I represent Charles Roberts. I became the pilot of HMS Mentor after James Griest deserted on August 4, 1780, and I served with distinction to the very end. Harbor pilots were quite valued for navigating ships through to the port of Pensacola. 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. I joined the Mentor just as it was headed west on a cruise to hunt smugglers and look for Spanish prizes to nab. Robert Farmar’s journal of the siege of Pensacola has this entry for March 10, 1781: “Captain Roberts arrived ths afternoon in a schooner which he took Wednesday night last near Round Isle. She has on board Don Galvez’ stock, etc, etc.” This description is a bit vague – I was attached to HMS Mentor, and I led a British prize crew bringing a captured Spanish vessel, the Santo Servanto, into Pensacola Bay. This means that we had taken the original crew prisoner and were manning the ship ourselves to bring home the goods. We were flying the British flag, and despite being challenged by Spanish ships guarding the harbor, we pressed on. There was some cannon fire exchanged, and because we had a smart harbor pilot on board, we were able to dart past the Spanish and bring home the prize. As it turned out, the ship contained the personal effects of General Bernardo de Gálvez himself: silver, wine, kitchen utensils, and 20,000 in cash. 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.
Sources: 27, 38