When the British ships Phoenix and Rose got past the American defenses and went up the Hudson River, orders immediately went out among the American forces to prepare fire ships for attacking them.
A fire ship, or fire raft, was a vessel meant for setting enemy ships on fire. It might be made especially for the purpose, or it might just be an old vessel that they could afford to dispose of. It was filled with flammable materials, arranged in such a way that the fire would start quickly and burn well. The idea was to sail it right up against the enemy’s ship, throw out grappling hooks to hold it alongside, start the fire — and then get out of there as fast as possible.
Although it sounds simple, it took a few weeks for the Americans to get everything ready. In the meanwhile, they made a rather unsuccessful attack in galleys. Finally, at about 11:00 or 11:30 p.m. on August 16, 1776, while lying at anchor in the Hudson, the British crews aboard the Phoenix and Rose (and the three smaller vessels — two tenders and one schooner — that accompanied them) saw a few vessels “silently moving up with the tide.” Two of them were fire ships, and the others were galleys (low, flat-built vessels that used oars as well as sails).
It was cloudy and dark, and the British didn’t see them until they were quite close. Captain Hyde Parker, Jr., of the Phoenix, called to the men aboard the Charlotta (the Rose‘s tender) to fire at one of the fire ships, which was close to her; but “In Five Seconds the Rebel Vessel Boarded the Tender and was set fire to.” All of the British crew made it safely to the Rose, but the Charlotta burned down to the waterline.
By the light of the fire, Captain Parker saw the other fire ship bearing down on the Phoenix; he “Immediately Order’d the Cable [the anchor rope] to be Cut” so that the ship could maneuver, and “Commenced Firing upon the Fire Ship; in Ten Minutes afterwards she Boarded us on the Starboard Bow at which time the Rebels set fire to the Train [the fuse, you might say] and left her”. For 10 or 20 minutes the two ships were stuck together. Finally, the wind helped the Phoenix to pull free. It had been a very close call, as Captain Parker wrote in the ship’s log that the Phoenix would have been burned “had not the Steadiness of the Officers & Ship’s Company saved her.”
American Major General William Heath, who had watched from the bank, reported to General Washington:
The fire-ships were well conducted….The Lady Washington galley and Independence were conducted with great judgment and bravery. I wish I could say that the other galleys did any thing at all. The Phoenix either slipt or cut her cable; the Rose was left alone, and is thought might have been taken. I was an eye-witness to the whole; and from the confusion which was apparent, I am confident that if an attempt should be made on the fleet below, and but one or two ships set on fire, their confusion would be beyond description.
When the American crews set their ships on fire, they jumped off and got aboard the galleys. I can imagine that once you set a highly-combustible ship on fire, the urge to get off the ship must become suddenly overwhelming. Perhaps because of this, General Washington awarded 50 dollars — which was a lot of money — to “each of those who stayed last [aboard the fire ships], and were somewhat burnt,” and 40 dollars each to the other members of the crew. One of the men, a Sergeant Smith from Connecticut, was severely burned while starting the fire, and ended up dying from his burns.
Another American, by the last name of Thomas, was missing in action. He had been captain of one of the fire ships, and, as a British naval expert had written several years earlier, “The captain of the fire-ship…is expected to be the last person who quits [i.e., leaves] the vessel”. Thomas may well have either died in the fire while still on board, or drowned while trying to swim away. “His bravery entitled him to a better fate”, wrote Washington.
The British suffered no casualties, though they lost one of their tenders. However, Washington wrote, “Though this enterprise did not succeed to our wishes, I incline to think it alarmed the Enemy greatly” — because they ended up leaving the river before two days had passed.