While the "Alliance" dropped astern, the foremost British frigate shortened sail and would not come near the "Alliance."
Later the two British came up fast. Captain Barry, "confident within" himself that the "Alliance" "would have fallen a sacrifice" if he remained with the "Lauzun," signaled Captain Greene to heave his guns overboard so as to get clear of the enemy by lightening his ship. By this time one of the British was within gun-shot of the "Lauzun." They fired several shots at one another but at too great a distance for either to do damage. In the morning a strange ship had been seen to the southward, but sailing away from the "Alliance." In the afternoon after the "Lauzun" had exchanged shots with the enemy pursuing her, this "strange sail" stood for the Americans. Barry had "all the reason in the world to suppose she was a stranger to the enemy also," as at that time the "Lauzun" was firing "stern chasers" at her pursuer. Barry then ran down between the "Lauzun" and the enemy in order to give Captain Greene a chance to get off by bringing the enemy into action, which Barry did "close on board for forty-five minutes, when the enemy sheered off." During the action the "Alliance" had ten wounded--one dying later. The "spars and rigging were hurt a little but not so much but they would all do again." Captains Barry and Greene then sailed towards the strange ship. It proved to be a French gun ship of 60 guns, which had sailed from Havana two days before Barry and Greene. It had half a million dollars on board and was bound to one of the French islands.
Kessler relates that Captain Barry expected the French gunship to assist the "Alliance"; that two of the British kept "at a distance as if waiting to ascertain about the French ship." But though she "approached the Americans fast," she did not join in the encounter. When Captain Barry afterwards "asked them why they did not come down during the action, they answered they thought they might have been taken, and the signal known; that the action was only 'a sham to decoy him.'"
"His foolish action," records Kessler, "thus, perhaps, lost us the three frigates, for Captain Barry commenced the action in the full expectation of the French ship joining and thereby not only be able to cope but to subdue part, if not the whole of them."