Lyle and Kurt and all other interested parties:

In case you have not found this little gem, there is an eye-witness  
account of the engagement between the Bonhomme Richard and the  
Serapis (among other vessels) written by a crew member.  The aritcle  
is an autobiography of John Kilby of Hanover County, Virginia written  
to Thomas Ritchie in September 1810.   It is published in the July,  
1905 edition of Scribner's Magazine, Volume XXXVIII.   The title of  
the article is "John Kilby's Narrative."  It was annotated by August  
C. Buell, who calls it a remarkably accurate account even though  
written some 30 years after the events.

Kilby was a quarter-gunner for the *Bon Homme Richard( during its  
engagement with the *Serapis* and at the surrender was one of the  
three officers appointed to escort Capt. Pearson to John Paul Jones.

It was in this battle that the Bonhomme Richard was sunk, but the  
Americans carried the day and seized the other ships in the battle,  
including the Serapis, which Kilby calls in his account the "Sea  
Raper", a  Yankee nickname for the Serapis.

Kilby's original handwritten manuscript is among the *Kilby Papers*  
housed at the Library of Virginia, manusucripts and archives  
collection.  The manuscript varies in only a small degree from the  
published version in Scribner's Magazine.

For another account of his naval service, Kilby's Revolutionary War  
Pension File at the National Archives are quite revealing.

Best of luck with this endeavor.

Craig Kilby (no known relation to this John Kilby, who was a son of  
Thomas and Sarah Kilby of Dorchester County, Maryland, born 1758.)




On Nov 27, 2008, at 12:00 AM, Lyle E. Browning wrote:

>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Date:    Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:45:38 -0500
> From:    "Lyle E. Browning" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Fwd: From the MUA: The Serapis Project Journal -  
> Underwater Archaeology in Madagascar
>
> This epic  battle was one of the reasons that we are the USA rather
> than still connected administratively with the UK. The classic case of
> it's now how much dog is in the fight, but how much fight is in the
> dog. Schoolyard bully stopped kind of thing. Definitely not a church
> social kind of thing;)
>
> Lyle Browning
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> From: The MUA <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: November 26, 2008 9:22:36 AM EST
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: From the MUA: The Serapis Project Journal - Underwater
>> Archaeology in Madagascar
>> Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>>
>> Folks:
>>
>> The MUA is pleased to announce the start of the Serapis Project
>> Journal.  Underwater archaeologists working off the coast of
>> Madagascar are investigating a wreck which may prove to be the
>> Serapis, a vessel that was involved in the fiercest ship to ship
>> naval confrontation during the American Revolution. The battle
>> between the Bonhomme Richard, commanded by John Paul Jones, and the
>> British HMS Serapis was a high point in American naval arms during
>> the Revolution.
>>
>> http://www.uri.edu/artsci/his/mua/project_journals/serapis08/ 
>> serapis08_intro.shtml
>>
>> Enjoy, and happy holidays from the MUA!
>>
>> T Kurt Knoerl
>> Director
>> The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
>> http://www.uri.edu/mua
>>

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