MRGIXIA BIOGRAPHY
the brig. "Dolphin," Anthony Knapp, mas-
ter, from Xewburyport to Barbadoes, and
thence returned by way of Newfoundland
to his port of departure. He enlisted in De-
cember. 1775. for a twelve months' service
in the Continental army under Captain
l-lnoch Putnam, in a regiment commanded
by Colonel Israel Hutchinson, of Dan vers.
He was stationed at Winter Hill until after
the evacuation of Boston, in the spring of
1776, after which his regiment was quar-
tered in the college buildings, at Cambridge.
He assisted in the fortification of Dorches-
ter Ileights, and in ^lay. 1776. went with his
regiment to New York, where he was en-
gaged several weeks in building the defences
of I'ort Washington. He volunteered as an
artillery man in the expedition against the
British on Long Island and served in Cap-
tain Foster's company under command of
Colonel Henry Knox, in the battle of Flat-
bush. Two months later he rejoined his
regiment at Fort Washington, New York,
and was in the battles of Harlem Heights
and White Plains. New York. After the re-
treat of the northern army across New Jer-
sey, he was in the expedition under Wash-
ington that captured the Hessians at Tren-
ton. New Jersey, December 26, 1776, and
took part in the later expedition against
Trenton, January 2, and Princeton, Janu-
ary 3, 1777; however, his term of enlistment
having expired on February 5, 1777, he was
discharged from the service. He returned
to Massachusetts in company with Captain
Brown, of Cambridge, and Captain Win-
throp Sargent, of Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Soon after his release from military duty
in 1777, he shipped on board a sloop, Isaac
Elwell, master, bound for Demerara, and the
next year made a voyage to Martinique, wdth
Captain IMoses Hale. In 1779 he was mate
of an armed schooner carrying six guns,
which sailed for Guadeloupe, commanded by
John Holmes, of Ipswich, Massachusetts.
On the return voyage the vessel was taken
a prisoner to Cork Ilaven, Ireland, but
escaped and returned home by way of Bar-
badoes and St. Eustatius, after absence of
eleven months. Later he sailed in the prize
ship, '"Uriah," Isaac G. Rearson, master,
and was again captured and taken to An-
tigua, but escaped and returned home in the
brig, "Ruby," John IJabson, master, in 1780.
Next he shipped on board the brig. "Mar-
quis de Lafayette," carrying six guns, Seth
Thomas, master, and made a voyage to
( iuadeloupe and back. He then sailed on
tl'C brig. "Cormorant." John Perkins, mas-
ter, but was captured on the homeward voy-
age and taken to Bermuda. Records of the
Pension Piureau at Washington state that
Abraham Wheelwright served about three
years in all. on board the brig, "Spy," six
guns. Captain Lane. The vessels previously
mentioned were all privateers or armed ves-
sels of other character. After the close of
the revolution he sailed as master and part
owner of the brig. "Active," for Joseph Mar-
guand. At a later date, in partnership with
Ids brother. Fbenezer Wheelwright, he es-
tablished a profitable maritime business
with the W^est Indies.
Captain Abraham Wheelwright, in com- pany with eight other merchants, among whom were Captains William Coombs, Moses Brown. \\'illiani P. Johnson, Nich- olas Johnson, A\'illiam Paris. Fbenezer Stocker, all members of the Marine Society, sent the following letter to the President of the United States. June i. 1798: "Sir: — A number of the inhabitants of Newburyport have agreed to build and equip a ship of three hundred and fifty-five tons burthen, to be mounted with twenty-six pound can- nons, and to offer her to the government of the United States for their use, requiring no other compensation than six per cent, on the net cost of the ship and equipments, and a final reimbursement at the convenience of the Government of net cost." This ofifer was accepted, the ship was built in seventy- five working days. The keel was laid on July 9, and she was launched on October ]2, 1798. She was named the Merrimack,"' and was sent to sea under the command of Captain Moses Brown. At the end of five \ ears she w^as sold in Boston ; her name was changed to the "Monticello," and she was soon afterwards wrecked and lost on Cape Cod.
Captain Abraham AMieelwright purchased land and buildings in Newburyport, Massa- chusetts, September 30, 1789. of Samuel Noyes and wife Abigail, of Campton, New Hampshire; on June 4, 1791. Mary Wheel- wright, widow of Jeremiah Wheelwright, sold .Abraham and E]:)enczer \Mieelwright all her real estate in Gloucester devised to her by her father, Abraham Davis, late of Gloucester. Massachusetts. On January 3. 1806, John Greenleaf sold to Abraham
