Neptune's Needle

Sea captain and author. His father, Captain William Coggeshall was financially ruined when one of his vessels was seized by a British cruiser for trading at a French island, and another was captured by France for trading with English colonies. As a result, George Coggeshall and his six siblings were left destitute. Coggeshall determined that he would go to sea as soon as possible, thereby reducing the family's expenses and affording him a chance to recoup his father's losses.

He soon had an opportunity. His uncle by marriage, Captain Henry Turner, needed a cabin boy for his schooner, the Charlotte. Just fifteen, Coggeshall left for Cadiz, Spain, with a cargo of flour and tobacco and with the news of General George Washington's death. In 1809, having sailed as an able seaman on numerous voyages, he received his first command, the Henry and Isabella. During the War of 1812, he served as captain of the privateer schooners David Porter and Leo. Early in 1815, the Leo was captured off Lisbon by the British frigate Granicus. Coggeshall and his crew were delivered as prisoners to the authorities at Gibraltar. Two days later, through a clever ruse, Coggeshall escaped and, aided by some smugglers, reached Algeciras. There, the American consul helped him get passage to Cadiz and then, via Lisbon, to New York. He arrived safely on 9 May 1815.

Coggeshall made good on his promise to recoup the family fortunes. As he achieved financial success in his own career, he employed many of his brothers as mates or captains under him and frequently visited his mother, who had been left a widow.

Captain Coggeshall's sea career was long and exciting, spanning nearly six decades. On every voyage, he read assiduously and kept a detailed journal. Having visited ports in nearly every part of the world, he incorporated his travel experiences that he wrote into various books following his retirement in 1841. In rapid succession he published Voyages to Various Parts of the World (1851), Second Series of Voyages to Various Parts of the World (1852), Thirty-Six Voyages to Various Parts of the World (1855), History of the American Privateers and Letters-of-Marque (1856), and An Historical Sketch of Commerce and Navigation from the Birth of the Saviour down to the Present Date (1860). Also attributed to him is a volume of Religious and Miscellaneous Poetry.

Coggeshall's best-known work, History of the American Privateers, an account of the naval battles of the War of 1812, generally lacks the grace and vigor of his earlier works. Although valuable to naval historians, it is marred by reams of tedious detail. Clearly he put a great deal of work into its composition, including sundry letters, charts, and newspaper extracts concerning military actions. Unfortunately, however, what should prove the strength of the historical compilation is instead its weakness. The narrative flow is compromised by the dizzying wealth of catalogues listing "Prizes Captured by Privateers." One important detail saves the History from total tedium. Well into his work, Coggeshall inserts two lively chapters describing his own daring exploits. He relates how, following his capture in Gibraltar, he disguised himself as an English naval officer, nonchalantly boarded a Norwegian vessel, and, with the commander's help, escaped his captors.

Coggeshall concluded his writing career with An Historical Sketch of Commerce and Navigation from the Birth of the Saviour down to the Present Date. As the unwieldy title suggests, he had an enormous undertaking in mind. However, the book is haphazardly arranged, reflecting Coggeshall's deteriorating health.

Sources

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Public Domain Source

Compiler

Peter Richards