Hopkins, Esek

HOPKINS, ESEK. (1718–1802). First commander in chief of the Continental navy. Rhode Island. Born in Scituate, Rhode Island, on 26 April 1718, Esek Hopkins was a successful sea captain, served as a privateer in the Seven Years' War, and retired to his farm in 1772. Having taken a keen interest in local politics, and being the brother of the most prominent figure in Rhode Island, Stephen Hopkins, Esek became state brigadier general on 4 October 1775 and was put in command of the militia. Stephen, meanwhile, was a delegate to Congress and an influential member of the Marine Committee. When the Continental navy was organized, Esek Hopkins was named commander in chief (confirmed on 22 December 1775), and his son, John Burroughs Hopkins, was appointed captain.

At the beginning of 1776, Congress ordered Hopkins to take his small fleet of eight ships and clear the coast from the Chesapeake Bay to a point south of the British ships. Reasoning that the British were too strong for him to best, Hopkins sailed to Nassau in the Bahamas. After a quick victory that included the taking of a great many cannon and other munitions, Hooper sailed for Rhode Island. On the return voyage, the U.S. fleet encountered a lone British frigate, the Glasgow, which out-sailed, out-fought, and out-foxed the superior American force before getting away. Humiliated, Hopkins was called to Philadelphia and was censured by Congress on 16 August 1776.

Hopkins intended to head back to sea, but his fleet collapsed around him. Congress suspended him from command on 26 March 1777, formally dismissing him on 2 January 1778. He served in the Rhode Island assembly from 1777 to 1786, but never again went to sea. He died on 26 February 1802.

SEE ALSO Hopkins, Stephen; Naval Operations, Strategic Overview.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Field, Edward. Esek Hopkins: Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Navy During the American Revolution, 1775 to 1778. Providence, R.I.: Preston & Rounds, 1898.

                              revised by Michael Bellesiles