The Gaspee Affair

The Gaspee Affair was a significant event that occurred on June 9th, 1772 and lead-up to the American Revolution. The Gaspee was a ship was sailed by Lieutenant William Duddington. The Gaspee was an English Revenue that would smuggle and collect import taxes from ships entering Rhode Island ports.

The events leading up to the Gaspee Affair started with the Sons of Liberty and how they were very active throughout the colonies. British officers who were charged with enforcing the customs began to become very aggressive. The Sons of Liberty were group of instigators who likes to enforce civil disobedience.

In June of 1772 an event occurred where the Lieutenant William Duddington was charged with patrolling the waters of Narragansett Bay off of Rhode Island. Duddington had earned a reputation as a overzealous enforcer. Many people disliked him and wanted to get revenge on him.

Duddington had a reputation of stealing cargo and detaining vessels and getting away with it without charge. It was believed that these things were directed at the Sons of Liberty. Duddington would seize vessles and get away with it.

On June 9th, 1772 a local vessel was on it's way to Providence when it's captain baited the captain of the Gaspee into shallow waters near Warwick. The Gaspee ran aground at a place that is known as Gaspee Point.

News of the ship landing aground in Providence quickly spread and a group fifty-five led by a man named John Brown, planned an attack on the ship. These men had hatred built up and were ready to take it out on the Gaspee.

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The following evening the group of fifty-five surrounded and boarded the Gaspee. They captured the entire crew upon the ship and even wounded Duddington. They took everyone off the ship while they could meaning they had everyone right where they wanted them and the plan was working.

After they had the entire crew removed from the ship they were all hauled to shore and abandoned. The point of this was for the entire crew to watch the ship be looted and burned. All the crew members sat on the shore and were made to watch the ship burn up in flames.

The attack on the ship was very bold because none of the attackers covered their faces or tried to hide their identities. Duddington and the crew were able to remember most of the faces of the attackers. Little did they know seeing all these faces wouldn't help them in the end.

Remembering the faces did the crew no good because the local courts already hated them. The local courts were antagonistic towards the Royal Navy. Charges ended up being placed on Duddington for illegally seizing goods rather than charging all the attackers that burned down the ship.

Even though the identities of the attackers was widely known by the crew mates the investigation was fruitless and no arrests were ever made of the attackers.

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17 17 17 17 17 17

70 72 73 73 74 74

Boston The The The Coervie 1st

Massacre Gaspee commitee of Boston Tea Acts continental

Affair correspondence Party congress

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Cites

https://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/gaspee.html#:~:text=The%20Gaspee%20ran%20aground%20at,an%20attack%20on%20the%20ship.&text=All%20were%20hauled%20ashore%20and,was%20looted%20and%20then%20burned.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/british-vessel-burned-off-rhode-island

https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/1772-gaspee-affair-rhode-islands-tea-party-ship-burned-2/

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