Porter tried to sortie on 27 February, fired a signal and shots toward Phoebe, and then returned to port when Hillyar refused to close. His complaints about British conduct found little sympathy after the destruction of Hector and the attempted firing. A later plan called for two American boats to approach Phoebe under darkness. Hillyar received warnings from the governor, British agents, the merchant association, and a British merchant vessel, producing more warning boats than Porter planned to send attackers. The repeated warnings reveal how completely Porter had alienated local authorities and how little operational security remained around Essex.
Chapter · 2:00:01-2:04:20
Porter's neutrality claims collapse under his own actions
Porter accused the British of violating neutrality after firing toward Phoebe and planning a boat attack whose details were independently reported to Hillyar by nearly every interest in the harbor.