John Foster Williams (12 October 1743 – 24 June 1814) was an American mariner who served as an officer in the

Massachusetts State Navy The Massachusetts Naval Militia (at first called the Massachusetts Colonial Navy and later the Massachusetts State Navy), was a naval militia active during the American Revolutionary War. It was founded December 29, 1775, to defend the interests ...

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 ...

and later an officer in the

Revenue-Marine ) , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot= , equipment= , equipment_label= , battles= , anniversaries=4 August , decorations= , battle_honours= , battle_honours_label= , disbanded=28 January 1915 , flying_hours= , website= , commander1= , co ...

Career

Williams was commissioned a captain in the Navy of Massachusetts and received command of the

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

''Hazard'' late in 1777. In the following year, he took her to sea in a fruitless search for British West Indiamen; but he and his ship eventually achieved success in 1779. While cruising in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

, ''Hazard'' fell in with the

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 ...

brigantine ''Active'' on 16 March. At the end of a "smart action" of 35-minutes' duration, "yard arm to yard arm," ''Active'' struck her colors and became ''Hazard's'' prize, after having suffered 13 killed and 20 wounded out of her 95-man crew.Evans, p 9 ''Hazard'' sent the captured brigantine back to

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

under a prize crew and subsequently returned home in April, after taking several other prizes. In May, ''Hazard'' returned to sea, this time in company with the

''Tyrannicide''. At 0830 on 15 June, the two ships fell in with two British ships and—after a short, sharp engagement—forced both enemy vessels to strike their colors. Later that summer, ''Hazard''—like the rest of the Massachusetts Navy—took part in the ill-fated

Penobscot expedition The Penobscot Expedition was a 44-ship American naval armada during the Revolutionary War assembled by the Provincial Congress of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. The flotilla of 19 warships and 25 support vessels sailed from Boston on July 1 ...

, an operation which eventually cost the state's navy all of its commissioned vessels. Williams received command of the new 20 gun

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

''Protector'' in the spring of 1780 and took her to sea in June. In accordance with instructions from the

Board of War The Board of War, also known as the Board of War and Ordinance, was created by the Second Continental Congress as a special standing committee to oversee the American Continental Army's administration and to make recommendations regarding the ar ...

, the new warship cruised in the vicinity of the Newfoundland Banks, on the lookout for British merchantmen. Her vigilance was rewarded early in June. At 0700 on 9 June 1780, ''Protector'' spotted a strange ship bearing down on her, flying British colors. At 1100, the Continental

, also flying English colors, hailed the stranger and found her to be the 32-gun letter-of-marque ''Admiral Duff'', bound for

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

from St. Kitts. When the enemy's identity had been ascertained, ''Protector'' hauled down British colors and ran up the Continental flag—opening fire almost simultaneously. The action ensued for the next hour and one-half, until ''Admiral Duff'' caught fire and exploded, leaving 55 survivors for Protector to rescue soon thereafter. With the coming of peace, Williams returned to his native Boston. Because of rampant smuggling and the need for enforcement of tariff laws, upon the urging of Secretary of Treasury

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

, the United States Congress created the Revenue-Marine on 4 August 1790.King, p 5 Under the enabling legislation that authorized the Revenue-Marine, a "System of Cutters", consisting of ten ships, were initially ordered and constructed.Evans, p 14 John Foster Williams was commissioned as a Revenue-Marine officer by President

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

21 March 1791 and given oversight of construction of the cutter ''Massachusetts'' which he later commanded.Evans, p 10Evans, p 13 After ''Massachusetts'' was determined to be too slow for her assigned tasks she was decommissioned and ''Massachusetts II'' was constructed and commissioned in 1793; Williams was chosen as master.King, p 6Canney, pp 2–4

Later life and death

Williams died in Boston on 24 June 1814.

Legacy

John Foster Williams burial place (36100)

*The ship was named for him.

References

Citations

Works cited

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, John Foster 1743 births 1814 deaths People from colonial Boston Massachusetts militiamen in the American Revolution Continental Navy personnel People of colonial Massachusetts Burials at Granary Burying Ground