The Sailing Irishman

This special Saint Patrick's Day edition honors Commodore John Barry: the Irish boy who became the father of the U.S. Navy.

John Barry

1745—Ireland. In a small tenant farm along a windswept coast in County Wexford, a boy named John Barry is born into a family of poor Catholic farmers. Life under the English penal laws crushed Irish spirits into the ground. Like many Irish families, the threat of eviction was always present, and one day, the landlord forced them off their tiny piece of land. 

Homeless, the Barrys moved to the rugged seaside village of Rosslare. Luck of the Irish—hardly, but it did give young Barry a way out. He learned the ropes on his uncle’s fishing skiff, and sailing it through choppy waves was the boy’s first taste of the sea. Who could have guessed that someday he’d make the Royal Navy tremble at his name and build what would eventually become the world’s most powerful navy?

Cabin Boy to Captain

Barry’s no stranger to hardships. As a young boy, he barely had shoes, but he has grit. By his teens, he was on ships, starting as a cabin boy—fetching water, scrubbing decks, and avoiding the mate’s boot. The sea is a tough school, but Barry learns fast. With broad shoulders and a calm head that made him a natural leader, he quickly rose through the ranks. 

In the 1760s, he was in Philadelphia, a busy port on the Delaware River, becoming wealthy through trade. By age twenty-one, Barry was a merchant shipmaster, commanding vessels for major names like Reese Meredith. Standing over six feet tall, he was strong but still calm and steady even in fierce storms and rough seas. Soon, he was in high demand as a captain. “Big John” Barry was the skipper owners trusted to lead their ships.

Citizens of Philadelphia

He spends years hauling cargo across the Atlantic, dodging icebergs and setting speed records — such as the fastest day of sailing in the century aboard the prestigious Black Prince. By the 1770s, John Barry had reached the peak of his fortunes. However, storm clouds were gathering on the horizon — tension between the colonies and British authorities. Soon, Barry would exchange merchant manifests for cannonballs.

Merchant Captain at Sea

From Merchant Navy to the Continental Navy

When the First Continental Congress met in 1774, Barry was already friends with future Revolutionary War financier Robert Morris. When the Second Continental Congress decided to create a navy in 1775 using merchant vessels, Barry’s Black Prince was turned into the USS Alfred, which flew the Grand Union flag—America’s first naval ensign. Barry pushed for a naval command and was appointed captain of the USS Lexington, a 14-gun brig, that December.

Command of USS Lexington

He was the first army or navy officer to receive a Continental commission, signed by none other than John Hancock, President of the Continental Congress, on March 14, 1776. History is about to be made!

First Fight

Barry’s first action takes place on April 7, 1776, off the Virginia Capes. Barry demonstrates his resolve. The Lexington engages with the British tender Edward, a spirited ship serving HMS Liverpool. Broadsides are exchanged—cannonballs flying, wood splintering—for an hour and twenty minutes. As calm as ever, Barry shows his courage, giving orders, and when the smoke clears, Edward strikes her colors—the first British ship captured by a Continental vessel. Barry sails his prize into Philadelphia—the American navy’s first!

Fighting Captain

Warrior on Land and Sea

By late 1776, the Cause was at its lowest point. Washington’s shrinking army was retreating through New Jersey after New York. What could Barry do? His next ship, the frigate Effingham, was still in the shipyard. Eager to join the fight, he gathered sailors, marines, and heavy artillery, formed an ad hoc naval brigade, and marched to support Washington. 

At Trenton, his crew transported artillery through snow and ice, pounding the Hessian lines. His brigade also fought at Princeton. Washington personally thanked Barry before asking him to escort wounded prisoners to British General Cornwallis under a flag of truce. A true fighting Irishman on land or sea!

Commanding Guns at Trenton

Back on the water in 1777, Barry commanded the brig USS Delaware and began raiding British shipping in the river with the same name. For the seasoned naval leader, it was like shooting ducks in a barrel; he took over twenty prizes, including the armed schooner Kitty. 

In 1778, Barry took command of the frigate Raleigh, capturing three more prizes before she ran aground during a skirmish with British warships. Barry was forced to scuttle his ship but swiftly took command of another vessel, the USS Alliance, the fleet’s fastest ship. 

In 1780, he was given a secret mission: to take Colonel John Laurens to France. That mission—securing loans and supplies—helped secure Washington’s victory at Yorktown in October 1781. To top it off, Barry captured a few British prizes on the return trip—just because he could.

Secret Mission to France

The Final Fights

Barry’s most brutal fight took place on May 29, 1781. Standing tall on the quarterdeck of the Alliance, he faced the fight of his life. Two British sloops, HMS Atalanta and HMS Trepassey, attacked him. All hell broke loose as they closed in—broadsides tearing sails, grapeshot ripping through flesh. Barry was badly wounded when a piece of grapeshot went through his shoulder. He stayed at his station, rallying his crew and shouting commands, but the heavy blood loss eventually forced him below deck. In the end, both British warships surrendered—an act of double surrender. Even British captains now agree that he’s an American sea captain to respect.

Taking on a Brace of Warships

Fittingly, on March 10, 1783, Barry fought the last naval battle of the war off Cape Canaveral. His Alliance squared off against HMS Sybille and a squadron. Barry is in a tight spot as he is convoying the Duc de Lauzane, loaded with cash and supplies from the West Indies. Barry has the advantage over Sybille in firepower, but the rest of the squadron is closing in on him. He abandons the newly captured Sybille, choosing to save the convoy and get the Duc de Lauzane safely to port. As the war nears its end, Barry has made a name for himself as a fighting captain.

Final Fight

Father of the Navy

Our Celtic commodore quickly resumed merchant sailing, making a historic voyage to China in 1787—opening trade with the “reclusive empire.” However, in 1794, with the U.S. Navy forming under the Naval Act, Barry was called to serve his country once more—as its first commodore! President Washington himself awarded Barry Naval Commission Number One. Barry began overseeing the construction of the 44-gun frigate USS United States, his flagship.

USS United States

During the Quasi-War with France (1798–1801), Barry went back to work, seizing French merchant ships in the West Indies while training the next group of naval leaders—future icons like Stephen Decatur and Richard Dale.

The Final Watch

Despite worsening asthma, Barry continued to sail. But on March 6, 1803, the United States slides into port with Barry on the quarterdeck for the last time—his sea duty finished. He may have given up his ship, but not the Navy, remaining as its head until he died on September 13, 1803, at his Strawberry Hill home near Philadelphia. The first commodore was buried with full honors at St. Mary’s Churchyard. While happily married, Barry died childless. Yet his legacy lives on in the Navy he shaped and the men he mentored.

John Barry Gravesite

Legacy of a Legend

Some random shots about John Barry: author of an influential book for improving fleet communication, an early supporter of a standalone Navy Department (which was established in 1798). Barry was a man of faith—he started each day with a Bible reading. He was a brilliant leader of men—he cared for his crew, ensuring they were fed and in good shape. A wise disciplinarian—he quelled three mutinies with a firm yet fair approach, earning lasting loyalty from his men.

Barry's Advocacy Paid Off in 1798

Many tributes were paid: four destroyers were named USS Barry, statues of Barry stand in Wexford and D.C., and the Commodore Barry Bridge was named in his honor. Rhode Island celebrates September 13 as “Commodore John Barry Day.”

John Barry statue in Wexford, Ireland

Who's the Best?

Though not as famous as John Paul Jones, Barry distinguished himself in both war and peace. Starting as an Irish cabin boy and eventually becoming an American commodore, he fought on land and sea, built a navy from scratch, and set a standard for bravery. Historians often call John Barry the “Father of the American Navy,” a title many also credit to John Paul Jones. 

Jones's contributions after the Revolutionary War were inconsistent, especially since he took a commission in Czarina Catherine the Great's navy (see my blog, Yankee Doodle in the Crimea). However, unlike Jones, Barry's legacy includes long-term influence and establishing institutions. Jones was flamboyant, but Barry left a lasting mark.

John Paul Jones as Russian Admiral

Next time you hear “I have not yet begun to fight,” tip your hat to Jones—and raise a glass to the quiet giant who led the Revolution to victory and beyond. Fair winds to you, Commodore Barry. 

John Barry in His Office

Loyalist on Two Continents

Time to take another look at the experiences of those forgotten participants (along with the Indians and slaves ) of the American War for Independence—the Loyalists. The story of young Alexander Chesney is, in some ways, very typical of the experience of these British subjects who did not buy into the dream of independence and liberty. We will delve into his Revolutionary War escapades and take a peek at his post-war challenges—and he had many.

From Antrim to America

The fourteen-year-old Alexander emigrated with his parents from County Antrim to Charleston, South Carolina, in 1772. By then, the colonists' conflict with the Crown was intensifying, so the Scots-Irish family settled in a land that would soon be torn apart by unrest and rebellion, which for them would also turn into a civil war. 

He married Margaret Hodges around the time of the "Shot Heard Round the World—a marriage to be marked by hardship and sacrifice.

Tory Guide

In the early years of the war, the Carolinas remained firmly under patriot control, although many stayed loyal, either openly or silently. These Loyalists were seen as a threat and were ruthlessly suppressed and oppressed. Young Chesney threw his hat in the ring and started helping loyalists, guiding them to safety through a maze of patriot militias. 

Fugitive

Eventually, his actions made him a target, and patriot militia Colonel Richard Richardson's men captured him in the spring of 1776. The militia raided his home and imprisoned him at Snowy Camp on the Reedy River in northwestern South Carolina. Richardson gave him an offer he couldn't refuse: stand trial for helping Loyalists and likely be hanged or join the patriot militia. 

Richard Richardson

Yankee Doodle Days

The young Chesney enlisted as a private and spent the following years marching alongside the hated Yankee Doodles. Why? It seems his father, Robert, was imprisoned as a suspected Tory. Chesney's service helped ensure his survival. Private Chesney fought in campaigns against the Creek and Cherokee. Between these battles, he worked as a teamster, hauling produce to Charleston, South Carolina, which was then controlled by the patriots.

Militia Campaigns Against Creeks and Cherokees 

Serving the Crown

Things changed in May 1780 when the British returned (they had been repulsed in 1776) to Charleston and soon overran the state. When the British commander in chief, General Henry Clinton, issued his proclamation calling all loyal subjects to arms, Chesny came out of the patriot closet and joined one of the militia units raised by the renowned "counter-guerilla," Major Patrick Ferguson. Ferguson's regiments racked up a string of victories in the bitter in-country fighting between Loyalist and patriot rebels. 

Fall of Charleston

Chesney rose from lieutenant to captain over the next few months. But his fortunes took a turn for the worse in early October of that year. Ferguson, hot on the trail of patriots and hot to recruit new men for the Crown, marched his brigade away from General Cornwallis's main body and managed to get surrounded by a corps of back-country militia—some of the most experienced frontier  Indian fighters and angry for revenge against Ferguson, who had threatened to hang them all.

Parick Ferguson

King's Mountain

Ferguson made his stand on a piece of wooded high ground called King's Mountain. The "Over Mountain Men," led by a bunch of tough hombres that included such legends as Colonel John Sevier, Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, and Colonel Isaac Shelby, quickly encircled the Loyalists and started climbing up the hill. The battle saw lead slam into tree trunks, leafy branches, and the hapless Tories as the rebel militia came at them firing, Indian-style, from tree to tree. Loyalists dropped like turkeys under unrelenting fire. Ferguson fell mortally wounded trying to rally his men. 

Over Mountain Attack on King's Mountain

Captain Alexander Cheney was also wounded and taken prisoner along with some 668 others. The Loyalists also suffered 290 killed and 163 wounded. According to his account, Chesney later watched as the prisoners underwent a mock trial, with many sentenced to death. One of the American commanders, Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, offered him parole if he provided them with Ferguson's battle tactics. But the tough Irishman would not betray his cause.

Colonel  Cleveland Leading Prisoners

Yadkin Death March

With shoes taken and without coats to protect against the worsening weather, he and the others marched off into captivity under brutal conditions and threats of beating and shooting through the rugged hills toward the Yadkin River and prison in Salem, North Carolina. Chesney escaped along the way and hid in a nearby cave, but was later captured and held until released in a prisoner exchange.

Joining the Legion

He soon joined the only Loyalist unit with an even more terrible reputation among the rebels—Tarleton's Legion! He raised a mounted Loyalist company and served Colonel Banastre Tarleton as a guide, helping the Legion negotiate the back roads and woods as they marched from Fort Ninety-Six in a search-and-destroy mission. Their prey—famed rifleman  Daniel Morgan and his Army.

Tarleton's Legion in Action

Ironically, Morgan's forces occupied Chesney's farm at Grindal Shoals just days before Tarleton caught him at a place called the Cow Pens in January 1781. There, the reckless Tarleton launched headlong against his prey. After all, just a few lines of militia blocked the way. 

Witness to a Debacle

But Morgan was ready, with stout lines of Continentals behind the militia and dragoons hidden from sight. In one of the war's most impressive displays, Tarleton's elite force was stopped cold, then cut off and crushed. Chesney led his men in the battle and managed to escape to the safety of the British garrison in Charleston. Tarleton escaped, but his Legion suffered over 80% casualties.

American Dragoons at Cow Pens

Embittered by what he viewed as poor management at Cowpens, he moved his family from his despoiled farm to the protection of the British near Charleston and tried to reestablish a small plantation, which included some slaves.

Guiding Lord Rawdon

But with war raging through South Carolina, Chesney soon took the field leading various Loyalist units. He operated near the Edisto River, often skirmishing with the hated rebels. His mounted company scouted for Lord Rawdon as he fought the last engagements in the state. Chesney was wounded again during a skirmish near the critical outpost at Fort Ninety-Six.

Fort Ninety-Six 

Crumbling Fortunes

October 1781 brought General Charles Cornwallis's surrender at Yorktown, serious negotiations in Paris, and what were likely bitter months for the Ulsterman.

Yorktown Surrender

Presumably unfit for the field, he was appointed Superintendent of Woodcutting to support Charleston's fuel needs, as it was the last rebel stronghold. He hired displaced Loyalists and did what he could, but the Americans were closing in. Things worsened when his wife Margaret died in December 1781. The new year proved no better. Chesney became sick and could not care for his son William, so he had to send the boy to live with relatives. His farm was destroyed, and as a veteran of two of the most feared and hated British contingents, he would get little quarter.  

Charleston Harbor

Once the British Army left America, he would face a bleak future. Although the last British soldier departed from the former colonies in December, Chesney decided to return to Ireland, arriving in Castle Haven in May 1782.

Loyalist Recompense?

Normally, this would mark the end of Alexander Chesney's story. But in a way, his life was only just beginning despite the darkness of defeat and loss. Over the next few decades, he worked hard to rebuild his life. He went to England, where he sought to make his case to the British government and became a leader among the Loyalists there. He met with other key members of the Association of American Loyalists in London, where a petition was drafted for just compensation for their service to the Crown and the loss of property and land.

Like most Loyalist refugees, things were tough. Reaching out to former commanders like Cornwallis and Rawdon didn’t help navigate the British bureaucracy. While waiting for his claim, the brave Chesney took a different route. He sought and received a position as an Irish Customs Officer, specifically a coastal inspector.

Lord Francis Rawdon

Despite numerous petitions and several trips back and forth across the Irish Sea, he was disappointed. His final compensation was less than a quarter of his claim. What is the price of loyalty? Undeterred, he started working as a Coast Officer, pursuing smugglers along Ireland's northern coast. He proved to be very effective at this.  

Another Rebellion

But in the late 1790s, Ireland erupted into rebellion, with Irish patriots hoping to capitalize on events in France.

United Irishman Hanged

By the fall of 1796, the United Irishmen in County Down and several neighboring counties were preparing for a revolt. Possibly referencing his American experience, Chesney caught wind of this. He received a captain's commission and organized the Mourne Infantry in early 1797. His Irish Yeomanry company was the first formed in County Down. The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, none other than General Charles Cornwallis, suppressed the rebellion and defeated the French invasion in 1798, ending the so-called "Year of the French."

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Lord Cornwallis

Customs Service

Chesney's work as a customs officer kept him busy. During the Napoleonic Wars, when illegal trade was rampant, Chesney was constantly on the move—catching smugglers and illegal shippers trying to profit from the conflict. Along the way, he started a new family and had several children. Two of his sons later received commissions in the Army, and his surviving daughter married a clergyman in a successful marriage. 

Chesney vs. Smugglers

Letter from America

In February 1818, a shocking news arrived. Chesney received a letter from his eldest son, William, whom he had left with relatives in America. The stunned Chesney thought William had died! But William Chesney was alive and in Tennessee. However, his son was not well off. William revealed that Chesney's father, Robert, was also alive. Chesney did not offer to bring him to Ireland. They were never reunited.  

Alexander Chesney

Life and Legacy

Chesney kept a journal of his Revolutionary War experiences, detailing the brutal fighting in the Carolinas. The Ulsterman spared no one in his account. But, of course, through decades of struggle, he never really spared himself. Against all odds and as a proof of his basic toughness, this Loyalist on two continents, survivor of two fierce battles and numerous skirmishes, imprisonment, and hardships, lived to a ripe old age of 83, dying on 12 January 1843. 

Chesney Grave

Loyalist and Irish Yeomanry leader Captain Alexander Chesney is buried in the Mourne Presbyterian Churchyard in Kilkeel, County Down, Northern Ireland.

America Go Bragh!

With Saint Patrick's Day upon us, I decided to reflect on the role of the Irish in the American Revolution. Make no mistake, the war for independence and its political roots were grounded in Yankee tradition—drawing from English and Scottish political thought. But as everyone knows, when it comes time for action, a few Irishmen are often needed. For the record, a large number (if not the majority) of British troops were Irish. The Patriot side, however, had relatively fewer Irish due to the small Irish immigrant population in America at the time. This blog will highlight just a few, but it is dedicated to all Irish who fought on either side.

The Statesman

The most famous family of Patriot Irish was probably the Carroll family, with Charles Carroll of Carrollton being the most prominent. He was the only Catholic signatory of the Declaration of Independence. He specifically added "of Carrollton" to set himself apart from other Charles Carrolls (like his father) and to ensure the king's men knew who to hang if the rebellion failed. Educated by Jesuits in Maryland and France, he later studied law in England, where he was admitted to the bar. At the time of the rebellion, he was among the wealthiest men in the colonies. His writings and advocacy significantly influenced Maryland's path toward rebellion and independence. He also played a role in Maryland's own "Annapolis Tea Party" and the burning of the Peggy Stewart in October 1774. During the war, Carroll represented Maryland in the Continental Congress and served on Maryland's Committee of Safety before the declaration. A notable failure was his 1776 mission to Canada, where he, along with Benjamin Franklin, failed to persuade French Canada to join the rebellion.

Charles Carroll of Carrollton

The Prelate

Charles Carroll's cousin, Father John Carroll, accompanied Benjamin Franklin on the Canada mission. The obvious goal was to appeal to Canadian Catholics. As a young man, John Carroll went to France for seminary training and then to Belgium to teach philosophy and theology at Bruges and Liège. The suppression of the Jesuits by Papal Bull in 1773 drove him to Britain, and when relations between Britain and America worsened, he returned to Baltimore in 1774. Carroll's greatest contributions came after the American Revolution. In November 1789, he was appointed bishop of Baltimore with a diocese covering the entire United States. Carroll established America's first institutions for educating and ordaining priests, including the Sulpician Seminary in Baltimore. He supported Roman Catholic religious orders coming to America. Through George Washington, he secured federal funding for missionaries to the Indians. By 1811, he had established four new dioceses: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Bardstown (Kentucky), and was named America's first archbishop. During his years leading the American church, the number of Roman Catholics increased nearly tenfold, from about 25,000 to 200,000.

Father John Carroll

The Seaman

John Barry is another notable Irish patriot. Though often overshadowed by the more flamboyant sailor (and native Scotsman) John Paul Jones, Barry is generally regarded as the Father of the U.S. Navy. Unlike Carroll, who was born into wealth as a third-generation American landholder, Barry was a typical Irish hardscrabble transplant. Born the son of a poor farmer in County Wexford, young Barry enlisted as a cabin boy on his uncle's fishing schooner. He eventually rose to become a renowned master of mercantile vessels and settled in Philadelphia. When the war broke out, Barry worked tirelessly to equip the first Continental Navy vessels for combat. His reward was commanding the brig Lexington, which he led in one of America's first victories over a Royal Navy ship. Barry turned down a lucrative offer to "come over" for cash and a Royal Navy commission from the British. During the dark days of late 1776, when no ships were available, he served on land as a Marine officer and played a role in the battles at Trenton and Princeton. Back at sea the following year, he fought numerous engagements—often outnumbered—and generally proved more effective than he was outgunned. After the war, he returned to merchant shipping. Nevertheless, in 1794, Secretary of War Henry Knox recalled him to build the first U.S. Navy vessels and led the Navy through its perilous early years, which included a naval war with France and the Barbary pirates.

Father of the US Navy, Commodore Barry

The Sniper

The most famous marksman in a war famed for its plethora of marksmen was Tim Murphy of Morgan's Rifles. Murphy is said to have fired the shot that killed General Simon Fraser at Saratoga in 1777. Legend has it that Morgan gave the order. Climbing a tree, Murphy fired at 300 yards, and Fraser fell, dying.

Some view that as the defining moment of the battle, the battle that changed the course of the war and maybe the world.  Fraser was General Johnnie Burgoyne's best commander, arguably the best field general in the British Army.  His death heralded the destruction of the British forces and the end to Burgoyne's dreams of crushing the rebellion from the north.

Sniper Tim Murphy takes aim at Bemis Heights

The Foe

Although a distinct minority, the Irish fought in many Continental Army units as both enlisted and officers. Some of the "French" generals given commissions by Congress (the notorious Conway and hapless Fermoy come to mind) were of Irish heritage. And nine of Washington’s generals were born in Ireland—two major generals and seven brigadier generals. However, of these, only Brigadier General Edward Hand from County Offaly was at Yorktown. There was another Irish general there, but ironically, he was serving with the British forces. General Charles O’Hara, the illegitimate son of British General James O’Hara, second baron of Tyrawley, was born in Lisbon. O'Hara lost his son during the Yorktown campaign and had the dubious honor of representing Lord Cornwallis at the surrender. There were no all-Irish regiments in the British order of battle at Yorktown, but many Irish soldiers were among the rank-and-file. For instance, the roster of the 76th Foot, a Scottish regiment at Yorktown, listed 114 Irish soldiers. Throughout the 1780s, the Dublin government funded a British military reserve of 12,000 troops, with Cork serving as the main logistical base for the British forces in North America. The renowned Royal American Regiment, which fought in the French and Indian War, had been posted to Ireland, and when it returned to America to fight the rebellion, most of its rank-and-file were Irish.

Brigadier General Charles O'Hara
substituted for the "indisposed"
Major General Cornwallis

The Family

Several of Washington's aides, his 'military family," were Irish or of Irish descent: John Fitzgerald, Peregrine Fitzhugh, James McHenry, Stephen Moylan, and Joseph Reed. Moylan and Fitzgerald were born in Ireland. Most notable was McHenry, who later became Secretary of War and whose namesake fort in Baltimore Harbor became the site of the battle that inspired the "Star-Spangled Banner."

Former aide James McHenry later became
Secretary of War

There is no connection between aide John Fitzgerald and the hoary-haired "Senior Intelligence Advisor"  in The Yankee Doodle Spies series, the fictional Robert Fitzgerald. However, Robert Fitzgerald and Jeremiah Creed represent the Irish and all immigrants who were caught up in the great struggle for liberty.