before encamping with the army for its final cantonment at New Windsor, New York. After Monmouth, he was promoted to Sergeant on June 28, 1778, followed by promotions to Ensign (8/8/1779) and Lieutenant (9/3/1780). When the number of Massachusetts regiments was reduced in 1781, Gamaliel and the other men of the 14th were folded into the 7th Massachusetts Regiment. He stayed on another year in the army before finally returning home in 1784.

Quasi-War

After the war, he commanded the American private armed ship ''Mary'' in 1799, during the Quasi-War with France. In July 1800, in command of ''Industry'', he routed four French privateers at Gibraltar, though he sustained an injury that would cost him his leg. Captain Bradford died at Cambridge, Massachusetts, 7 March 1824.

Legacy

His son and namesake, Gamaliel Bradford, became a physician and early

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

. In 1943, the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

USS ''Bradford'' (DD-545) was named in his honor.

Notes

References

* * * * : {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, Gamaliel 1763 births 1824 deaths People of the Quasi-War People from Duxbury, Massachusetts