[2] On the evening of 22 October 1777, the Augusta and several other warships, under the command of Admiral Francis Reynolds, had sailed up the Delaware River to a point a short distance below some chevaux de frise obstructions[3] in order to fire at Fort Mercer the following day.

Despite attempts during the night by HMS Roebuck (44) to free Augusta from its predicament, the warship remained hard aground.

Some Americans asserted that Augusta was ignited by a fire ship while others stated that its loss was caused by red-hot shot from Fort Mifflin.

John Montresor, the British officer in charge of the Siege of Fort Mifflin, wrote that one lieutenant, the ship's chaplain and 60 of Augusta's ratings were killed while struggling in the water.

[5] In the 1870s, rumours of gold in the wreck, which was still partially visible in the river, led to recovery efforts that removed tableware, a watch, coins, and three cannon.