French Fleet Threatens Sandy Hook

France entered an alliance with the United States on February 8, 1778, and two months later dispatched a large fleet to fight the British Army and Navy in America. The French fleet reached American waters off the Chesapeake Bay as a British fleet left Philadelphia and cleared the Delaware Bay. After spending a few days off Virginia, the French turned north, reaching Delaware Bay on July 8 and nearing Sandy Hook on July 10—only four days after the British Army had completed its evacuation to New York via the Hook.

The French intentions were clear to Admiral Richard Howe, commanding British ships at New York: “The French squadron was advancing toward this port... anchored this evening without the Hook, seeming to meditate an attack on this port." Howe ordered all British ships to come inside Sandy Hook. As the French neared, ships and boats sprinted for Sandy Hook. Loyalist Louisa Susannah Wells, aboard the Rose in a four-ship squadron, narrated her arrival on July 9. She recalled, "we had a precaution to nail a sail-cloth before the cabin windows and to be careful of showing lights." She also wrote:

The [sloop of war] Swift was so apprehensive about being taken that she threw out all her boats in order to be towed in. All the comfort we had was that the Swift would be taken first… We had the mortification to see five or six vessels taken by the enemy that day, which were bound to New York, but did not know its harbor [was] being blocked up.

The French Fleet Arrives of Shrewsbury Inlet

On July 11, word of French arrival ricocheted among British officers at New York. Colonel Thomas O'Beirne wrote, "in the afternoon they [the French] were observed to come to anchor off Shrewsbury Inlet, about four miles from the Hook.” The Army’s senior engineer, John Montressor, wrote of the first prizes taken by the French:

This evening an account of the French fleet coming to anchor off Sandy Hook, consisting of eleven sail of the line and 3 three frigates; they took 12 out of 13 of our fishing boats. The tender of the [frigate] Thunder Bomb [was] drove into the French fleet by a gust and was taken.

The logbook of the French flagship, Languedoc, reveals that the French were picking up additional British shipping. Even before they “anchored at Black Point” [actually Shrewsbury Inlet] on July 11, the French “took the sloop of war the York of 14 guns” on July 10 and only the 11th “took possession of some fishing boats” and “took the snow the Carcasse, laden with powder, bombs, and balls."

Admiral Charles Henri D’Estaing was not initially impressed by the defenses at Sandy Hook, which he referred to as a "small guard.” Fortunately for the British, winds were not favorable for a quick attack on Sandy Hook. On July 12, Lt. Col. Stephen Kemble wrote that "since their arrival, no favorable winds to induce them to enter and attack us."

The Loyalist New York Gazette wrote of a small Loyalist schooner, Dispatch, that escaped capture:

With three men on board, was taken off the fishing banks by three barges from the French squadron… The fishermen of the Dispatch threw one Frenchman overboard and secured the other two in the hold, and stood off for Sandy Hook.

The Gazette also reported that “six or seven barges belonging to them [French navy] were going ashore for water, were overset near Jumping Point in the Jersies, and a number of men were drowned." Indeed, the French were going ashore; D’Estaing, himself, went ashore. They needed local pilots to guide them through the deep-water channel immediately north of Sandy Hook and they needed fresh water and provisions for their hungry men. Both of these are topics of other articles.

While waiting on local pilots and provisions, the French continued to pick up British ships. Admiral Howe and Colonel John Laurens of the Continental Army, arrived at Shrewsbury, both estimated that the French took about a dozen British ships and large boats. But the actual number, based on French sources, was higher than that. Table 6 documents their considerable booty while anchored off Sea Bright.

Beyond the prizes, several British ships were chased and wrecked. On July 25, the Loyalist New York Gazette reported the wreck of a vessel carrying sugar wrecking a week earlier and “almost all her sugar is washed away.” In addition, “three more vessels are on shore southward of the Neversink... a schooner ran ashore and went to pieces on the Hook Thursday last."

French Are Unable to Attack British

Nonetheless, the primary interest of Admiral D’Estaing was determining the best way to cross Sandy Hook and attack the British. He reportedly offered a massive bounty to any pilot who could get his ships in. But he was unable to find a pilot who believed that the channel north of Sandy Hook was deep enough for the largest French warships. D’Estaing later wrote:

He promised one hundred thousand crowns to the pilot who would take care of this; but the promise could not make convincing the advantage of an impossible execution, there being depth for only small vessels… the passage [across Sandy Hook] is too narrow to risk, that if the vessel would ground, it would close the passage and leave the ships devastated by the batteries of the enemy.

The largest French ships—including twelve ships-of-line sat as much as 24 feet in the water, and the channel depth was reportedly only 22 feet (these figures vary slightly across different sources). 

A related problem was the narrowness of the channel. British sources note that the channel above Sandy Hook was only wide enough to admit one, or potentially two, ships at time.

According to a sketch from O’Beirne, British warships were lined up near the tip of Sandy Hook and immediately south of the channel. The ships and nearby shore battery could therefore focus considerable cannon fire on the channel precisely at the point that French vessels would enter the channel one or two at a time. This effectively negated the fire power advantage of the French fleet (850 French guns against 534 British guns).

Word of the French problem crossing Sandy Hook made it to George Washington, who wrote Congress:

It was the Count's [Admiral D’Estaing] first wish to enter at Sandy hook in order to possess himself of, or to destroy, if possible, the whole of the British fleet, lying in the Bay of New York; and that for this purpose he had been much engaged in his inquiries about the depth of water, and in sounding the channel to ascertain it. The result of which was, that the water from the experiments made was too shallow at the entrance to admit his large Ships.

In addition to the problems with crossing Sandy Hook, D'Estaing lacked fresh water and provisions for his men. Despite efforts to supply the French, supply lines through Shrewsbury could not meet the needs of the large fleet and its 11,000 men. D’Estaing wrote, “without resupply vessels, his troops were much too weak to support an attack by the enemy.” A British report further described the supply problem, particularly with respect to carrying heavy water casks through the ocean surf:

They procured some supplies from the Jersies, which was brought three miles by land carriage...but in the portage of casks they lost a number of boats, officers and men amidst the surge that prevails upon that shore, and proves inexorable to navigators unacquainted with it.

French Decide to Leave Sandy Hook

D’Estaing convened a council with his senior officers on July 20 and the decision was made to weigh anchor and leave. A French Officer, Jean-Julien Chevalier Le Mauff, noted that before leaving, “They decided to sink a small snow carrying oars that was taking much water, after having it unloaded, as well as some fishing boats." This was done in order to block entry into the Sandy Hook channel.

British observers noted that the supply boats rowing between the shore and the fleet ceased on July 21. For example, British Navy Doctor John Campbell, wrote: "The French squadron had maintained a constant intercourse with the shore, by means of boats and small vessels; which was observed to cease on the 21st of July.”

Some observers thought the French were attacking. O’Beirne wrote, "we consequently expected the hottest day that had ever been fought between two nations. On our side, all was at stake." But the British were misinformed "from the unanimous report of the country people" who were trading with French while informing the British. In reality the moves of that day were French preparations to sail. They would leave for Rhode Island on the morning of the 22nd.

Ironically, the winds turned on July 22, deepening the channel. Richard Howe wrote: “A fresh easterly wind, of two days continuance… raised the water on the bar very considerably higher than its common level… Instead of standing in to pass the bar, after tacking two or three times, he stood off to sea."

When the French sailed, they chose not to turn over prisoners to New Jersey authorities on shore. This peeved Reverend James Caldwell, a New Jersey delegate to the Continental Congress, who wrote:

The French fleet took a number of fishing vessels outside the Hook - the greater part of their crews were the vile Tories who fled to the enemy & were obliged to fish for their support - but some were faithful inhabitants of Staten or Long Islands, obliged to support themselves in that way. Application was made to the Admiral to send the inhabitants to shore to abide the trial of their country & he seemed to consent, but afterwards appeared to be influenced to take them.

The fate of these prisoners—including local Loyalists taken by the French while fishing—is unknown.

Despite rumors of French fleets returning to Sandy Hook, the French never returned in force. However, the French threat forced the British to spread their naval assets across a wider variety of ports. This created an opportunity for American privateers eager to prey on British shipping bound for New York.

Related Historic Site: Sandy Hook Lighthouse

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