“I was awaken'd this Morning befor 5 o'clock by the loud fireing of Cannon, my Head Aching very badly; All our Family was up but little Molly, --and a fire made in the Parlor, more then an hour before day-all our Neighbours were also up, and I believe most in Town- The Amricans had set their whole Fleet on fier, except one Small vesel and some of the Gondelows, which past by the City in the Night; the fireing was from the Delaware who lay at Coopers Point, on the Gondelows, which they did not return; Billy counted 8 different Vessels on fire at once in sight, one lay near the Jersey shore, opposite our House; we heard the explosion of 4 of 'em when they blew up, which shook our Windows greatly-We had a fair sight of the blazeing Fleet, from our upper Windows."

[ Extracts from the journal of Elizabeth Drinker, from 1759-1807; edited by Henry D. Biddle ]

https://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89098854524

https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:z603vn36d

Nov. 20th and 21st of 1777, John André makes mention of Rebel Fleet being burnt off Gloucester.

"20th Several deserters came in from the Rebel Vessels: they said, the design of the Rebels was to set fire to their Ships and retire up the River with the Gallies.

21st At 4 o'Clock in the morning the Rebels set fire to their Ships near League Island, The Tide afterwards brought them some distance higher up the River, where they burnt and blew up; Some of their gallies at the same time

ran past the Town and escaped towards Burlington. It was said that 15 Ships Floating Batteries &c. were burnt and that 7 Gallies past the Town, 4 the night of the 20th and 3 this night."

John André was an intelligence officer in the British Army. 

[ Journal of John André. HM 626. The Huntington Library, San Marino, CA. ]

https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/collection/p15150coll7/id/22349 

On Nov. 21st 1777 Robert Morton writes about the American fleet being burned by the Americans.

"Nov. 21st.—This morning about 4 o’clock the inhabitants were alarmed by a very severe firing, which proved to be from the Delaware Frigate at the Gondolas as they passed the town on the other side of the river. I walked down to the wharf and see all the American Navy on fire coming up with the flood tide, and burning with the greatest fury. Some of them drifted within 2 miles of the town and were carried back by the ebb tide. They burnt nearly 5 hours; 4 of them blew up. This maneuver is supposed to have been occasioned by the British having taken Red Bank. The Gondolas passed by in the fog. Lord Cornwallis being joined in the Jerseys by 4000 men from the fleet, it is said is to proceed to Burlington, to cross the Delaware and come in the rear of Washington’s Army."

[ The Diary of Robert Morton / The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography ]

https://archive.org/details/jstor-20084252/page/n30/mode/1up?view=theater

Captain John Peebles was an officer in a grenadier company with 42nd Regiment (Royal Highland Regiment) also known as The Black Watch.   Peebles reports on the Burning of the Rebel Fleet at Gloucester on Friday 21st November 1777.

"Early this morng there was a good deal of firing in the River & a great Blaze seen down below, which proved to the Rebel fleet on fire …. They set fire to their large ships & blew ym up"

https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3824p.ar132600/

1777-1778   In Sir Henry Clinton Papers this map also shows the "Rebel Fleet Burnt" "Nov 20th & 21st" ( 1777 )

William L. Clements Library / University of Michigan

[ https://quod.lib.umich.edu/w/wcl1ic/x-863/wcl000957 ]

http://catalogs.marinersmuseum.org/object/CL12882