Merrimack County NH Archives Obituaries.....Gleeson, Timothy 1827
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Deb Haines http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00003.html#0000719 September 1, 2012, 11:59 pm

(New Hampshire) Patriot & State Gazetteer, March 5, 1827
We last week noticed the death at Loudon of Timothy Gleeson, a pensioner, aged 
74. A correspondent has since furnished the following: 

He was a native of Ireland, but in his youth emigrated to this country. In 1777, 
he entered as a clerk on board of the continental ship of war Raleigh, Thomas 
Thompson, Esq. commander, that sailed on a cruise from Portsmouth, in this 
State, fought some severe battles with British ships of war, and entered the 
port of L'Orient, in France. She took on her outward and inward cruise, several 
valuable prizes, and greatly annoyed the enemy’s commerce. After this, Ensign 
Gleeson entered the army of the Revolution; and occasionally performed the 
duties of an adjutant, and an Ensign. Since he left the continental service, 
(about the year 1780) his sole occupation (till incapacitated by the infirmities 
of age) has been that of a schoolmaster; constantly endeavoring to inculcate in 
the rising generation the value of that liberty, and of those principles for 
which he bravely fought by land and sea.

A part of Gleeson’s journal of the cruise of the Raleigh is in the care of the 
writer of this imperfect obituary. If any of that gallant crew are still living, 
how interesting must be their reminiscences of those days of auld lang syne? How 
interesting must be every record of the feats of the actors in the great drama 
of the revolution, who now, alas! are daily dropping from the stage, amid the 
tears, and blessings of a grateful country!

"August 23, 1777, Lat. 42. Lon. 66, at 12, spoke with the Alfred, who gave us 
the glorious intelligence of the capture of General Hurgoyne and his army. (This 
news was premature.) Sept. 2, Lat. 39, Lon. 52, she struck and we boarded her. 
She proved to be a bark from St. Vincents, bound to London, laden with rum, 
cocoa, coffee, cotton-Wool, indigo, and 329 hogs-heads of sugar—sent her for 
Piscataqua, under the command of Henry Nutter.

Sept. 3. In chase of a large fleet of 70 sail.— Sept. 5. Lat. 41, Lon. 47, being 
some days in sight of the fleet and no opportunity of taking any, without 
engaging the whole, our commander bravely determined to engage the Commodore, 
although he well knew his aid was near, and strong. Accordingly, made all sail 
the ship could bear and pass’d to windward of a great part of the fleet, and 
engaged a British sloop of war of 18 guns, with whom we fought 45 minutes, and 
received many a shot, which wounded our first Lieut. Shores—killed one Richard 
Mills, a marine, and wounded two more. We left her (though reluctantly) for she 
was reduced to a wreck; but the Commodore and 20 sail of armed vessels were 
coming up, and we had no assistance. Every man on board behaved with the 
greatest bravery.

Sept. 12, Lat. 46, Lon. 34.-The Alfred in company. The Alfred had spoken with a 
ship that gave intellidence of the Jamaica fleet of 300 sail under convoy of a 
64.

Sept. 21, Lat. 46, Lon. 23: gave chase to an armed ship, at 4 P. M. being within 
long gun shot of her, we fired our forecastle guns and one bow chase. She gave 
us two stern chasers, but chose rather to run, than fight; and while lowering 
down our steering sail, she took that opportunity to get off; the approaching 
night favoring the escape.

Oct. 1, Lat. 44, Lon. 12. At 2 P. M. brought her too. She proved to be the ship 
Jamaica, Capt. Watt. The Alfred in chase of another. At 7, spoke the Alfred in 
company with another Jamaica ship, Capt. Tartan. They were both bound to London. 
The two prizes had 900 hogsheads of sugar, and 170 puncheons of rum.


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