A 76th Officer's Journal Part 1

Notebook with daily account of operations against the Americans in the War of Independence, written by an officer of the 76th Regiment 1779-1781.

Robertson of Kindeace papers (National Archives of Scotland, GD146/18/6)

*[Transcription by Don N. Hagist, May 2004. This is a rough transcription, for reading use only. It does not perfectly preserve the author’s spelling, and a few of the words may be incorrect. Some of the sentence breaks are conjectural, the original punctuation being cryptic or absent]*

[Skipped pages 1 through 4, from 16 March 1779 in Perth, covering voyage from there to Spithead]

[pick up in April 1779]

[page 5] Sunday the 18: Lord McLeod’s second Battalion with some Hessians came to Spithead the morning of 17 about seventy sail. Monday a fine day and Tuesday till four in the afternoon, then it blew hy and the two days following hyer. Friday at five in the morning thunder and lightning, and as hy wind as ever I heard and Saturday the same with hail. The wind not so hy Sunday & more to the north. Monday and Tuesday the wind by and [illeg] not so hy the three following days but rain. The fornoon Friday the agent gave orders to all the ship masters to be ready to sail the afternoon Friday the admiral fired at four for the whole to weigh anchor and which was done and all sailed by five. We was not half an hour on our way when the wind blew right in our teeth by seven it blew so hy with wind and hail that the whole was obliged to return. Some of our transports was blown back to Spithead the rest set anchor at St. Helens. It rained Saturday the first of May till 9 in the morning. By ten the admiral fired for sailing, the whole weighed anchor and sailed by 12 a north east wind at two in the afternoon a hurriken with rain that lasted a quarter of an hour the wind changed with the shower against us all night we were obliged to tack back and for all night and Sunday fornoon and then we got south east wind. We have sight of the middle point while it was day light Sunday there was a signal given by the admiral by seven in the afternoon for all masters of transports and victualers to go aboard of the admirals. All the transports and man of ware got orders to sail for Jersey that the french had Landed there, and the victualers was ordered for Torbay. It rained all that night and Monday morning a fine day. We was in sight of Capilakey in France about five in [illeg] in sight of Casquite, and gernasy at seven. We observed a currier coming from the Fort at Gernsay to the admiral but the be so hy [sic] that no Boat could go out we did not know what news. This [illeg] night but we stired quite [illeg] we supose it is for england. The wind very hy with hail and snow all night. The sea swelled mountains high the ships pitched as if it had been going to pieces. The cordage rattled, the wind roared the Lightning flashed. The thunder bellowed, and the rain descended in a deluge. The wind continued hy all day the 4 of May. The wind hy till the 5 in the afternoon. We got sight of the point of Portland the morning of the 5. The admiral fired a gun to sail for Holymouth which we all did and by eight in the morning the 5 of May the wind nor west at 12 the admiral fired two gun and so did the [Rissal?] and both put up a yellow flack and steered farther from the Land.

[page 7] Stiring South west the Seafourd meet us by twelth and her Boat was observed alongside of the admiral. It was thought then that the Seafourd brought some orders for the admiral which was the case: to sail for Torbay and set anchor there till he would get a stronger Convoy. Half after one we fired a gun the whole retacked [missing word “wind”?] the against us so much that we was at seven in the afternoon at the very place we were at eight that morning. we tacked again

by 7 and was going of from the Land all night till four next morning. Wednesday the sixth and then turned for Torbay. The wind hy we came in sight of the point of Torbay by ten and set anchor half past two the six of May. Hy wind and rain Friday and fine days the morning of the 8 the signal for sailing was given three times that day but the wind blew so hy that we could not. Sunday the 9 a good day and Monday the same. The signal was given by 9 Monday and we sailed by 12 and all turned back by three. The three following days warm with westerlee wind. We heard Saturday the 15 that we are to ly hear till we get a stronger convoy from Portsmouth. Saturday the 22 the admiral fired a gun by 8 in the afternoon to be in readyness for sailing. By four next morning two guns. By ten a gun and a yellow flack. At 12 his boat was going from one transport to another with orders for sailing the whole weighed anchor by two and cleared off the point by four.

[page 8] There was eight sail of the line and four frigates came up to join by five that afternoon. We sailed off with fair wind; by four in the afternoon of the 24 there was a signal for all masters of transports to come aboard of the admirals which they all did. They got orders none of to predent to go sail before him [sic]. We made no way all that day we was all that day in sight of [illeg] point. The morning of the 25 in sight of what they call ram head a high point of land fair wind for us all that day: We lost sight of the land by 9 the night of the 25 it rained all day the 26 with easter wind. There is fog from one in the morning of the 27 till 8 in the morning of the 28 the wind against us north and be east till seven in the afternoon; and then south and be west again. From the admiral then we stird our course right for new york the wind south west. The wind changed norwest the afternoon of the 29. It is calm for that two days; and yet the sea swelled like mountains. At 9 in the morning of the 31 we got the wind as hy as we could wish for we did not sail for that eight days above one day if the wind had been for us. The first of June the wind north & be east the 2d the same we are in Laditute 46 & w. We all lay too from 3 in the afternoon till 3 in the afternoon the 3d June. The whole sailed then. The wind at 12 raised very hy with rain. The 4 the eight ships of the line returned from us at five in the afternoon. The 5 the wind norwest.

[page 9] The 5 the wind nor west. It continues so till the 8 and very hy so hy that the sea runs mountains hy. The wind changed from norwes to south west at 2 in the morning of the eleventh day. By seven the signal was given for tacking. At 10 at night the wind to the north and all night it got the wind for us Sunday the 13 going 6 knots an hour. In Latitude 41 & Long 19. We are going Southwest since Friday morning. Monday Tuesday no wind we are not going abvoe a mile an hour & some times more back than forward. Wednesday the 16 the wind south west a great deal of rain the 17 steering west but very low wind we are in Lad 39:13 and Long 20 the wind to the south. Sagath the 20 with rain and Lighting the Quebec fleet parted with us at 3 the afternoon of the 21; 30 sail. We got the wind south west the morning of 23 and hy going four nots. The wind cont from the south w. till 12 of the 27; and north then the wind continued fair for us till the first July going from four and a half to 6 nots a hour. The wind still north east and we going from 3 to 5 nots till 12 the 9 of July stering south & [illeg] Long 39:43 in Lad 26:44. Going four nots in Long 41 & half and Lad 26. The morning of the 18 the 14 in Long 42:43 Lad 25:40 the fifteen in Long 45:13 in Ld 24 and half in Long 48 the 20 in Lad 28 in Long 49:30. The 21 the Hallefax fleet parted with us in Lad 27 Lon 50:30. The 25 in Lad 29:25 in Lon 55. The 26 in Lad 29:41 in Lon 55:47. Good wind the 27 South West in Lad 30:27 in Long 56. The 28 in Lad 31:4 in Lon 56:14. The first of August in Lad 33:3 in Lon 57:56 the north and going nor west at the rate of three and a half. The 2d in Lad 33:25

[page 10] The 2d day of August in Lad 33:25 in Long 59:7 going 5 nots an hour. The 3d day going at same rate; in Lad 39:31 in Lon 61:15. The 4 in Lad 33:36 in Long 62:42 the wind south east going 2 & a half. The 5 in Lad 34:11 in Long 63:42 Long. Runs 52 here. The Ressel is in Chess of two ships all this day. The 6 in Lad 34:22 in Long 64:3. The 7 in Lad 34:25 in Long 65:3. The 8 in Lad 34:41 in Long 65:33 the wind south west we are going north west 2 & a half. The 9 in Lad 35:18 in Long 66:19 we are going south west. The 10 in Lond 66:33 in Lad 35:18. The 12 in Lon 68 in Lad 35:31 going south west it is 5 in the afternoon of Sunday the 15 the Rissel left us the yesterday it is thought for New York. The wind nor’west. The 16 in Lon 69:49 in Lad 34:55. We had a great deal of lighting and rain the night of the 16 we lost 38 of our transports that night but cam up with them next day by 10 oclock; in Lon 70:4 in Lad 35:47. The 18 in Lon 72 in Lad 35:11 this day an armed ship and two scunars met us and brought us for news that there was three american Privateers waiting of us to take as many as they can of our transports. The admiral put up a flack for all the masters of ships on the 19 and acquanted them of this in Lon 72:51 in Lad 35:18. The 20 in Lon 78:35 in Lad 35:55 we are going 6 nots; southeast wind. The 22 in Lon 78:22 in Lad 38:31. The 23 in lad 39:10. The 24 in Lad 39:37

[page 11] we got sight of the Jersey shore the morning of the 24. We set anchor by 9 in the morning of the 25 and Landed the 27 at Brooklyn marched from that to Bedford and encamped there till the 4 November and then cam to the hights of Brooklyn and encamped there till the 10 N. and then to our winter quarters to brooklyn and in that neighbourhood. The 29 Decr four Companys marched to the hutts at bedfourd. The 2d of January it began to snow above the old, and it continued snow for three days. These days was so sever that ye could not see ten yards befor you and the 4 days following severe frost. The tenth by five in the afternoon it began to snow all night and then was a great fall again next morning. On Saturday the 13 Jan the Rebels cam to staten island four thousand. We got order to be ready at a moments warning the 42 & some Hessians embarked that day but the wind being against them and so much ice coming down the north river they could not go the 16 or the 17. All of them disembarked the night of 17 January at new york. By four in the morning of the 23 we the 76 got order to march from bedfourd and cross at Brooklyn for new york the whole Regt paraded at the naval store. There was 300 men drawn of the best, 9 subalterns three Capt one major of us order to embark for Staten Island. We saild from york by 12 with fair wind but a great [gale rose?] in our way. The schooner that I was a board of set on a bank of sand half past one and lay there till 7 at night and then got of.