Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 August 1859 — Commodore Whipple. [ARTICLE]

Commodore Whipple.

j Mr. Nahum Ward, a wealthy citizen of j lias placed a handsome monument | over the grave of the gallant Commodore Whipple, who rendered such distinguished service in the revolutionary war, Comrnoj dore Whipple, having given the best, part of his life to his country, and contributed nearI ly all his prize money to the cause of inde- : pendence, retired to his farm and afterward removed to Marietta, where ho lived in honorable poverty, supporting himself by the labor of his hands upon a small estate’. At the age of seventy-six, the tardy and meagre justice of the country that he had helped to tree, overtook him, and for the ten rej maining years of his life he received a pension of §3O a month. Commodore Whipple was in the expedition that went out from Providence and burnt the Gusjkc. In a single cruise of the privateer Game Cock, he took twenty-three prizes, in the old French War. The schooner. Providence, under his command, tool; more prizes than any other vessel from 1775 to 1779, and in the frigate of tiic same name he made a during and successful passage | I through the British fleet, and safely delivered | the important dispatches with which lie was | entrusted to France. The following anec- j dote ol his daring is related in Blake’s Bio- , i graphical Dictionary.: “Subsequently. 'ill the termination of his naval career in the contest, he was the commander of a squadron. Some of his achieve-! ments were so singular and extraordinary ; ajs to appear more like romance than reality,’ | and on one occasion the prize money from i his captures amounted to § 1 MOO,OOO. I’er- ; haps the most eccentric and daring of his exploits was performed in July, 1779, when | he encountered the homeward-botind Jumai!ca fleet of nearly 150 sail, conyoyed by a seventy-four gun ship and some smaller vessels. He con fried bis own guns, hoisted British col r-;, j fined the fleet as one of their number. Thus‘he sailed in their comp nv for several days, am! each night he was busily occupied in making captures from ' them, one at a time being taken, manned ; with officers lr"m his own vessels, and then steered to a differet t point, of the compass, so that by morning she wis out of sight. In this way lie captured ten richly-laden v -s----ise- eigi'll of which arrived in America!, ports.