The Last Naval Battle of the Revolution — Off Cape Canaveral
Though we think of the Revolution as a contest fought in New England and the Middle Colonies, its last naval battle took place far to the south, off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 10, 1783.¹ Florida was then a British possession — Britain controlled it from 1763 to 1783, throughout the entire war, and it remained loyal to King George III.²
The fight grew out of an urgent errand. Two Continental Navy vessels, the frigate Alliance under Captain John Barry and the transport Duc de Lauzun under Captain John Green, were carrying about 72,000 Spanish silver dollars from Havana, Cuba, to Philadelphia to help finance the Continental cause.³ The Alliance mounted thirty-six guns; the slower Duc de Lauzun carried twenty.⁴
As the two ships sailed north along the Florida coast, three British warships — the Alarm, the Sybil, and the Tobago — sighted them and gave chase.¹ The heavily laden Duc de Lauzun lagged behind, and to lighten her, Barry persuaded Green to throw most of her cannon overboard.³ The British frigate Sybil, commanded by Captain James Vashon, pressed the attack and exchanged fire with the slower American ship.⁴
Then Captain Barry executed a bold maneuver. Reversing the Alliance's course, he placed his frigate between the Sybil and the Duc de Lauzun and held his fire until the British ship drew close alongside. He then loosed a powerful broadside.⁴ The engagement lasted less than an hour before the Sybil, outgunned and badly damaged, broke off and fled.⁴ The American ships continued their mission, carrying the silver onward at dawn the next day.⁴
The battle carries added significance: John Barry, often called “the Father of the American Navy,” here fought the last sea battle of the Revolution, and it was the last action of the Continental Navy ship Alliance.² Later in 1783 Florida passed from Britain back to Spain, and it would not become a United States territory until 1821.¹ A historical marker erected in 2006 on Merritt Island commemorates the engagement, and local chapters of the Sons of the American Revolution mark its anniversary each year.⁵
SOURCES
1. “The Last Naval Battle of the American Revolution,” Florida Historical Society (myfloridahistory.org).
2. “Brevard History: Last Naval Battle … Near Cape Canaveral,” Space Coast Daily.
3. “Last Naval Battle of the American Revolution,” California SAR / Revolutionary-War-and-Beyond.
4. “The Last Naval Battle … Historical Marker” (text), Historical Marker Database (hmdb.org).
5. Withlacoochee Chapter, Florida SAR, anniversary commemoration.