Silas Talbot | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 10th congressional district | |
| In office March 4, 1793 – June 5, 1794 | |
| Preceded by | none |
| Succeeded by | William Cooper |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1751-01-11)January 11, 1751 |
| Died | June 30, 1813(1813-06-30) (aged 62) New York City,New York, U.S. |
| Party | Federalist Party |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Continental Army Continental Navy United States Navy |
| Rank | Captain |
| Battles/wars | |
CaptainSilas Talbot (January 11, 1751 – June 30, 1813) was an officer in theContinental Army andContinental Navy during theAmerican Revolutionary War. Talbot is most famous for commandingUSS Constitution from 1799 to 1801. Silas Talbot was a member of theSociety of the Cincinnati'sNew York branch.[1]
Talbot was born on 11 January 1751 atDighton in theProvince of Massachusetts Bay, into a large farming family. At twelve, he took to seafaring, serving as a cabin boy in a coasting vessel. Talbot's performance proved outstanding, and by 1772 had saved up enough money to buy property on Weybosset Street in Providence, Rhode Island, and build a stone home, having learned the trade of stone masonry earlier in life.[2] He was a slaveowner.[3]
On June 28, 1775, Talbot received the commission of a captain in the2nd Rhode Island Regiment.[2] After participating in thesiege of Boston, Talbot and theContinental Army began their march to New York. En route, they stopped atNew London, Connecticut, whose port had just receivedEsek Hopkins, who had just landed from a naval expedition to theBahamas. After learning that Hopkins would petition General George Washington for 200 volunteers needed to assist his squadron in reaching Providence, Talbot volunteered his services in this effort.
After Talbot made his way back to New York, where he was aiding in the transportation of troops, he obtained command of afire ship and attempted to use it to set fire to theRoyal Navy warshipHMSAsia on September 14, 1776. The attempt failed, but the daring it displayed, and the fact that Talbot was severely burned during the effort, won him a promotion tomajor on October 10, 1777, retroactive to September 1.[2]
After suffering a severe wound atFort Mifflin on October 23, 1777 while fighting to defendPhiladelphia, Talbot returned to active service in the summer of 1778 and fought in theBattle of Rhode Island on August 28, 1778.
As commander of the 8-gun galleyPigot (which he had captured from the Royal Navy in theSakonnet River on October 28, 1778), and later the 12-gun sloopArgo,[4] both under the Army, he cruised againstLoyalist vessels that were harassingAmerican trade betweenLong Island andNantucket and made prisoners of many of them. On November 14, 1778, the Continental Congress passed a resolution that recognized his success in capturingPigot and promoted him to lieutenant colonel on the same date. In October of the same year, the Rhode Island General Assembly voted to present Talbot with a "genteel silver-hilted sword" for the same action. Silversmith John Gladding Gibbs of Providence made the sword.
Because of his success fighting afloat for the Army, Congress commissioned Talbot as a captain in theContinental Navy on September 17, 1779. However, sinceCongress had no suitablewarship to entrust to him, Talbot put to sea in command of theprivateerGeneral Washington. He took one prize in it, but he soon ran into a Royal Navy fleet off New York. After a chase, hestruck his colors toCulloden, a 74-gun Britishship-of-the-line and remained a prisoner of war until exchanged for a British officer in December 1781.[5]
Talbot was twice involved in mercantile enterprises, both for aslave ship cargo including slaves. In late 1783 he had an interest in a cargo of produce and slaves shipped to Charleston, South Carolina, in the sloop PEGGY. In August 1785 he bought half of the 90-tonbrigantineIndustry. Both vessels transported slaves from the Guinea region to Charleston. On one 1786 voyage of theIndustry, Talbot was notified by his solicitors, Murray, Mumford, and Bower, on 9 September 1786 of a significant financial loss: "We hear about one hundred & eighty Slaves off the coast of Guinea, near half of which died before the brig arrived in Charleston where she is now."[6][7] Talbot later sold his half of the Industry, but, as late as 1801, he was still trying to collect his half of the cargo that he claimed had not been included in the sale.[8]
After the Revolutionary War, Talbot settled inJohnstown, the seat ofFulton County, New York, where he purchased the former manor house and estate ofWilliam Johnson, the city founder.[9] He was a member of theNew York State Assembly in 1792 and 1792 to 1793.
InJanuary 1793, Talbot was elected as aFederalist from New York to the3rd United States Congress, serving from March 4, 1793, to approximately June 5, 1794, when PresidentGeorge Washington chose him third in a list of six captains of the newly establishedUnited States Navy.[10] During his time in Congress, he was one of nine representatives to vote against theEleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution.[11] He was ordered to superintend the construction of the frigateUSS President at New York. On April 20, 1796, the construction ofPresident was suspended, and Talbot was discharged from the Navy.
With the outbreak of theQuasi-War with theFrench First Republic, Talbot was re-commissioned as a captain in the United States Navy on May 11, 1798. He served as commander ofUSS Constitution from June 5, 1799, until September 8, 1801, sailing it to theWest Indies, where he protected American commerce from French privateers during the Quasi-War. He commanded the U.S. Navy squadron which operated off the French colony ofSaint-Domingue from 1799 to 1800 and was commended by theSecretary of the Navy for protecting American commerce and for laying the foundation of permanent trade with the colony. Talbot was reportedly wounded 13 times and carried 5 bullets in his body.[5]
Talbot resigned from the Navy on September 21, 1801, and died inNew York City on June 30, 1813. He was buried in Trinity Churchyard inlower Manhattan.
The firstUSS Talbot (Torpedo Boat No. 15) was named for Lt.John Gunnell Talbot, no relation to Silas Talbot; the second and third Talbots (Talbot (DD-114/APD 7) andTalbot (DEG/FFG-4), respectively) were named for Captain Silas Talbot.
Talbot was an original member of the Rhode IslandSociety of the Cincinnati.
Battery Talbot (1899–1919), named for Silas Talbot in G.O. 30, March 19, 1902, was a reinforced concrete Endicott Period 4.72-inch coastal gun battery on Fort Adams, Newport County, Rhode Island. Both of the original guns from this battery survive. One is on display at Equality Park in Newport, and the other is atFort Moultrie National Park nearCharleston, South Carolina.
There is acenotaph in honor of Captain Talbot in the Dighton Congregational Church cemetery in his hometown ofDighton, Massachusetts.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help){{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| New district | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York's 10th congressional district 1793–1794 | Succeeded by |
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