The Gamble Family in the USN and USMC

From the "Biographical Register of Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York"  by William Munro MacBean.

Colonel John Marshall Gamble

**  Colonel Gamble  was one of  four sons of  Major William Gamble of the United States Marine Corps, all of whom served in the U.S. Navy.

**  Captain Thomas Gamble of the U.S. Sloop of War Erie, the eldest, died at Pisa, Italy, October  10, 1818.  He was named after his uncle who was Quartermaster-General of British forces in North America in 1769,  and died as a Major in  London in 1821 at the age of 86, leaving 14,500 pounds toward paying off the British national debt, probably because he never forgave his brother and nephews for their disloyalty.

**  Lieutenant Francis R. Gamble, commander of the U.S. Storeship Decoy, died off Cape Hatteras, September 29, 1824.

**  Lieutenant Peter Gamble, the youngest of the four brothers was killed at the Battle of Lake Champlain, on Commodore Macdonough's ship.

--Brock-Perry

Disappearance of the Patriot-- Part 2

Logbooks from British warships off the North Carolina coast  reported a severe storm that struck January 2, 1813, after the Patriot left South Carolina.  The Patriot would have been a bit north of Cape Hatteras when the storm was at its fiercest and facing hurricane-strength winds in the early morning hours of January 2.

The Patriot was never heard from again.  Despite the many conspiracy theories and tales about Theodosia surviving it is most likely she perished with the rest of the ship's passengers and crew that day.

(I have also read that the British ships had stopped the Patriot, but after seeing a letter from Joseph Alston, the governor of South Carolina, asking for them to allow the ship to continue on its way, they did.  But, who will ever know.)

--Brock-Perry

Disappearance of the Patriot and Theodosia Burr Alston-- Part 5: Never Made it to New York

The journey to New York City normally took five or six days.  After two weeks, there was no sign of the Patriot.  Her husband John Alston and Aaron Burr became desperate.  Finally, Burr gave up hope that his daughter was still alive.

Theodosia Burr Alston, her fellow passengers, the crew and the ship were never seen again.  The Patriot had disappeared without a trace.  Later it was learned that the British fleet had stopped the Patriot off  Cape Hatteras on January 2, but Gov. Alston's letter worked and they released the ship.

Later that night a gale hit and dispersed the British fleet.  Beyond that, there was no clue as to what had happened to the ship.  Burr sent people looking for her who went to Nassau and Bermuda, but to no avail.  It is a mystery why he didn't send them to the Outer Banks.

So, What Happended to Theodosia and the Patriot?  --Brock-Perry