Battle of Machias (1777)
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Machias (August 13–14, 1777) was an amphibious assault on the Massachusetts
town of Machias (in present-day eastern Maine
) by British
forces during the American Revolutionary War
. Local militia aided by Indian allies successfully prevented British troops from landing. The raid, led by Commodore Sir George Collier
was executed in an attempt to head off a planned second assault on Fort Cumberland, which had been besieged
in November 1776. The British forces landed below Machias, seized a ship, and raided a storehouse.
The outcome of the raid was disputed. Collier claimed that the action was successful in destroying military stores for an attack on Fort Cumberland (although such stores had not been delivered to Machias), while the defenders claimed that they had successfully prevented the capture of Machias and driven off the British.
of Massachusetts
that is now the state of Maine
, was a persistent thorn in the side of British naval authorities since the start of the American Revolutionary War
. In June 1775 its citizens rose up and seized a small naval vessel
, and the community had ever since been a base for privateering.
In 1777 John Allan, an expatriate Nova Scotian, was authorized by the Second Continental Congress
to organize an expedition to establish a Patriot
presence in the western part of Nova Scotia (present-day New Brunswick
). Although Congress authorized him to recruit as many as 3,000 men, the Massachusetts government was only prepared to give him a colonel's commission and authority to raise a regiment in eastern Massachusetts to establish a presence in the St. John River valley. Allan based his effort in Machias, and had by June landed some 40 men in the area
. However, British authorities in Halifax had received some intelligence of Allan's intended mission, and a larger British force arrived at the St. John River on June 23. Men Allan had left at the settlements near the mouth of the river skirmished with the British but then withdrew upriver. Allan was forced to make a difficult overland journey back to Machias after his small force retreated up the river. He was joined on this journey by a number of sympathetic Maliseet Indians that he had persuaded to join the American cause. In early August the Massachusetts Provisional Congress voted to disband forces recruited for Allan's expedition, because of the imminent threat
posed by the army of General John Burgoyne
in upstate New York
.
Papers documenting Allan's fairly elaborate plans, including a projected attack on Fort Cumberland, were taken during the action on the St. John River, and fell into the hands of Captain Sir George Collier
, second in command to Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot in the naval station at Halifax
. This spurred Collier to act, since there had already been one attempt
on Fort Cumberland the previous year. He therefore organized an assault on Machias, Allan's base of operations and the source of many of his recruits. Because Collier and the commander of land forces at Halifax, General Eyre Massey, did not get along, Collier decided to launch the expedition without taking on any British Army
troops. He sailed from Halifax in late July in the frigate , accompanied by the brig , planning to use the marines aboard those ships in ground operations. He was joined by the frigate and the sloop while making the passage to Machias.
The defense of Machias consisted of local militia under the command of Colonel Jonathan Eddy
, the leader of the 1776 attack on Fort Cumberland. He had been warned that the British were organizing an attack. The militia laid a log boom
across the Machias River
, and constructed several earthen redoubt
s further upriver, armed with cannons taken from local privateers. The defense was coincidentally reinforced by 40 to 50 Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscots that Colonel Allan had called to Machias to explain what had gone wrong with his expedition.
The two ships then moved further up the river until they reached the town itself. All along the way they were harassed by musket and cannon fire from the shore, as the militia and their Indian allies positioned themselves to dispute possible landing sites. When darkness set in the Indians reportedly began chanting and shouting in an attempt to magnify their numbers. At this point, "To the great Surprise and Astonishment of every one[,] in Less than half an Hour after Coming to an Anchor, the Brig & Sloop Both Gote under way without firing a Gun" and "made down the River against the Tide of flood." The Hope, however, ran aground while making its way downstream in the twilight. The militia hauled a swivel gun
to a nearby shore, and peppered her with shot the next morning before she was refloated by the tide and made her way into Machias Bay.
there was such a slaughter". American estimates of British casualties ran from 40 to 100, while claiming their own casualties at one killed and one wounded. The British reported their losses as three killed and 18 wounded, which were mainly incurred when the Hope grounded.
After departing from Machias, Collier cruised the Maine coast, capturing smaller American ships, and raided communities on the Sheepscot River
. There he captured a frigate laden with mast timbers destined for France. In his report Collier declared the mission a success, and claimed to have successfully forestalled another invasion of Nova Scotia. He also believed that with another 100 men "the destruction [of Machias] would have been compleat". General Massey, whose troops had been preparing to participate in the expedition but were excluded by Collier's abrupt departure from Halifax, wrote that Collier "wanted the whole honour of destroying Machias", and that he "stole out of Halifax, made a futile attack on Machias, was most shamefully drove from thence ..."
Machias was not attacked again during the war, although it became somewhat isolated when the British occupied Castine
in 1779. Machias and other parts of eastern Maine were successfully occupied by British forces during the War of 1812
, but were returned to United States control after the war.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
town of Machias (in present-day eastern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
) by British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
forces during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. Local militia aided by Indian allies successfully prevented British troops from landing. The raid, led by Commodore Sir George Collier
George Collier
Sir George Collier was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Seven Years War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. As commander of the frigate HMS Rainbow, he was one of the most successful British naval commanders during the opening stages of war...
was executed in an attempt to head off a planned second assault on Fort Cumberland, which had been besieged
Battle of Fort Cumberland
The Battle of Fort Cumberland was an attempt by a small number of militia commanded by Jonathan Eddy to bring the American Revolutionary War to Nova Scotia in late 1776...
in November 1776. The British forces landed below Machias, seized a ship, and raided a storehouse.
The outcome of the raid was disputed. Collier claimed that the action was successful in destroying military stores for an attack on Fort Cumberland (although such stores had not been delivered to Machias), while the defenders claimed that they had successfully prevented the capture of Machias and driven off the British.
Background
The small community of Machias, located in the eastern districtDistrict of Maine
The District of Maine was a legal designation for what is now the U.S. state of Maine from American independence until the Missouri Compromise on March 4, 1820, after which it gained its independence from Massachusetts and became the 23rd state in the Union...
of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
that is now the state of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, was a persistent thorn in the side of British naval authorities since the start of the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. In June 1775 its citizens rose up and seized a small naval vessel
Battle of Machias
The Battle of Machias was the first naval engagement of the American Revolutionary War...
, and the community had ever since been a base for privateering.
In 1777 John Allan, an expatriate Nova Scotian, was authorized by the Second Continental Congress
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the American Revolutionary War had begun. It succeeded the First Continental Congress, which met briefly during 1774,...
to organize an expedition to establish a Patriot
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
presence in the western part of Nova Scotia (present-day New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
). Although Congress authorized him to recruit as many as 3,000 men, the Massachusetts government was only prepared to give him a colonel's commission and authority to raise a regiment in eastern Massachusetts to establish a presence in the St. John River valley. Allan based his effort in Machias, and had by June landed some 40 men in the area
St. John River expedition
The St. John River expedition was an attempt by a small number of militia commanded by John Allan to bring the American Revolutionary War to Nova Scotia in late 1777. With minimal logistical support from Massachusetts and approximately 100 volunteer militia and Natives, Allan's forces occupied the...
. However, British authorities in Halifax had received some intelligence of Allan's intended mission, and a larger British force arrived at the St. John River on June 23. Men Allan had left at the settlements near the mouth of the river skirmished with the British but then withdrew upriver. Allan was forced to make a difficult overland journey back to Machias after his small force retreated up the river. He was joined on this journey by a number of sympathetic Maliseet Indians that he had persuaded to join the American cause. In early August the Massachusetts Provisional Congress voted to disband forces recruited for Allan's expedition, because of the imminent threat
Saratoga campaign
The Saratoga Campaign was an attempt by Great Britain to gain military control of the strategically important Hudson River valley in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War...
posed by the army of General John Burgoyne
John Burgoyne
General John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician and dramatist. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several battles, mostly notably during the Portugal Campaign of 1762....
in upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
George Collier
Sir George Collier was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the Seven Years War, the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary Wars. As commander of the frigate HMS Rainbow, he was one of the most successful British naval commanders during the opening stages of war...
, second in command to Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot in the naval station at Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
. This spurred Collier to act, since there had already been one attempt
Battle of Fort Cumberland
The Battle of Fort Cumberland was an attempt by a small number of militia commanded by Jonathan Eddy to bring the American Revolutionary War to Nova Scotia in late 1776...
on Fort Cumberland the previous year. He therefore organized an assault on Machias, Allan's base of operations and the source of many of his recruits. Because Collier and the commander of land forces at Halifax, General Eyre Massey, did not get along, Collier decided to launch the expedition without taking on any British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
troops. He sailed from Halifax in late July in the frigate , accompanied by the brig , planning to use the marines aboard those ships in ground operations. He was joined by the frigate and the sloop while making the passage to Machias.
The defense of Machias consisted of local militia under the command of Colonel Jonathan Eddy
Jonathan Eddy
Jonathan Eddy served for the British in the French and Indian War and for the American Patriots in the American Revolution. After the French and Indian War he settled in Nova Scotia as a New England Planter, becoming a member of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia. During the American...
, the leader of the 1776 attack on Fort Cumberland. He had been warned that the British were organizing an attack. The militia laid a log boom
Log boom
A log boom is a barrier placed in a river, designed to collect and or contain floating logs timbered from nearby forests sometimes called a fence or bag. The term is also used as a place where logs were collected into booms, as at the mouth of a river...
across the Machias River
Machias River
The Machias River is a river in Maine, USA. It flows through Washington County in the eastern part of the state, from Third Machias Lake , passing the town of Machias and emptying into Machias Bay.-History:...
, and constructed several earthen redoubt
Redoubt
A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a...
s further upriver, armed with cannons taken from local privateers. The defense was coincidentally reinforced by 40 to 50 Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, and Penobscots that Colonel Allan had called to Machias to explain what had gone wrong with his expedition.
Battle
Collier's fleet arrived at the mouth of the river early on August 13. He boarded 123 marines onto the Hope, and ordered her and the Blonde up the river. Word of this reached the militia, and 35 men mustered to oppose them. The ships reached the log boom, and a firefight began between the two forces. The militia resistance was sufficient to keep the British from attempting a landing that day. Early the next morning, under the cover of fog, the marines were landed. They cut the log boom, seized a sloop carrying lumber, and set fire to a storehouse, seizing stores of flour, rice, corn, shoes, and ammunition before returning to the ships.The two ships then moved further up the river until they reached the town itself. All along the way they were harassed by musket and cannon fire from the shore, as the militia and their Indian allies positioned themselves to dispute possible landing sites. When darkness set in the Indians reportedly began chanting and shouting in an attempt to magnify their numbers. At this point, "To the great Surprise and Astonishment of every one[,] in Less than half an Hour after Coming to an Anchor, the Brig & Sloop Both Gote under way without firing a Gun" and "made down the River against the Tide of flood." The Hope, however, ran aground while making its way downstream in the twilight. The militia hauled a swivel gun
Swivel gun
The term swivel gun usually refers to a small cannon, mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun with two barrels that rotated along their axes to allow the shooter to...
to a nearby shore, and peppered her with shot the next morning before she was refloated by the tide and made her way into Machias Bay.
Aftermath
Colonel Allan ascribed the militia's success to British concerns that they might be entering a trap. He also grandiosely likened the encounter to another battle, writing "not an Action during the War Except Bunker HillBattle of Bunker Hill
The Battle of Bunker Hill took place on June 17, 1775, mostly on and around Breed's Hill, during the Siege of Boston early in the American Revolutionary War...
there was such a slaughter". American estimates of British casualties ran from 40 to 100, while claiming their own casualties at one killed and one wounded. The British reported their losses as three killed and 18 wounded, which were mainly incurred when the Hope grounded.
After departing from Machias, Collier cruised the Maine coast, capturing smaller American ships, and raided communities on the Sheepscot River
Sheepscot River
The Sheepscot River is a river in the U.S. state of Maine. Its lower portion is a complex island estuary with connections to the Kennebec River downstream of Merrymeeting Bay.-Route:...
. There he captured a frigate laden with mast timbers destined for France. In his report Collier declared the mission a success, and claimed to have successfully forestalled another invasion of Nova Scotia. He also believed that with another 100 men "the destruction [of Machias] would have been compleat". General Massey, whose troops had been preparing to participate in the expedition but were excluded by Collier's abrupt departure from Halifax, wrote that Collier "wanted the whole honour of destroying Machias", and that he "stole out of Halifax, made a futile attack on Machias, was most shamefully drove from thence ..."
Machias was not attacked again during the war, although it became somewhat isolated when the British occupied Castine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
in 1779. Machias and other parts of eastern Maine were successfully occupied by British forces during the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
, but were returned to United States control after the war.