Sandy Hook (Where Is It?)

I have been mentioning Sandy Hook a bit in regards to the New York Flotilla and had no idea where it was located.  Just somewhere near New York City.  Time to find out a little more about it.

From Wikipedia.

Actually, it is in New Jersey and is what is called a barrier spit, about six miles in length and varying from 0.1 mile to 1.0 mile in width.  It encloses the southern entrance of the Lower New York Bay south of New York City.  The name comes from the Dutch  "Sant Hoek."

The defunct Fort Hancock is at the northern end of Sandy Hook and was built in 1896.

--Brock-Perry

Jacob Lewis & the NY Flotilla-- Part 2: Who Pays for More Gunboats and Their Crews?

In February, before the British announced their blockade of New York, Secretary of the Navy William Jones had  reduced the number of gunboats in the New York Flotilla to fifteen as a cost-cutting measure.  He stipulated that Lewis could  bring the excess gunboats back into service in an emergency and have them crewed by volunteers.

When the Royal Navy squadron appeared off Sandy Hook, Lewis returned the laid off gunboats to service and requested the Navy Department to pay for the crews.  This request brought a strong rebuke from  Jones, who reminded him that he was to find volunteer crews to man the gunboats and that Lewis could be held personally responsible for any costs his actions incurred. He then ordered Lewis to take the extra gunboats out of service unless the British were to attack.

(Don't you know that Lewis hit the ceiling when told this which was most likely the reason he tried to get Secretary of State James Monroe in on his side.)

Nicholas Fish, the Federalist chairman of New York City's Committee of Defense, asked Jones to authorize the addition gunboats for which the city would pay for the crews.  Jones agreed to this compromise and told Lewis to bring up to  fifteen additional gunboats into service.

This situation was a successful example of sharing defense responsibilities between the federal and state governments.

--Brock-Perry

Jacob Lewis & the New York Flotilla-- Part 1: Watching the British

From "New York's War of 1812: Politics, Society and Combat" by Richard V. Barbuto.

A small flotilla of gunboats defended the waters around New York City and was under the command of  Jacob Lewis, former commander of the privateer Bunker Hill, as a master commandant, but he was given the honorific title of commodore.

He kept his gunboats actively engaged with most of his gunboats near Sandy Hook.  There they could observe the enemy fleet and, at the same time, be protected by  sandbars and shoals from deeper draft and stronger British ships.

On occasion, long-range shots were traded between the two sides, but with little damage to either.

He also kept gunboats by Long Island Sound to challenge British ships approaching from there.

So, Obviously There Was a New York Flotilla That Richard Hill Belonged To During the War.  --Brock-Perry