HMS Asia Fires on New York City
New York was a bit more peaceful than New England was in 1775, but not too peaceful. The local officials were still willing to supply the British Navy stationed there, and they were trying to keep the peace to some extent. But they were not-so-peaceful things going on, as well.
In August, the Provincial Congress of New York decided to remove all of the artillery from the city’s battery — that is, the place where the guns were mounted for defending the city. (The battery wasn’t made to protect the city from the British; it was older than that.) The battery was next to the water, and the British ships were close by, so the colonists wanted to move the guns to where the British couldn’t get them. They did it during the night of August 23-24, and they tried to do it secretly, but the British, aboard the HMS Asia, found out. About a week later, the Reverend Dr. Ezra Stiles of Newport, Rhode Island, wrote in his journal:
This forenoon a Vessel arrived from N York, & brot account that the Asia Man o’ War on that Station had fired upon that City last Wednesday night. The Occasion of it was this. The Provincial Congress there had ordered the Canon on Carriages at the Fortification to be removed. The secret was communicated to the Man of War; which thereupon ordered 2 Barges to lye off the Fortifica [fortification] neare eno’ [near enough] to inspect what was done. They did so; & one of them about Midnight informed the Man o’ War that a Militia Compa [company] was privately under arms & removing the Canon, He sent the Barge back, & both drew near. At length they fired from the Barges. Upon which the Militia fired on the Barges and killed one Man & wounded others. Upon this some Guns were fired from the Man o’ War a 74 Gun ship, and at length she discharged a whole Broadside upon the City. But providentially did kill none, only wounded two persons. The Militia proceeded & removed all the Canon as ordered. The City was thrown into the greatest Consterna [consternation] & Destress. And next day Multitudes of Women & Children were removed. The Capt of the ship sent a Letter to the City alledging the Reasons of his firing viz [i.e., namely], removg [removing] the Kings Canon & killing one of his Men. The Mayor replied the Barges fired first. The Captain replied it was a signal Gun.
Captain George Vandeput of the Asia demanded that the city officials punish the people who had taken the cannon.
Notes
Man o’ War was a term used for some warships.
Carriages were what was used for transporting cannon.
Barges were basically large rowboats — not like today’s barges at all.
A broadside was when a ship fired several or all of its guns on one side at once. In those days, most guns on board ships were below decks and were fired through openings called ports (or gunports) in the sides of the ship.
As you can see, Dr. Stiles frequently used superscript — writing some letters higher than the rest — as a way of abbreviating words. For example, he often wrote “To” instead of “town”, or “Bo” instead of “Boston”.
Source
Literary Diary of Ezra Stiles, vol. 1, p. 609.