USA > Maine > Washington County > Machias > Narrative of the town of Machias, the old and the new, the early and late > Part 4
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Meanwhile they made arrangements to send at once to Chandler's River, Pleasant River, the latter twenty miles distant, and to other settlements requesting the men to come to Machias to help in defense of the town.
The next day, which was Saturday, the town meeting was held and the first "Article in the warrant" was at once in- trodneed. Only a short discussion ensued. There was Captain Moor's demand and the threat. In loud and distinet voice the Chairman, Colonel Foster, put the question, "Let all those who favor pulling the Liberty Pole down say aye?" A silence of deathly tinge prevailed in the room until the Chairman interrupted by submitting another question, -"Those opposed to taking down the Liberty Pole will please say No? Instantly and in thunder- ing tone No filled the hall; coming simultaneously from every tongue present !
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HISTORY OF MACHIAS.
"The No's have it," quietly said the Chairman," whose voice had unconsciously swelled the chorus and mingled with his fellow citizens in this. "The first Declaration of War against the Mother Country in the Province of Maine."
Capt. Moore was exasperated on hearing the stand taken by the town, and would have put his threat into execution, but for the interference a second time by Mr. Jones. This gentleman represented to the Captain that the meeting was not fully attended; that the vote was not probably a fair expression of the sentiments of the people. By this per- suasion Mr. Jones succeeded in obtaining a respite until a second meeting could be called and held on the following Monday.
"It will grieve me," said Capt. Moor to Mr. Jones on parting, "to resort to extreme measures, but you may assure the people, unless they remove the pole, in one hour after the meeting breaks up I will open with my guns on the settlement." With this understanding, and with express- ions of personal respect, they parted; the one to pace the deck of his war like craft, the other to report the result of the conference to his neighbors.
That same evening a party of five met at the house of one Captain Lambert or Elliot, consisting of Jeremiah and John O'Brien, Col. Benjamin Foster, Joseph Wheaton and the occupant of the house where they met.
"Gentlemen," said Jeremiah O'Brien, "Mr. Jones in. forms us that unless the tree is taken down on Monday the Town is to be fired upon."
"So we were informed yesterday," rejoined Captain Lambert significantly, "yet the tree stands."
"Yes," added Colonel Foster, "and will stand in spite of the King's authority !"
"Have you heard from the messengers sent to Pleasant River and other settlements?" inquired Wheaton of O'Brien.
"One of them returned this afternoon," replied John O'Brien.
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FIRST SETTLEMENT.
"What word does he bring?"
"Every man who can leave will be here to-morrow or early on Monday."
"I hope they will be provided with ammunition" remark- ed Colonel Foster
"I am afraid not," said John Brien: "the messenger reports a scarcity of powder at all the settlements to the westward of us. However , they are coming and those who havn't muskets will bring pitchforks and scythes :- They are all aglow with the true spirit, and swear 'Machias shall be defended and the Liberty Tree shall not come down!' "
"You said you had a proposition to make," remarked Captain Lambert, addressing John O'Brien, who, as yet, had remained quite reticent.
"Yes"- O'Brien somewhat hesitatingly replied-"yes, Mr. Jones informs me that it is the intention of Captain Moor to attend religious worship on shore to-morrow." "Let's see." continued O'Brien. "about that time our help from the other settlements will arrive and my proposition is that we carry concealed arms to the meeting house, and when services are over seize the Captain, then capture his vessel !"
"It will be a bold measure and an open act of rebellion," said Wheaton.
"I am aware of that." O'Brien continued. "but we have the example of the Old Colony people to back us."
"The King and Parliament may call it Rebellion if they please, but we, who are engaged in it, call it Revolution!"
"Gentlemen, what do you say to my proposition?" said the same speaker, breaking the silence that prevailed after his bold declaration. "I say Aye to it with all my heart." exclaimed Colonel Foster and all the rest joined !
"But. who will be the one to seize the Captain?" asked Lambert.
"I claim that privilege, " said John ()'Brien. "I will have an eye on him and a 'place in the meeting house in close proximity to his seat."
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HISTORY OF MACHIAS.
"We must make the people acquainted with our design so that we may act in concert," said Lambert.
"And I propose," said Mr. Wheaton, "as we compose a majority of the Committee of Safety, that between this and to-morrow morning, we ascertain what quantity of powder and ball we can have to rely on".
"You need not trouble yourselves about the balls," said Jeremiah O'Brien, "all the women in the settlement have been melting lead this afternoon and intend to cast up a lot of balls !'
"The women are crazier to keep that Pole up than are the men. A lengthy, earnest and intensified conversation followed the proceedings with reference"How to begin and how to proceed," after which the Company adjourned.
The next morning before the usual hour for religious worship, here and there men could be seen straying along singly and in pairs towards the church, each bearing a gun or weapon of some kind, so carried as to least expose the same to view, as the meeting house stood a short distance from the shore and the Margaretta lay at anchor in plain view from the windows. As the men reached the church they concealed their weapons in and about the premises, the woods and trees had not then been cut only a few steps distant from the building in two directions; they taking seats in such a manner as not to awaken suspicion.
At the appointed hour Captain Moor arrived and entered the church. John O'Brien was on the lookout for him, having followed closely and taken a seat quite near and behind the Captain. There were no pews in the building only temporary seats made of planks, resting on wooden legs, for present accommodation.
On account of the warm atmosphere the windows were left open, and from where the English Captain sat he could easily see the river. The services commenced; the singing and opening prayer were through with. The preacher appeared unusually animated and his sermon seemed to reflect the exciting circumstances that were moving patriotic and
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FIRST SETTLEMENT.
Liberty loving minds; moving closely in touch with the desires of most of his hearers.
In the course of the sermon happening to glance through an open window, Captain Moor was startled to see men crossing the river in the upper part of the place, on logs, apparently with guns in their hands: the men no doubt who had come from neighboring settlements to join in the defense of Machias.
Realizing the existence of danger and the peril of his sit- uation, without betraying alarm or appearing frustrated, he assumed his devotional attitude in the sermon. The rapidly spoken and impassioned utterances of the preacher (Parson Lyon) engrossed his attention, but lightly :- his suspicions being stirred he could see furtive glances flashed upon him from all around! Near to his seat was the window the lower half open full width. The ground was no more than three to four feet from the base of the window. Taking his opportunity at the moment, when the minister had especially set forth his subject in a few pathetic sentences which riveted the attention of the audience, the Captain sprang from his bench, leared across the intervening seats , much to the discomfort of the occupants, dashed through the window and with double quick step hastened to his boat on the shore.
In a moment the whole congregation was in an upheaval state. The preacher removed his spectacles, remained cahn as if the expected had happened !
In the crowding and confusion that followed swift pursuit was neglected, and by the time the men had repossessed their guns and weapons ready for the chase, the Captain was rowing his boat mightily, and was soon safely on board his vessel.
One story of the affair says, "That he commenced tiring on the town, while the men on shore from the nearest point of land returned rapid shots at the vessel."
In an hour or less sails were spread and Captain Moor was heading down river, his vessel having been at anchor near the junction of Machias river and Middle river.
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HISTORY OF MACHIAS.
No damage was done by the exchanged shots, but Machias was in the highest degree of excitement. Nobody attended church in the afternoon. At intervals all day men were in half dozen or dozen groups, earnest in discussion and interchange of opinion, as well as proposing plans for future action.
During the day men kept arriving from out of town. Some of them had guns, others pitchforks and two or three had scythes fastened on poles; this weapon, as we have read, was after the manner of the soldiers of Poland in their Revolution ; a most formidable weapon wielded by strong arms.
Monday morning the excitement was not abated; men occupied the woods and pathways under arms, while the women searched tills and cupboards for powder and lead.
In proof of the wide spread realization of limited ammunition, Hannah Weston, at Chandler's river, wife of Josiah Weston, who had already gone to Machias, went from house to house of her neighbors and gathered thirty to forty pounds of powder, lead, even some pewter spoons, enclosed all in a pillow case with the intention of sending the same to Machias, as she had often declared to this writer-"I knew they would want it."
All the able-bodied men, eighteen and upward, had gone to Machias. Only one man, too old to bear such a burden, remained at home. Fevered and restless Mrs. Weston, then in her seventeenth year, resolved to carry the powder to Machias herself. Having secured Rebecca Weston, the sister of her husband, aged fifteen, the two set forth on the journey early Monday morning, having only the tracks of the men and occasionally a "spotted tree" to follow; the entire way a wilderness. When the girls arrived at the house of Gideon O'Brien in Machias, on the same site where the Baptist church now is, well nigh exhausted, they discovered the people overflowing with joy, "For the town had been saved and the British vessel taken !"
Hannah Weston's first child was born the October follow- ing. She became mother of thirteen children, eleven lived,
4
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FIRST SETTLEMENT.
to marry and all but two raised large families. Rebecca Weston, at the age of twenty, married Josiah Libby; her family numbered eight-four sons and four daughters. The sons' names were Reuben, Josiah, Joseph, Nathan; the girls were Hannah, Mary, Eunice, Rebecca.
Reuben married Jane Libby, Hannah, Samuel Mad- docks, Jr., a son of a Revolutionery soldier; Mary, Joseph Whitney: Joseph, Hannah Farnsworth: Reuben, Eliza Farnsworth, sister of Joseph's wife; Eunice, William Carl- ton : Nathan, Sybil Farnsworth, niece of Renben's wife; Rebecca, Joseph Whitney, his second wife
For the perilous journey Hannah and Rebecca were pre- sented each with six yards of "Camlet," enough for a dress pattern in those days, costing about four dollars per pattern. Messrs. Smith and Stillman, traders at Machias, made the present.
On Sunday the eleventh day of June, Foster, John O'Brien and others, appointed a meeting to be held Sunday afternoon at O'Brien brook, near Morris O'Brien's house. Tradition places the number of men in this conference at about sixty: ineluding the men from Moosabee Reach, Pleasant river and Jonesboro.
When the men from settlements west of Jonesboro arrived they, with the handful of Jonesboro men, held a short consultation at Capt. Josiah Weston's house. They elected John Drisko. 2d. to be Captain or leader of their company.
At the O'Brien brook assembly. "on one side it was objected that, if unsuccessful, such was our defenceless and destitut > condition, we should invite sudden distruetion by our powerful foe. On the other hand it was urged that resistance to British aggression, had already commenced elsewhere, and that it is our duty to follow the noble example of our brethren at Lexington."
Smith's Centennial says :- Foster at length, tired of the discussion and hesitancy manifested, stepped across the Brook near which the party were standing, and invited all who were in favor of taking Captain Jones' vessels and the Margaretta, to "jump" over also? on this a large majority
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HISTORY OF MACHIAS.
followed him at once and the minority failing in a unan- imous Declaration of war was agreed upon !"
A plan of operation was immediately arranged. This was action by the first known assemblage of Colonists in the Province of Maine, in open hostility to the further dictation of George the Third and the first direct attack on property of Great Britian
The meeting was adjourned from the brook next to meet on board the Margaretta
London Atus, tradition, undoubtedly, truthfully tells us, the negro and body servant of Parson Lyon, was first to discover Foster and his companions in arms crossing the foot bridge made of logs which connected Dublin Mill and Single Mill Island. London made an outery not knowing of the warlike movement and demonstrated his apprehen- sions by leaping out of the church window. Jones followed Atus' example and made his way to the woods, not appear- ing in public until after the Margaretta had been captured !
Capt. Moor followed Jones, escaped to his boat on the near by shore and reached the Margaretta in safety. He showed his resentment by passing a few harmless shots to- wards the town and soon weighed anchor dropping down just below the "Narrows," where he came to anchor. He sent a message to the Committee of Safety that, if the Jones' vessels were disturbed, he would return and fire on the town.
Not disheartened by the meeting house episode Jeremiah O'Brien, Col. Foster, Ephraim Chase and co-workers deter- mined to take possession of the Jones' sloops and it was agreed that O'Brien should take charge of one of them with forty men, while Foster went to East River to get a schooner ready with a compliment of men; both vessels to join at the Rim early on Monday morning then pursue the Margaretta and capture her if possible? No time was to be lost. A band of volunteers was soon collected for the purpose at each place. On examining their equipments for warfare they found only a few charges of powder and ball for twenty fowling pieces, thirteen pitchforks and ten or
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HISTORY OF MACHIAS.
SCENE ON DECK OF THE MARGARETTA.
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FIRST SETTLEMENT.
twelve axes. Most of the powder and balls were on O'Brien's vessel the Unity.
"No circumstances, " says one writer, "could more strik- ingly exhibit the reckless bravery of those men than, they should have been without an acknowledged Leader until they were in sight of the enemy, when Jeremiah O 'Brien was unanimously chosen Commander."
Colonel Foster succeeded in making his schooner, called the "Falmouth Packet," ready in due season; but before the attack was commenced on the Margaretta, the Falmouth Packet got aground, leaving O'Brien to push on to the encounter single handed. O'Brien's crew all undisciplined men in the art of war, especially on the water, and were provided with no more than three rounds of ammunition. The plan was to place the sloop along side and capture the Margaretta by boarding. On approaching Moor's vessel who was already for action, Captain Moor hailed O'Brien to know his demands: declaring that if they approached near he should fire. O'Brien called on him to surrender, while Elmund Stevens, O'Brien's Lieutenant, called out "Fire away and bed-d!" Captain Moor seemed desirous to avoid a collision and the breeze from the Northwest becoming stronger he crowded all sail. In jibing the Margaretta carried away her main boom, but sailed on and ran in to Holmes' Bay, where Captain Moor took a spar out of a vessel lying there in charge of Captain Robert Avery, who was pressed on board to be Pilot of the Margaretta. Her repairs were finished, the wind favoring she stood out to sea in the apparent hope to escape the sloop, but the latter was the better sailor. Captain Moor cast off his boats, but this proving ineffectual he opened fire on the sloop! The fire was returned with determination and good results by Captain O'Brien and his resolute crew. Soon the two vessels came together. A sharp conflict now took place with musketry at short range Capt. Moor himself throwing hand grenades. He was soon felled by a shot and the crew of the sloop lenped on board the Margarettn! The first man who landed on deck was John O'Brien: the second was
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HISTORY OF MACHIAS.
Joseph Getchell ;- the latter often saying in his later days -"I did not know which foot was on board of the Mar- garetta first, mine or John's."
Captain Moor having been mortally wounded in a brave defense, his next in command, a young midshipman by name of Stillingfleet, who was so terrified that he jumped down into the cabin, leaving the crew of the sloop to take possession without any resistance.
Of the Colonists one man was killed by the name of John McNiell, an Irishman, leaving a widow and two or three children. Robert Avery, a brother of James Avery of Machias, was killed. James Coolbroth was mortally wound- ed and died in a short time. Three other men were badly wounded, viz :- John Berry, who afterards lived at Hadley's Lake, and later received a pension of eight dollars per month during his life-a ball entered his mouth and came out behind his ear. Mr. Berry often remarked that the English- man who shot him"fell as soon as I did." Two other men wounded were Isaac Taft and James Cole, who were laid by for several weeks under the care of a surgeon, Dr. Wm. Chaloner.
Of the Margaretta's crew four were killed besides Captain Moor, who died of his wounds. Captain Robert Avery who was impressed from the coasting schooner in Holmes' Bay, by Captain Moor, as before mentioned. Avery sat on deck completely dazed during the battle until he was shot. The other three were sailors or marines.
The first gun fired was by the Margaretta, and killed one man on board of the American sloop. The hand grenades inflicted severe damage. The fire was returned by the sloop the first man killed was the helmsman on the Margaretta, whose quarter deck was then for a few minutes abandoned. The sloop boarded bows on-her bowsprit piercing the mainsail of her foe. The vessels then swung together, and the attempt made to board by the Americans failed by the separation of the vessels. They soon swung together again when the battle ended by the fall of Captain Moor. The captured vessel was brought to Machias on the same day,
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FIRST SETTLEMENT.
he was taken, Monday, the twelfth day of June, 1775.
The crew of the Margaretta were brought to the village as prisioners of war, here they remained for nearly a month.
Captain Moor was immediately landed and every care and attention was bestowed upon him. He was carried to the house of Stephen Jones, where he died the next day.
The other wounded persons were all brought to the village, a part of them were taken to the Burnham Tavern, occupying the East room, and a part were placed in a shop owned by Jonas Farnsworth which for the time was utilized for a hospital. There was no physician in the place. Jonas Farnsworth was immediately dispatched to Annapolis, N. S., for a Surgeon, and returned with Doctor William Chaloner, who the next season removed his family to Machias, being the first settled physician in the place.
When Captain Moore came to Machias he had on board his vessel, the Margaretta, two young ladies hailing from Boston, as passengers, one of them the niece of Ichabod Jones, the other related to the Jones family ; the former was his affianced, and they were to be married at Halifax, N. S., whither he was bound after seeing Jones' vessels loaded and ready to sail for Boston. To the young lady the result of the conflict of June 12th was a sad tragedy. She was visit- ing in her uncle's house, when the dying lover was brought to its door. The shock was too great as tradition tells us, she passed on in less than a year succeeding Captain Moor's death.
There has ever been difficulties in obtaining names of the men who joined Captain Jeremiah O'Brien and Colonel Benjamin Foster's forces in this the first Naval battle of the Revolution.
In the eye of the British Government they were held to be only a piratical Band. The attack on the Margaretta was more than a year before the Declaration of Independence ; - it occurred several days before the battle of Bunker Hill.
It followed closely the battle at Lexington. Probably the men in the Battle of the Margaretta were not especially
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HISTORY OF MACHIAS.
anxious to have their names made public until after the surrender of Cornwallis; more especially until after the seige of Machias, of three months duration in 1777, had been raised, as the several attemps made by Naval Commanders, under orders by Admiral Graves, who commanded the entire British war fleet on this side of the Atlantic, 1770 to 1779 or later, to "Proceed and reduce Machias" in 1776 and again in 1777, Graves gave peremptory orders to Sir George Collier: "Go,-destroy Machias;"-had Foster, O'Brien or any of their crews been captured, they would have suffered the death penalty without trial-not even Court Martial!
The following are all the names of which I have evidence as having participated in the attack on the Margaretta, June 12, 1775:
Jeremiah O'Brien in command,
John O'Brien,-
William O'Brien, v Joseph O'Brien, .
Dennis O' Brien, Richard Earle, Negro,
(Body servant of Jeremiah O'Brien, )
Samuel Watts,
Jonathan Knights, Josiah Weston, +
John Steele, -
John Drisko, Jr ..
Joel Whitney.
Judah Chandler.
John Merritt, '
John Berry,
Isaac Taft, v
James Cole, .
James Coolbroth,
Richard McNiel,
Nath'l Crediforth.
John Hall. .
Joseph Wheaton,
Jesse Scott,
John Scott,
Wallace Fenlason,
Joseph Libbee.
Ezekiel Foster, "
Simon Brown,
Joseph Clifford, -
Beriah Rice,
Jonathan Brown,
Samnel Whitney.
Josiah Libbee, ~ Joseph Getchell,
Elias Hoit. Seth Norton, _
James Sprague,
Obadiah Hill,
James N. Shannon,
Benjamin Foss,
John Steel, jr ..
Nath'l Fenderson,
Daniel Meservey.
William McNeil,
Edmund Stevens, Lieut., Gideon O'Brien, '
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FIRST SETTLEMENT.
John Mitchell.
Ebenezer Beal,
Win. Mackelson,
John Bohanan,
John Tomas.
Thomas Bowel.
Joseph Getchell, jr .. Abial Sprague.
David Prescott.
Machias, Bunker Hill, preceded only by Lexington, made open and undisguised warfare nuavoidable between the Colonies and Great Britain.
"Taking all the circumstances of the occasion into view, especially the remote position of Machias from any place where assistance could be obtained, the capture of the Margaretta must be considered as one of the most bold. energetic and extraordinary occurrences of the times. The people at Lexington or at Bunker Hill united to resist oppression by the King and they could afford to, surround- ed as those places were, by a large population; and well as the heros of the 19th of April and the 17th of June deserve the honors which posterity has bestowed upon them, equally with them should be honored and remembered the heroes of the twelfth day of June, 1775. at Machias.
In a few days after the capture of the Margaretta a meet- ing of the inhabitants was called. to decide on what measures it might be deemed advisable to take in the emergency.
A committee of "Correspondence. Vigilance, and Safety," consisting of Deacon Joseph Libby. Stephen Smith. Ben- jamin Foster. Jeremiah O'Brien, James N. Shannon was chosen, as had been done in several of the towns in the earlier settled parts of Massachusetts. This com- mittee were entrusted with the defense of the town, and the management of such of its affairs as shall seem from time to time necessary. On occasions of extraordinary interest they had power to call a meeting of the inhabitants. to whom the Committee reported their proceedings and awaited instructions. The settlement was placed under martial law from this time to the close of the Revolution -The Committee acting as General Supervisors over its Civil. Financial and Military Departments.
The Committee of Safety, on consultation with the people
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HISTORY OF MACHIAS.
decided to retain possession of ones' sloops and commenced at once to fit one of them, the Unity, into a "Man of War." The vessel was supplied with 'breastworks', and armed with the guns and swivels taken from the 'Margaretta. The name was changed from Unity to "Machias Liberty." Jeremiah O'Brien was appointed to the command by the committee. In ten days she was ready for sea, and 'Captain O'Brien set sail for a cruise in the Bay of Fundy in search of an English vessel called the "Diligence, which belonged to the British Navy and was employed in exploring the coast much to the annoyance of settlers. After three weeks of unavailing success O'Brien returned.
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