The Crew of the Ranger: Petition to the American
Commissioners
DS: American Philosophical Society; copy: National Archives
<The Ranger, Brest, [June 3?, 1778]: Your petitioners, having
for love of country left their wives and families to harass the
enemy and been rewarded with vain promises and arbitrary
conduct, appeal to you for redress. Most of them took service
on account of Lieutenant Simpson, who is now confined in a
dirty, louse-ridden French gaol. They signed on for a cruise of
a year, but Captain Jones has without their consent extended
their term arbitrarily; when this is known in America it will
discourage enlistments. We have had no satisfaction for the
prizes we took, and all we can tell our perhaps starving families
is that those prizes are in the hands of the man who has
deceived us throughout. We pray you to give us satisfaction
and send us home.>
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