Blue Point Privateers Played Key Role in American Revolution

New research sheds light on overlooked maritime heroes who disrupted British supply lines from Long Island

Apr. 16, 2026 at 5:42pm

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A serene, cinematic painting depicting a lone whaleboat drifting on the calm waters of the Great South Bay, with the boat's wooden hull and oars reflected in the still surface. The scene is bathed in warm, golden sunlight and deep shadows, creating a nostalgic, almost melancholy mood.The Blue Point Privateers' small, fast whaleboats were instrumental in disrupting British supply lines during the American Revolution.Blue Point Today

A new book by local historian Warren McDowell reveals the untold story of the Blue Point Privateers, a group of merchant sailors and whalers who used small, fast boats to capture British supply ships in the Great South Bay during the American Revolution. Operating under official Letters of Marque, the Blue Point Privateers successfully seized dozens of British vessels carrying critical resources to New York City, disrupting the British occupation of Long Island.

Why it matters

The Blue Point Privateers represent an important but often overlooked aspect of the American Revolution, highlighting how local maritime communities played a vital role in the fight for independence. Their story provides a window into the broader struggle between the Continental forces and the British navy for control of coastal waterways and supply lines.

The details

The Blue Point Privateers, many of whom hailed from nearby Hampton or Connecticut, utilized fast, maneuverable whaleboats and periaugers equipped with cannons and swivel guns to ambush British supply ships as they passed through the Great South Bay. Captains like Ebenezer Dayton and Israel Deming successfully captured numerous British vessels, seizing food, supplies, and other cargo that would have otherwise reached British forces in New York City.

  • In 1778, Ebenezer Dayton received a Letter of Marque from Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull and began nightly patrols in the Great South Bay.
  • Between May and December 1778, Dayton's crew seized the British sloops Dispatch, Polly, Jane, and a periauger named Lively.
  • On October 1, 1779, Privateer Captain Israel Deming's crew captured two British transport sloops in the Blue Point area.
  • Three days later, Privateer Captain Thomas King's crew aboard the brig Defiance captured the British transport ship Badger off the Blue Point coast.
  • The last documented British vessel captured along the South Shore was the supply ship Peggy, seized by Privateer Thomas Wickham at Fire Island Inlet on March 2, 1783.

The players

Ebenezer Dayton

A merchant and peddler from Coram, New York who enlisted in the Suffolk County militia and received a Letter of Marque from Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull in 1778 to command an armed schooner named Suffolk and lead a crew of up to 45 men in whaleboats and a sloop named Ranger to attack British supply ships in the Great South Bay.

Israel Deming

A privateer from Wethersfield, Connecticut who received a Letter of Marque on September 1, 1779, likely from Governor Trumbull, and on October 1, 1779 commanded a crew of 40 sailors aboard an 8-gun sloop named Washington to capture two British transport sloops in the Blue Point area.

Thomas King

The captain of the 12-gun privateer brig Defiance, who on October 4, 1779 led a crew of 70 sailors to capture the British transport ship Badger off the coast of Blue Point, killing 25 British and Hessian soldiers before the Badger was retaken the next day.

Thomas Wickham

A privateer who on March 2, 1783 captured the British supply ship Peggy at Fire Island Inlet, in what was documented as the last British vessel seized along the South Shore during the American Revolution.

Warren C. McDowell

The author of the book "Blue Point Through the War Years" and a local historian who spent 10 years researching the history of the Blue Point Privateers.

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What they’re saying

“While the land battles got most of the attention, there was significant action in the Great South Bay. The British would ship timber, or whatever they could pilfer, to send to their New York City headquarters. Blue Point is directly across from the current-day Point O' Woods, which used to be the Fire Island inlet before it filled in. The British shipped their goods through the inlet at night, using the light from the beacons [signal fires that guided ships from running aground] to enter the shipping lane [west toward the city].”

— Warren McDowell, Author, "Blue Point Through the War Years"

“It took me 10 years to research this [privateer history]; however, one of the hardest things about this history is the parroting effect; it may not be accurate, but they will parrot it. If it is not documented, it is a story.”

— Warren McDowell, Author, "Blue Point Through the War Years"

What’s next

McDowell's book "Blue Point Through the War Years" is set to be released later this year, providing the first comprehensive look at the overlooked maritime history of the American Revolution on Long Island's South Shore.

The takeaway

The Blue Point Privateers represent an important but often forgotten aspect of the American Revolution, highlighting how local communities played a vital role in disrupting British supply lines and supporting the fight for independence. Their story sheds new light on the broader struggle for control of coastal waterways during the war.