Home / Macdonald, John. Interview with Dibble, John; (1847-11-02). John M. McDonald Interviews, 1844-1851, WCHS item 1665. Westchester County Historical Society. Transcribed by history.croton.news April 2026. / Passage

Interview with Dibble, John

Macdonald, John. Interview with Dibble, John; (1847-11-02). John M. McDonald Interviews, 1844-1851, WCHS item 1665. Westchester County Historical Society. Transcribed by history.croton.news April 2026. 269 words

They never fired a gun, but they fired at us fiercely from City Island. Ten Dollars we offered to the first man on board and five for the second. Andrew Mead was the first and one Gregory the second. No one of us understood the management of the stern top sail, and we then promised if any of the crew would assist us in the navigation we would not make them prisoners but would let them go. Two of the English crew accepted our offer. One of them was an Englishman named Jacob Chapman, who afterwards married

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240 586 107. 97. and lived here. The other was an Irishman. We then took six more vessels, all wood boats, two of which we ransomed and took the other four into Stamford. On this occasion we set out with the intention of taking the fort at White Stone Ferry, but when Captain Lockwood saw the Shuldham and heard of the Little Stanton, he altered his intention. There were also a brig and ship (armed vessels) along the side the fort, and Lockwood knew it would not do to attack the fort then. We went down to attack the fort being in number about thirty or sixty. Fade Donaldson was a rough old [boy?] and had three sons with him in the whale boat service. Major Eyres had been a Major in the army, and was afterwards a whale boat captain. I was under him three or four months. He was a very brave man with very little conduct, and was killed by Captn. Marks. He surrendered, and delivered his