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as bloody as a butcher from the commencement of the battle until towards night of the day after. The greater part of the wounded had their legs or arms shot away, or the bones so badly fractured that they were obliged to suffer under the operation of amputation. Some of these poor fellows having once gone through this severe trial by the unskilled surgeons, were obliged to suffer another amputation in one, two, or three days thereafter by doctor Brooks; and they being put on board the different vessels composing the squadron, made it difficult for doctor Brooks to pay that attention to them which their cases required: besides, the gale of wind which succeeded the action, and which I have made mention of, made it altogether impracticable for him to visit the wounded, he being all this time on board the Serapis, excepting such of them as were on board of this ship. The gunner, at the close of the action, whom I before noticed, was found among the wounded, and who got well of his wound; but for the act of cowardice, which he had been guilty of, by begging for quarters of the enemy during the action, he was turned before the mast, and made to do duty as a common sailor, which was all the punishment he received for his crime. on the Bonhomme Richard; his "health required attention impossible to be given on shipboard", and he further stated that he had determined "never more to serve as surgeon in the Navy unless compelled by the utmost necessity". Jones objected to his leaving, saying that he had not the power to give him the permission; both he and the surgeon had entered under the same agreement. Brooke insisted upon being allowed to leave immediately, December 4, 1779. This led to an estrangement with Jones. He does not appear to have left the Alliance immediately, for December 19, mutual friends refer to him as there and hope that he and Jones have settled their differences. Presumably he returned to France on the ship, which sailed from the Texel shortly after this controversy, December 27th. He did not return to the United States with his brother, who sailed in the George Washington, in 1780, but remained in France until 1783. In that year he commenced to practice medicine in Smithfield, Va., and continued it for nine years. He again visited Edinburgh, but was in Fredericksburg settling his father's estate in 1792. He died there in 1803.

Dr. Brooke's brother mentioned above, was Governor of Virginia 1794-1795 and AttorneyGeneral of the state 1798 until his death, February, 1800.

Dr. Brooke married Miss Frances Thornton of Virginia. The Virginia Magazine of History for 1911 gives an interesting sketch of him and his family. Some of the above data is taken from it.

Very respectfully,

CHARLES W. STEWART, Superintendent Library and Naval War Records.

The Serapis was not only dismasted in the fight, but her quarter rails, crane, nettings, and the like, were completely levelled with her quarterdeck; her bowsprit was nearly rendered useless by our shot; as was also her boats, and several of her cannon was in a similar situation having been dismounted. The slaughter, however, among the officers and men was not so great as on board of the Good Man Richard. By her muster roll, it appeared that the Serapis lost in the action one hundred and thirty-seven of her crew killed including officers, and about seventy-six wounded; in which number are included near twenty who were blown up at the closing scene of the action by a hand grenado and powder, not one of which recovered: they lingered along for two or three days, and they were burnt in such a shocking manner that the flesh of several of them dropped off from their bones. and they died in great pain.

During the foregoing battle, there were by computation fifteen hundred people upon the land on Flamborough Head and near it, who beheld this scene of human carnage and some of whom I have since seen said that the tops of the nearest ship to the land, which was the Good Man Richard, after the first of the action, appeared to the beholders as in a constant blaze of fire.

On the 26th of September, four days after the battle the Serapis was in a condition to have sail made upon her. Accordingly we crowded all the sail we could and steered for the coast of Holland, in company with the squadron. The next day an English 64, and three frigates, which had been dispatched by the British government to capture us, arrived upon the very spot where the action was fought, and where they got intelligence from a small boat that our squadron was last seen standing towards Holland, towards which they directed their course, and crowded all sail after us.

On the 3d of October, we arrived with our little squadron, off the Texel bar, from whence the commodore despatched his first

lieutenant in the barge, with a complimentary letter to the Dutch admiral who commanded several Dutch men of war then at anchor in the Texel Roads, requesting permission for the squadron under the command of the American commodore, then in the offing, to enter the Texel, and come to in the Road. At this time the Dutch were not at war with the English. The lieutenant soon after returned with an absolute refusal on the part of the Dutch admiral, alleging that his masters, meaning their High Mightinesses, would not approve of such a measure. By this time the English squadron spoken of above hove in sight; and our ship was certainly not in a condition to go into battle, as we had not men sufficient on board to man our great guns; besides, between decks were filled pretty much with wounded men, and who would be in the way of managing the heaviest cannon we had on board. No time was therefore to be lost; and Captain Jones with a presence of mind which never forsook him in the most critical situation, again dispatched his lieutenant and wrote the Dutch admiral, describing in the most forcible manner the danger his squadron was in, and closed this message by telling the Dutch admiral in spirited language, that if he the second time should refuse to grant his request, he must abide the consequence; for that if he (Jones) had not permission he should nevertheless on the return of his boat make sail and enter the Texel and place himself under the protection of the Dutch admiral. This had the desired effect, and the officer returned on board with a favourable answer from the admiral, and we having previous to that received pilots on board; the signal was made for entering the Texel Roads. The English were at this time but a little more than cannon-shot off. Arriving within the Dutch ships of war, the squadron came to anchor in about eight fathoms of water; where, before our ship (the Serapis) had furled her sails, the Dutch admiral sent his barge, with an officer in her, to compliment Captain Jones on his

safe arrival, and to beg his company on board the admiral's ship, which I think was called the Amsterdam. As soon as the commodore was seated in his barge the crews of the vessels of our squadron gave him three cheers, and on his return we saluted the Dutch admiral, and he returned the salute. This transaction must have been very gauling to the English on board of their fleet, then lying off and on without the bar, and who must have heard every gun, as they were not more than four miles from us. Soon after our arrival here we obtained liberty from the Stadtholder to land our sick and wounded men upon an island in the bay, the name of which I cannot recollect.

Captain Parsons, with his officers, were paroled upon the Helder by permission of the Prince of Orange, about a fortnight after our arrival in the Texel.

Not long after this, Captain L * who had commanded the Alliance, was suspended from his command by the American minister at Paris: This was done in consequence of Captain Jones's representation to the former of L-'s cowardice and bad conduct before we arrived here, and he was ordered to Paris. However, before he set out, he sent Captain Cotteneau, who commanded the Pallais, a written challenge to fight him: he accepted it, and both went on shore prepared with their seconds, &c., at the Helder, where they fought a duel with their swords. L -, came off victorious, and Cotteneau was very dangerously wounded.

L

L—, as soon as this was over, sent another written challenge to Captain Jones, but the latter, perhaps not thinking it prudent to expose himself with a single combatant, who was a complete master of the small sword, declined accepting the challenge; but answered the man who sent it, by ordering L- under arrest, who hearing of

* Landais.

it, eluded those who were to execute this order, and immediately set out for Paris.

The captain of the Serapis, when taken, had silver plate and other articles in her cabin to a large amount, which according to the rules of war certainly belonged to the captors; but Captain Jones, instead of taking the advantage of this, had every article belonging to Captain Parsons packed together in trunks, and sent his lieutenant on shore to the Helder, with his compliments to Captain Parsons, and with these effects, together with directions for him to accept of them as coming from Captain Jones, who had certainly the best right to them of the two (wearing apparel belonging to himself* and servants excepted). The first lieutenant went on shore, delivered Captain Jones's message, and returned with the trunks, &c., and brought a verbal answer from this haughty English captain, purporting that he would not receive the articles in question, by the hands of a rebel officer; but at the same time intimated that he would receive the articles by the hands of Captain Cotteneau (who held his commission under the French king) and who was immediately sent for, and directed by Captain Jones to carry the articles on shore to Captain Parsons.† This commission Captain Cotteneau executed, and when he returned back reported to Captain Jones that Captain Parsons had graciously received the articles, but had not condescended to return any thanks or compliments to the former, which in my opinion shewed a great want of good breeding and politeness in the latter. All the English prisoners on board of the squadron were landed on an island, amounting to five hundred and thirty-seven, and were here maintained by the American agent then residing at Amsterdam, by special permission of the Dutch government. About the same time, the English minister residing

* Parsons.

His sword and pistols were also sent him.

Near by where we lay.

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