The Secret London Trading of the Privateer Nathan Jackson

As discussed in prior articles, New England privateers regularly cruised the New Jersey shore during the second half of the Revolutionary War, capturing at least 60 British and Loyalist vessels coming to and from New York. While privateering was risky, fortunes were made by those who were bold, skilled, and lucky. Meanwhile, dozens of small boats traversed the Jersey shore, illegally ferrying agricultural goods from New Jersey farms to eager British buyers and then bringing finished goods back to New Jersey. The profits of this so-called “London Trade” generated significant income for London Traders. It was inevitable that these two activities—privateering and London Trading—would become intertwined.

Captain Nathan Jackson and His London Trader Crew

Nathan Jackson was a privateer from Connecticut. In 1780, he commanded the 8-gun Rattle Snake and captured a London Trading vessel with a five-man crew. Two of the men captured, Simeon Poole and Henry DeHart, would serve under Jackson as he drifted into London Trading. According to 1783 court records, Jackson came to Little Egg Harbor in June 1781 where he signed a one-year agreement with two local leaders, Joseph Ball and Colonel Richard Wescott. He would captain their row galley, Greyhound, as a privateer. The vessel was fitted with a small cannon and a 12-man crew was assigned.

The arrangement was unusual—a New England captain over a Jersey shore crew. And the local crew included men from areas that participated in the London Trade. Three of the crew (Benjamin Brooks, Samuel Cook, John Allen) were from the Shrewsbury Township shore. Henry DeHart later confessed to taking part in two prior London Trading voyages:

• He once sailed to Barnegat where his vessel, Elizabeth, was “captured” by a Loyalist vessel, and taken into New York. The cargo was unloaded and the ship and crew was then “exchanged.” They sailed back to Little Egg Harbor.

• "My next voyage was on a sloop commanded by Captain Philips, owned by Joseph Ball and Richard Wescott. We got our load of lumber from Ball and Wescott's saw mill and proceeded on our voyage until we came to Sandy Hook. There we called the guard vessel & got a pilot, & proceeded up to the city of New York.”

Another crew member, Davies Fulsome, would testify: "We used to take the Fishermen from Shrewsbury [and ransom them], but finding we had no luck, determined to go into New York bay to try our fortune."

Jackson and his crew left Little Egg Harbor on November 23, 1782.

Nathan Jackson Fakes the Capture of Two Vessels

Whispering about Jackson and his London Trading intentions started when the vessel picked up barrels of tar at the house of Luke Sooey near the mouth of Little Egg Harbor. According to subsequent court testimony against Jackson, the Greyhound spent the night at Toms River and then the next night near the mouth of the Shrewsbury River. The following day, they passed Sandy Hook.

The Greyhound reached New York City, where the crew spent a few days. Using aliases, they sold their cargo of tar and on December 4 and purchased £400 of arms and dry goods. While in New York, Jackson met Samuel Lippincott of Monmouth County, who, himself, was in New York (illegally) working as a shoemaker. Lippincott subsequently returned to Monmouth County and surrendered himself to Major Elisha Walton. Charges against Lippincott were dropped in exchange for giving information on Jackson.

Lippincott “said that Jackson was then there [in New York] on a trading scheme" He was London Trading under the guise of acting as an American privateer.

Leaving Manhattan, Jackson rendezvoused with two small Loyalist privateers at Red Hook, Brooklyn. They were Dolphin with two with 3-lb cannon and 2 swivels, and Diamond. According to court testimony, no shots were exchanged or demands made when Jackson boarded Dolphin. However, Jackson’s encounter with the two vessels was reported as the capture of two British prizes by an American privateer in the New Jersey Gazette on December 18:

On Sunday, Captain Jackson, commander of the galley Greyhound belonging to Egg Harbor, surprised and captured within the Hook the schooner Dolphin and the sloop Diamond, each having four hands, bound for New York from Halifax, with valuable cargoes, and brought them into Egg Harbor.

The three vessels left New York Harbor with Jackson now in Dolphin, and headed for Little Egg Harbor. Greyhound separated from the sailing vessels in a storm and sank. As Dolphin and Diamond entered Little Egg Harbor, Dolphin was attacked and temporarily taken by John Bacon's Pine Robbers before being re-taken by the privateer brigantine, Chance, led by Alexander Dickey of New Brunswick.

Philip Barry, the pilot at Little Egg Harbor, testified that on December 20 “one of the refugees, by the name of Johnson, told the deponent he was [had been] a prisoner" of Bacon. Frozen bay waters prevented Bacon's men from escaping Dickey's counter-attack. Instead, the Pine Robbers "made a breast work on the side of Gloucester County, Bacon and his party consisting of eleven men & seventeen muskets." The Pine Robbers defended themselves but lost the vessel. Other men testified about Bacon at the trial, including David Scull, whose men were slaughtered by Bacon at the Long Beach Massacre, and James Somers, co-owner of the vessel used by Scull.

Alexander Dickey, recalled hearing of Bacon taking the Dolphin:

A certain John Bacon, said to be in the service of the king of Great Britain... with a part of armed men in a boat, attacked and boarded the said schooner Dolphin in the port of little Egg Harbor and took out a large quantity of goods and merchandize, and carried off the same, together with two boats and made prisoners of sundry persons.

Twelve hours later, Dickey counter-attacked, retaking the vessel and most of its goods. Two locals, Francis Gunnel and Luke Sooey, confirmed Dickey’s account. They noted that Bacon was a local who had been serving the British for two or three years. He also noted that local militia did not assist Dickey.

Nathan Jackson and Others Are Arrested

John Forman, who heard of Jackson’s double-dealing from Lippincott, went to Little Egg Harbor and “heard a number of persons suspect a collusive capture." He also heard Jackson boast about making "a bold push inside Sandy Hook" to capture the two vessels. Forman then confronted Jackson and Richard Wescott (Jackson's benefactor) and they exchanged "high language." Forman blasted Wescott and Joseph Ball who "have for several years carried on an illicit trade by collusive captures or otherwise."

John Forman alerted David Forman, a judge of the Monmouth County Courts who previously led the Association for Retaliation, a vigilante society. On December 24, David Forman, with 20 armed men, arrived at Little Egg Harbor to make arrests. Most of Jackson’s crew fled. Davies Fulsome of Jackson's crew recalled of Forman’s reputation, "he had just been hanging a number of men, and he would hang us all." Forman arrested Jackson, another likely London Trader, Dr. William Vance (known as “Captain Vance”), and two of Jackson’s crew, Poole and Fulsome. Jackson had fled ahead of Forman’s posse but was chased down by an armed guard under Captain John Walton. Forman charged Jackson with "collusive captures" and claimed the vessels. One of Jackson's key collaborators, Captain William Austin of the Dolphin, escaped.

Forman returned to Freehold with the prisoners on December 26. Sheriff John Burrowes testified that he went with Forman to Egg Harbor and arrested Jackson for perjury based on evidence given against Jackson by Simeon Poole. Poole testified that he “was neither bullied nor bribed into confessing” Jackson’s plot to Burrowes. But Burrowes, perhaps intentionally, left open the possibility that Forman may have influenced Poole, noting that he, as sheriff, did not have control of the prisoners, "for they were never delivered to me."

Simeon Poole, after testifying against Jackson, recanted and claimed that Forman influenced him with threats. He testified that if he did not speak against Jackson, "he would be punished severely." Jackson and Poole remained in prison until March. Poole also claimed Forman promised his release if he would inform on Jackson.

The confinement of Jackson and Poole took another odd turn when Wescott attempted to contact them through a former army officer, Nathan Pennington. However, the former Loyalist partisan, Edward Price (paroled at Freehold) informed on Pennington. Price testified that he conned Pennington: "He asked me if my heart was turned, I told him it was not, nor did I believe it would be till my neck was stretched." Pennington was then arrested and jailed. The prisoners were well-treated (noteworthy given past abuses of Loyalists at the jail). Davies Fulsome testified that "we wanted for nothing but our liberty."

Dr. Vance, now jailed with Jackson and Poole, hired John James to go to Egg Harbor and get word of their arrest to Richard Wescott. James was captured and decided to testify against Vance and his London Trading collaborator, the tavern keeper Job Atkinson of Clamtown. James testified that Vance, if deprived of the money he expected from Wescott, would “play the devil” with his benefactors.

Two of Forman’s allies testified. Denice Denice, a judge of the Court of the Common Pleas with Forman,  testified that he was with Forman when Forman took Poole’s deposition. He swore it was done honestly. Joseph Stillwell, who was employed by Forman to monitor British movements at Sandy Hook, took a deposition from Jackson on February 2, 1783. Jackson claimed to be a commissioned privateer but only produced the commission of Timothy Shaler, another man. Jackson then claimed his commission was at New Brunswick. Stillwell concluded of Jackson: “His general character is that of a dishonest man, and a man not governed by the truth.”

Court Proceedings against Nathan Jackson

On December 31, Forman formally claimed Diamond and Dolphin as his rightful prizes, claiming Jackson was using the vessels "to carry on an illegal trade" and other "evil designs." As required by law, he advertised the prizes. A hearing was held before the New Jersey Admiralty Court to have the vessels adjudged to him. The advertisement in the New Jersey Gazette announced the court would meet on January 31 to consider Forman’s claim against:

The bills of; Capt. Nathan Jackson against a certain schooner or vessel called the Dolphin lately commanded by a certain William Austin; and also against a certain sloop or vessel called the Diamond lately commanded by a certain William Roche… Said vessels were taken at sea near Sandy Hook, loaded with British merchandize, flour, earthenware, ginger, cyder and apples and brought into Egg Harbour by the said Capt. Jackson.

Jackson was charged with “collusion” with respect to the two vessels. The New Jersey Gazette reported that the Court condemned the vessels, valued at £10,500, to David Forman on February 1:

On a charge of collusion; on the trial it appeared that Capt. Jackson sailed from Egg Harbor in December last, in said boats with three men beside himself, armed with one swivel and two muskets... That went to New York openly the next day with his boat and there remained until December 7, and that evening boarded the Diamond.

Jackson was brought before the Monmouth County courts for trading with the enemy and fined a massive £500 (most illegal trading fines were £100 or less). On February 25, the Monmouth Court of Common Pleas, on which David Forman sat as a judge, issued summons for Nathan Jackson for defaulting on the £500 fine. The summons read: “Said Nathan did send & convey was aiding & assisting in sending and conveying provisions and other necessaries into the lines of the enemy without being authorized by permission or passport." Jackson "although required, hath not paid and altogether refused" to pay the fine. Major Elisha Walton and Judge John Anderson were instructed to collect the fine or take him into custody.

Defeated in court and under arrest, Jackson fought on. He appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which agreed to hear the case in September. Monmouth County’s David Rhea was selected to go to Connecticut to deliver the summons to Jackson. Henry Woodward of Burlington County, who had been arrested by Forman and his posse, testified against David Forman. He stated that Forman never administered oaths and that parts of his deposition were recorded incorrectly ("one or two of the answers appeared to me to be wrong"). He also suggested that Forman incented Constable Abraham Davis to make excessive arrests by paying him a remarkably high £20 for his services at Egg Harbor. He further stated about Davis, "he could not have made out better at home, for there he might have been collecting taxes and serving warrants & got nothing for it.”

Meanwhile, David Forman lined up a set of Monmouth County leaders to provide depositions in support of his actions. These were given at the tavern of Henry Drake of Freehold on October 8. The most interesting witness was New Jersey Chief Justice David Brearley, who testified of Ball and Wescott having “the reputation of being in that trade”—a reference to “an extensive illicit trade being carried on between the cities of New York and Philadelphia through New Jersey.” The New Jersey Supreme Court ruled against Jackson.

As a Connecticut citizen, Jackson was able to appeal the New Jersey decisions to an appeals court established by the Continental Congress to hear interstate disputes. He procured a famous New Jersey Lawyer, Richard Stockton, to represent him (Stockton signed the Declaration of Independence, but his patriotism was tarnished after he was captured by Loyalists at Freehold and signed a British loyalty oath). Forman also hired a powerful attorney, William Churchill Houston, who had served in the Continental Congress. The Continental Court sided with Forman and, in the process, documented Wescott’s London Trading. Jackson was determined an illegal trader and perjurer.

Curiously, Jackson was back in the Monmouth County jail in 1788. In November of that year, he petitioned the New Jersey Legislative Council to be forgiven for his debts. He was identified in the Council’s minutes as "an insolvent debtor in Monmouth gaol." The Council did not act on his petition.

Related Historic Site: Waterfront Museum (Brooklyn)

Sources:  Summons, Monmouth County Archives, Loose Common Pleas – 1783; Library of Congress, Revolutionary War Prize Cases, M162, reel 1, cases 91-2, David Forman v. Nathan Jackson; Library of Congress, Early American Newspaper, December 1782 - January 1783, New Jersey Gazette, reel 1930; New Jersey Gazette, January 15, 1783; Library of Congress, Rivington's New York Gazette, reel 2906; New Jersey Gazette, April 16, 1783; Journals of the Legislative Council of New Jersey (Isaac Collins: State of New Jersey, 1788) p20.