Gustavus Conyngham
Because Great Britain was patrolling for any arms deals, he had arranged a transaction with Dutch traders in order to safely transfer the goods.
Andrew Frazer, the British official in charge of Conyngham's arrest, placed a guard on board the Charming Peggy and ordered her to set sail for England as soon as the winds prevailed.
This time, instead of waiting to be captured, Conyngham sold the Charming Peggy to the Dutch government in order to be able to purchase a new ship when under less suspicion.
However, due to corruption and embezzlement within the government itself, he was never given any profits from the sale of his ship, and was forced to find another way to accomplish his mission.
They formed a lasting relationship, and Conyngham eventually awarded Franklin the nickname "the Philosopher" for his intellectual fortitude and resourcefulness.
Not ready to commit to a war with Britain, French officials bowed to Lord Stormont's demands, turning over the Joseph and calling for Conyngham's arrest.
However, this was no easy task in Europe at the time – Britain was watching the construction of new ships and was prepared to move against any vessel they thought was being built to aid the American cause.
This brought the expenses associated with shipping to their all-time highest level, outpacing their rates even during Britain's previous wars with France and Spain.
Conyngham's cruise off the English coastline only ended when he captured a ship carrying valuable wartime supplies, which he deemed worthy of an escort to American shores.
Though the local newspapers hailed him as a returning war hero, the Continental Congress was less than pleased with his disobedience to orders and his loss of his original commission, which had been confiscated by the French during his brief stay in their prison.
Additionally, he was not fed properly, causing him to lose fifty pounds while imprisoned on the ship en route to a prison.
In fact, while in prison he aided in the creation of a document stating that each member who signed would not leave the American cause regardless of what the conditions could become.
After his escape, Conyngham fled to Texel Island in the Netherlands to try to find a way back to America where he could potentially receive a new ship.
Jones took him aboard, and they cruised together for several months until Conyngham left the Alliance at a Spanish port in order to board a ship headed for American shores.
The Continental Congress refused to pay him properly for his work because of his inability to produce his commission, which had been confiscated from him by the French almost three years ago.
Towards the end of his life, he was elected to the Common Council of Philadelphia, and managed to raise thirty thousand dollars in loans from the population in order to defend the city during the War of 1812.
He is buried with his wife, Ann Conyngham, in the churchyard of St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia.Nearly a century later, John Barnes, a retired navy captain and naval historian, acquired a cache of autographs and documents from a sale by Charavay of Paris.
