Seth Harding (17 April 1734 – 20 November 1814) was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

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 a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of ...

. In 1776, he was the captain of the ''Defence''.

Biography

Seth Harding, also known as Hest was born in

Eastham Eastham or East Ham, may refer to: People *Ashley Eastham (born 1991), English footballer * George R. Eastham (1914–2000), English footballer * George E. Eastham (born 1936), English footballer and son of the George R. Eastham *Harry Eastham (19 ...

Province of Massachusetts The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in British America which became one of the Thirteen Colonies, thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III of England, William III and Mary II ...

. He went to sea early in his life and commanded several merchant ships during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

. He moved to Liverpool N.S., and briefly served in the

5th General Assembly of Nova Scotia The 5th General Assembly of Nova Scotia represented Nova Scotia between May 1770 to 1784, its membership being set in the 1770 Nova Scotia general election. The 5th General Assembly is known as Nova Scotia's "Long Parliamentas it sat for fourteen ...

, representing Liverpool Township from Oct. 12, 1773 to 1774. At the beginning of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolu ...

, he offered his services to

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and was commissioned commander of the state

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the latter part ...

''Defence''. Harding captured many

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

ships while in command of this and two other vessels. In September 1778, Harding accepted a

Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War and was founded October 13, 1775. The fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron John Adam ...

commission and took command of ''Confederacy''. He cruised along the U.S. coast in company with ''Deane'' during 1779, taking three prizes and performing convoy duties. He was ordered to take

John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the fir ...

, newly appointed minister to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

, to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

in September 1779, but the ship was dismasted 10 days out. Harding, through skillful seamanship, sailed his ship to

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island and an Overseas department and region, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of ...

for repairs, his passengers continuing on another ship. ''Confederacy'' raided British merchantmen and guarded convoys until 18 April 1781, when she was forced to surrender to two British ships, ''Roebuck'' and ''Orpheus''. Harding was subsequently exchanged, commanded the letter of marque ''Diana'', but was captured again. After this release, the fighting captain volunteered to serve as First Lieutenant to John Barry in ''Alliance'', and was wounded on board during the last engagement of the revolution with HMS ''Sybil'', off Cape Canaveral, Florida. He was known as "the Harding" by the king of France. He had a great relation to France. Harding spent his last years as a merchant sailor and in retirement in

Schoharie, New York Schoharie ( ) is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Schoharie County, New York. The population was 3,299 at the 2000 census. The Town of Schoharie has a village, also called Schoharie. Both are derived from the Mohawk word for dr ...

, where he died.

Namesake

Several ships called USS ''Harding'' were named in his honor.

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Seth 1734 births 1814 deaths Continental Navy officers People from Eastham, Massachusetts United States Navy officers People from Schoharie, New York Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs Military personnel from Massachusetts