I represent John Roberts. I was a crewman on HMS Mentor. I was born about 1761, and I was a “pressed man.” Impressment was a common practice of the British Navy in the 18th and early 19th centuries, where they basically forced any idle mariners in town – or even civilians – into service on a ship when they were short on crew. The Mentor spent between April 1780 and May 1781 – the height of Spanish hostilities – patrolling the waters near Pensacola, and at times our crew would go ashore to help the army shore up defenses. Sometimes we’d cruise out to take Spanish prizes. In October 1780, I attempted to desert but was caught. A week later, I was punished again for insolence. In March 1781, our captain realized the Mentor couldn’t hold out against the much larger Spanish convoy and our guns, ammunition, and men were better spent defending Pensacola on shore. The ship was taken up the Blackwater River, where it capsized and was burned to keep from falling into enemy hands. I was stationed at the Navy Redoubt on The Cliffs (what the Spanish would later call Barrancas) and I finally succeeded in getting away.
Sources: 27