The importance of Captain Barry's services in this voyage must be noted. He succeeded in conveying to France Colonel Laurens, whose father had been sent on a similar mission, but had been taken prisoner while on the way, and at the time of his son's going on the same mission was a prisoner in the Tower at London. Captain Barry's responsibility was, therefore, great. Skill and acuteness were most essential to avoid encounter with a superior British force and thus endanger the safety of the special Commissioner charged with so important a duty at this "infinitely critical posture of our affairs," as Washington wrote Franklin.
To promptly and safely convey Colonel Laurens was more important to the general good than for Barry to make captures and prizes. Yet he not only performed the duty assigned him, but took two prizes from the enemy--its "Alert" and its own prize, the Venetian ship, restoring it to its country.
Barry's captures were, in notable cases, double captives, taking two in each encounter. On the Delaware Bay expedition he had taken the "Mermaid" and the "Kitty," which he held and the "Alert" which was retaken. Now we find him taking that "Alert" and its prize. These double captures we shall, later, see repeated--taking two prizes in one battle--killing two birds with one stone, as it were. And it took two British cruisers to inflict the only loss he ever had--the loss of the "Raleigh."
Captain Barry took the "Alert" to L'Orient, where the crew were imprisoned. Laurens secured from France a gift of six millions from the King--as well as clothing and military stores. It was sent in the "Resolute" which sailed from Brest, June 1, 1781, and arrived at Boston August 25th. It was this money which moved Washington's army to Yorktown, Virginia, by paying the army one month's pay in specie and enabling supplies to be furnished. Congress had no credit to get money or supplies until the arrival of the French funds. Other portions of the money were used to pay overdue French loans. That was our hard-pressed country's method of paying its debts.
The importance of the duty assigned Captain Barry to get Colonel Laurens to France is thus made manifest. Well performed, its results brought the downfall of British supremacy in America. Failure to safely convey Laurens would have brought untold disaster upon the cause of Independence and Liberty and, mayhap, long have delayed the winning and the triumph.