Richard Wickes ( 1745 - June 29, 1776) was an officer in the

Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United Colonies and United States from 1775 to 1785. It was founded on October 13, 1775 by the Continental Congress to fight against British forces and their allies as part of the American Revolutionary ...

during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. He served as the third lieutenant on the , captained by his brother

Lambert Wickes Lambert Wickes (1735 – October 1, 1777) was a captain in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Revolutionary activities Wickes was born sometime in 1735 in Kent County, Province of Maryland. His family home, Wickliffe, ...

. During the

Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet The Battle of Turtle Gut Inlet (June 29, 1776) was an important, early naval victory for the Continental Navy and the future "Father of the American Navy", Captain John Barry. It was the first privateer battle of the American Revolutionary War. ...

, he was the first American casualty of the war in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. Richard Wickes was born in

Kent County, Maryland Kent County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 19,198, making it the least populous county in Maryland. Its county seat is Chestertown. The county was named for the county of Kent in ...

. His family home, Wickliffe, was on Eastern Neck Island.

American Revolutionary War

Richard Wickes received his commission early in the war, as did his brother Lambert. On March 28, 1776, they both began service on the newly commissioned 18-gun ''Reprisal''. On June 10, the

Committee of Secret Correspondence The Committee of Secret Correspondence was a committee formed by the Second Continental Congress and active from 1775 to 1776. The Committee played a large role in attracting France, French France in the American Revolutionary War, aid and allianc ...

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

ordered Captain Wickes to set sail from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

and proceed to

Martinique Martinique ( ; or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It was previously known as Iguanacaera which translates to iguana island in Carib language, Kariʼn ...

. On June 28, near

Cape May, New Jersey Cape May (sometimes Cape May City) is a City (New Jersey), city and seaside resort located at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, Cape May County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Atlantic Ocean ...

, they joined forces with Captain John Barry on the to come to the aid of the privateer ''Nancy'' being chased by two

British Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

ships, the 32-gun and the 16-gun . ''Nancy'' was headed to Philadelphia with supplies loaded in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix. The cargo contained several hundred

kegs A keg is a small cask used for storing liquids. Wooden kegs made by a cooper were used to transport nails, gunpowder, and a variety of liquids. Nowadays a keg is normally constructed of stainless steel, although aluminium can be used if it is ...

of gunpowder. Late on the afternoon of June 28, Captain Wickes ordered his brother Richard to lead an armed

longboat A longboat is a type of ship's boat that was in use from ''circa'' 1500 or before. Though the Royal Navy replaced longboats with launches from 1780, examples can be found in merchant ships after that date. The longboat was usually the largest bo ...

to the ''Nancy'' and tell her captain, Hugh Montgomery, to head for the shore. Lieutenant Wickes reached the ''Nancy'' soon after midnight. In the early hours of June 29, pursued by the British ''Orpheus'' and ''Kingfisher'', the ''Nancy'' headed for the nearby Turtle Gut Inlet to run aground and salvage the cargo. Lieutenant Wickes assisted in operations to return cannon fire and transfer the cargo ashore. By late in the morning of June 29, the British bombardment had heavily damaged the ''Nancy''. Barry ordered the main sail wrapped around 50 pounds of gunpowder to create a long fuse running from the nearly 100 gunpowder kegs remaining in the hold to the deck and over the side. The fuse was lit as the crew abandoned ship. As the British boarded the ship, the fuse reached the hold. The gunpowder exploded with a huge blast felt for miles which killed seven members of the boarding party. After the explosion, Lieutenant Wickes was killed by subsequent British cannon fire. He was the only American casualty. Captain Wickes, in a letter to his brother Samuel, described how he had seen his brother die in the final four or five minutes of the battle. He was recognized for his bravery by both his brother and Captain Barry, who said that "a braver man never lived."

Legacy

Lieutenant Richard Wickes is buried at the Cold Spring Presbyterian Cemetery. A section of the cemetery, Veterans Field of Honor, is dedicated to his service "in the cause of American freedom." There is a second memorial marker in

Gallery

;Cold Spring Presbyterian Cemetery Image:Richard Wickes Memorial.jpg, Lieutenant Richard Wickes memorial Image:Cold Spring Presbyterian Church cemetery.jpg, Veterans Field of Honor ;Cape May File:Richard Wickes Memorial in Cape May - 2018.jpg, Lieutenant Richard Wickes memorial

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wickes, Richard 18th-century births Year of birth missing 1776 deaths United States military personnel killed in the American Revolutionary War Continental Navy officers People of Maryland in the American Revolution People from Kent County, Maryland Burials at Cold Spring Presbyterian Church