Times of the Islands Fall 2021

Professor Cashin’s summary and the original Gazette
report stated that the men swam to shore after the boat
sank, but it’s not clear where they ended up. As an open
water swimmer in TCI, I am familiar with the currents
around the Islands and the challenges they present. From
where we found the cannon, the shore of West Caicos
is about 2 miles (3.2 km) away. Swimming that distance
requires some training, something we can be fairly sure
Brown and his men didn’t have, even if they knew how
to swim. Moreover, they would have been fatigued from
unloading supplies followed by an afternoon gun battle.
However, from our spot, a strong southeast to northwest
current pushed the water towards the eastern shore
of West Caicos. So assuming the pirates sank Brown’s
sloop in the vicinity of the wreck we found, it is quite
possible the men made it to the beach this far out without
actually having to swim the whole way. If they clung to
something floatable, they could have just drifted to the
shore. Had Brown’s boat been sunk in any other location
off West Caicos close to a reef, such as off the north tip of
the island, he and the crew would have likely been swept
out to sea.
To be sure, the assessments made are far from conclusive.
The contemporary accounts of the attack, even
with questionable descriptions and crucial omissions, at
least confirm a battle with pirates off West Caicos. We
don’t know if the cannon and remnants of the wreck we
found were from the Rhode Island vessel the Loyalists salvaged.
However, the location and size of the ship based
on ballast stones suggest that possibility. When taken
together with the prevailing current that Brown and his
men would have relied on to get to shore after their sloop
was sunk, a plausible case can be made that the windward
side of West Caicos was the scene of the battle.
We need to go back to collect additional evidence
from this cannon and wreck, as well as do a larger search
of the area for other cannons and wreckages. If we are
lucky enough to find Brown’s sloop and cannon, we could
make the case with a high level of confidence.
Questions for Brown from the 21st century
Let’s start by asking what in the world propelled Brown
to risk his life to take on the pirates just to secure a few
more supplies from the Rhode Island wreck? If he only
carried a couple of two-pounder cannons, he had almost
no chance of succeeding against a ship with bigger guns
with more range. Even if he had a larger six-pounder
cannon (which seems more likely if he truly believed he
might encounter pirates), he still would have been at a
From left: Ben Stubenberg, Agile LeVin and Captain Ernesto Von Der
Esch review the nautical chart to try to determine if the wreck they
found could have been Brown’s sloop.
significant disadvantage. Perhaps he wanted to relive the
thrill of battle again, a hero who refuses to turn and run,
even though he had nothing to prove. Or maybe he really
did think he could get off the crucial shot that would
cause the pirates to cut and run—though foolhardy, as
the outcome shows. He could have escaped with honor
and most supplies to fight another day.
What happened after Brown and the enslaved men
were stranded on West Caicos, and how were they rescued?
That is itself a compelling story. How long did they
go without food or water? Did the other Loyalists return
to get them even though it could have entailed another
confrontation with pirates? If so, was Brown grateful or
did he chastise his Loyalist rescuers with sharp words for
fleeing when he stayed to fight?
What of the ship from Rhode Island? How did the
Loyalists get word that it had wrecked? If the ship’s
supplies were intended for the North Caicos Loyalists,
why was it attempting to negotiate the narrow passage
between Southwest Reef and the southeast coast of West
Caicos instead of sailing to Fort Saint George? Perhaps it
was trying to reach the Caicos Banks and Gussy’s Cove on
Providenciales, but clearly something went terribly wrong.
Perhaps it was a navigation error, perhaps a storm, perhaps
a cannon ball from pirates. But if the ship was in fact
intending to deliver supplies in Providenciales, that would
call into question who really owned the supplies on the
ship.
Finally, what happened to the pirate ship that had
sunk Brown’s sloop? Did the pirate ship launch smaller
tenders armed with cannons to chase down Brown along
LYNN PELOWSKI
Times of the Islands Fall 2021 61