Ebenezer Dayton, Homegrown Privateer

A friend gave me a plate commemorating Ebenezer Dayton. According to the text on the back, the plate was “created to commemorate this historic event on the occasion of our Nation’s Bicentennial,” and was especially produced for the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission of the Town of Islip. Apparently there were only 1,000 of these plates produced. I did not recognize the name, so off I went in search of the man I never heard of, but was important enough to make it on a plate.

As it turns out Ebenezer Dayton was a local born in Coram on March 17, 1744. After the Battle of Long he moved his family to Bethany, Connecticut fleeing loyalists. On July 18, 1776 Dayton while near Oyster Bay, captured a clam boat. On it were two loyalists, brothers Nathan and Lazarus Gyer. The brothers were jailed in Connecticut. He acquired a schooner named Suffolk and in early 1778 was commissioned as a privateer by Connecticut Governor Jonathan Trumbull.

1778 was a successful year for Dayton. In May he led 14 men on two whaleboats to Blue Point and captured 5 oyster boats that contained lumber and produce. In June he sailed into the Great South Bay and at Blue Point captured three sloops, Dispatch, Polly and Jane and another boat the Lively. (Blue Point was used as a port to ship goods to New York City for the British war effort.) They all had stolen goods that were headed for the British in New York City. Dayton took the ships back to New Haven and filed a claim that resulted him being awarded the ships as prizes in July, 1778. In October he captured the sloops Fanny and Endeavor. In November he led another raid with a sloop and four whale boats from New London, CT again to the Great South Bay. Although he took a ship loaded with tobacco, he himself was captured. No one is certain if he escaped or was traded for a British prisoner, but he was freed.

In 1780 a Tory officer named Graham recruited youths to raid the Dayton’s home. The raid took place on March 14. While Dayton was in Boston, the robbers broke into his home taking jewelry, money and other goods. On the way back to their boat they met Chauncy Judd who they took prisoner because he recognized them. In the meantime, Dayton’s wife, Phebe was able to escape and altered her neighbors. A Captain Clark set out after the gang. He caught them, freed Judd and returned to Dayton his stolen property. Graham himself was hanged, while his gang were sent to Simsbury Jail from where they escaped and fled to Canada.

Many people came to believe that Dayton was a smuggler who stole goods from both patriots and loyalists alike. Dayton was concerned enough about the rumor that he gathered affidavits from people in Brookhaven, Derby and Stamford that testified to his legitimacy. However, the distrust grew. On April 5, 1786 he went bathing in the Housatonic River and was never seen again. His clothes were found, but never his body. Some believe he faked his own death.