The New Student's Reference Work/Whipple, Abraham

Whip′ple, Abraham, an American naval officer, was born at Providence, R. I. on Sept. 16, 1733. He commanded a privateer in the French and Indian War, and in one cruise took 23 French prizes. During the Revolutionary War his ship took more vessels than any other in the service. After his ship was finally taken by the British, he sailed for France with dispatches in a new ship and encountered the British merchant fleet of 150 vessels on its way to Jamaica. Hiding his guns and running up the British flag, he joined the fleet, and at night captured a vessel, putting on a crew from his own ship, and sent it to America. This he did until he had taken ten ships. He was taken prisoner near Charleston in 1780. His ship was the first American vessel to enter the Thames with the United States flag (1784). He moved west with the Ohio Company, dying at Marietta, O. on May 29, 1819.