Action of 29 July 1782 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Action of 2 September 1781
Part of the American Revolutionary War
The capture of the Amazone by HMS Santa Margarita, 29 July 1782 by Robert Dodd
Date 29 July 1782 Location off Cape Henry Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
Great Britain	France
Commanders and leaders
Elliot Salter	Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil Lieutenant Louis-Charles de Montguyot de Cambronne   †
Strength
1 heavy Frigate	1 light frigate 13 ships
Casualties and losses
5 killed & 17 wounded	1 frigate captured but later abandoned 70 killed & 80 wounded

Action Between the Amazone and HMS Santa Margarita: Cutting the Prize Adrift; by Robert Dodd

The Action of 29 July 1782 was a small but exciting sea battle near the end of the American War of Independence. It happened when a British warship, the frigate HMS Santa Margarita, fought and captured a French frigate called the Amazone. However, the very next day, a larger French group of ships, known as a squadron, arrived. This squadron, led by Admiral Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil, was able to get the Amazone back.

Setting the Scene

This battle took place during the American War of Independence. This war was fought between Great Britain and its thirteen American colonies. France joined the war to support the Americans. Many battles happened on land and at sea.

The British Ship: HMS Santa Margarita

The HMS Santa Margarita was originally a Spanish frigate. A frigate is a type of fast warship. The British Royal Navy captured her in 1779 near Lisbon. She was then made ready for duty in March 1781. Captain Elliot Salter commanded her, with a crew of 255 sailors. He sailed her to North America.

The French Ships: Amazone and the Squadron

On July 29, 1782, Captain Salter spotted eight large warships. These were part of a group of thirteen French ships. They were led by French Admiral Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil. He had managed to save most of the French Navy's ships after a big defeat. This defeat happened at the Battle of the Saintes in the Caribbean Sea a few months earlier. Admiral Vaudreuil had reorganized his fleet in Boston.

The Santa Margarita was a heavier frigate. She had 28 large 18-pounder guns. The Amazone was a lighter frigate. She carried 26 smaller 12-pounder guns.

The Battle Begins

At first, the Amazone, commanded by Lieutenant Montguyot, chased the Santa Margarita. Captain Salter did not want to fight the Amazone right away. He was worried that the rest of the French squadron would join the fight.

But by 3 PM, the larger French ships were no longer in sight. Captain Salter's crew wanted to fight. So, he changed direction to face the French frigate. This sailing move is called tacking.

Around 5 PM, both ships got very close to each other. They were close enough for pistol shots. They both started firing their cannons. They fought for about an hour and fifteen minutes. The British ship had more powerful cannons. This caused a lot of damage to the Amazone.

A Fierce Fight

The Amazone had several of her guns knocked out. She also had about 4 feet (1.2 meters) of water in her lower part. Her masts and rigging (the ropes and sails) were badly damaged. Her main and mizzen masts even fell overboard. The French ship had many sailors killed or wounded. Her captain, Lieutenant Montguyot, was killed. Her first officer was wounded. Because of all this damage, the Amazone had to give up. This is called striking her colours.

The Santa Margarita took the captured Amazone in tow. Captain Salter's crew worked all night. They tried to fix the Amazone's damage enough to sail her away. The French had lost many men. About 70 were killed, and 70 to 80 more were wounded. The rest were taken prisoner. The British had much fewer losses. Only five were killed, and seventeen were wounded. The Santa Margarita had only minor damage, mostly to her rigging.

Captain Salter put a lieutenant and 68 of his men on the Amazone. This was about a third of his crew. They started moving the surviving French crew to the Santa Margarita as prisoners. This was hard because the small boats on both ships were damaged.

Escape from the French Fleet

By dawn, Admiral Vaudreuil's thirteen French ships were back in sight. Captain Salter knew he could not fight such a large force. He had no choice but to get his men back from the Amazone and leave her behind. He would have preferred to burn the Amazone. But many wounded French prisoners were still on board.

Facing an overwhelming force, the Santa Margarita used her speed to escape. Captain Salter and his crew were chased by the French fleet for two days. They finally got away thanks to his pilot's skill. The pilot guided the ship through shallow waters near the mouth of the Delaware River. The larger French ships could not follow there.

After the Fight

Later that year, the famous young British naval officer Horatio Nelson mentioned this battle. He was then captain of HMS Albemarle. He praised Captain Salter for his brave fight against the Amazone.

Admiral Vaudreuil also reported on the battle. He told the Navy Minister about the benefits of new types of cannons called carronades. He also mentioned new ways to fire cannons using friction primers instead of slow matches.

This naval battle inspired the English artist Robert Dodd. He painted two pictures to remember the action. Captain Salter might have asked him to paint them. Both paintings were shown at the Royal Academy in 1784. Today, you can see them at the National Maritime Museum.