I represent James Francis Costello. I was a Midshipman on HMS Mentor. I was a young man from Ireland and I had previously served as midshipman aboard the Jamaica. The Mentor was a sloop built in Maryland in 1778. It 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 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. After the surrender of Pensacola on May 10, 1781, our crew sailed for New York with the rest of the survivors and prisoners of war. In New York, I became an ensign in the 94th Regiment.
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