USA > Maine > The history of the state of Maine; from its first discovery, A. D. 1602, to the separation, A. D. 1820, inclusive, Vol. II > Part 48
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Supplies.
The supplies and munitions of war provided, were nine tons of flour and bread, ten of rice, and ten of salt beef ; 1,200 gal- lons of rum and molasses in equal quantities ; 500 stands of arms ; 50,000 musket cartridges with balls ; two 18 pounders with 200 rounds of cartridges ; three 9 pounders with 300 rounds ; four fieldpieces ; six barrels of gunpowder, and a sufficiency of axes, spades, tents, and camp utensils.
The Amer- ican fleet.
The fleet consisted of nineteen armed vessels and twenty-four transports. If it were in grade comparatively a flotilla, one more beautiful had never floated in the eastern waters .* It carried in all 344 guns. At the head of the armament was the Warren, a fine new Continental frigate of 32 guns,-18 and 12 pounders :- Of the others, there were nine ships, six brigs, and three sloops.t
R. Salton- stall, Com- modore.
The command was entrusted to RICHARD SALTONSTALL of New Haven, in Connecticut ;- a man of good capacity and of
* One who was an eye witness, says, "our fleet had an imposing appear- "ance ; and I think the enemy must, from the number of our transports, " have reckoned upon our having at least 3000 men on board."
+ Frigate Warren, 32 guns, Commodore Saltonstall.
Ships Monmouth 24
Brigs Active 16 guns
Vengeance 24
Defiance
16 6 lb'rs.
Gen. Putnam
22
Hazard 16
Sally
22
Nancy
16
Hampden
20
Diligence
14
Hector
20
Tyrannicide 14
Hunter
18
Sloops Providence
14
Black Prince
18
Spring Bird
12
Sky Rocket
16
Rover
10
216
128
Brought forward,
216
Total, 344
The Black Prince was owned by Capt. Williams and others, and cost £1,000 Hector by Jonathan Peet and others, 1,000
Hunter
by Samuel Silsbee, 1,000
General Putnam
by Waters, [taken without leave,] 900
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CHAP. XVII.]
some naval experience, but of an obstinate disposition. His offi- A. D. 1779. cers were chiefly commanders of privateers, severally bound on a cruise as soon as the expedition was at an end. There were, besides sailors, between 3 and 400 marines and soldiers on board, when the fleet sailed from Massachusetts ; and the transports were to take on board 1,200 detailed militiamen and volunteers, from Thompson's and Cushing's brigades. One hundred men had actually embarked at Boston, who belonged to Lieut. Col. Revere's celebrated battalion of State troops, in that vicinity. The command of the land forces was given to SOLOMON LOVELL S Lovell, of Weymouth, at that time Brigadier-General of the Suffolk mili- der of the Comman- tia .* He was by profession, an agriculturist, and in the militia Jand forces. ' an officer of high repute.' "He was a man of courage and "proper spirit, a true old Roman character, that would never " flinch from danger, but he had not been accustomed to the " command of an expedition in actual service." The second in command was PELEG WADSWORTH, at that time the Adjutant- P. Wads- General of the Massachusetts Militia. He had been in actual worth. service, an Aid-de-Camp to Major-General Ward, and command- ant of a militia regiment from Essex to Rhode Island, in the ex- pedition under Gen. Sullivan, at the time of his action there with the enemy.t The ordnance was entrusted to the superintendance
* Suffolk and Norfolk at this time formed only one county .- " July 19, " the vessels with their soldiers sailed for Townsend, where the whole ar- " mament was to collect."-On the 21st, seventeen " vessels of war from " Boston, went by us [at Falmouth] to Penobscot."-Smith's Jour p. 112. -The expenses of this expedition were afterwards presented to Congress. -See post, A. D. 1785.
t Gen. Wadsworth was born May 6, 1748, at Duxbury in the county of Plymouth ; and graduated at Harvard College, when 21 years of age. He joined the army at Roxbury, having command of a company of minute men. He was appointed by General Thomas an Engineer, in forming the lines in Dorchester and Roxbury; in which duty he spent the season. In the second year of the war, (1776,) he was aid to Major-General Ward, when possession was taken of Dorchester Heights. He at length left the army in consequence of ill health. He was then appointed Adjutant-Gen- eral of Massachusetts. In 1780, he had command of the coast from Pis- cataqua to St. Croix. After the war, he settled in Falmouth, [Portland,] and represented the district in Congress, fourteen years in succession. He then removed to the town of Hiram, where he died in 1830. He was a man of good abilities, true courage, great intelligence, and zealous un- deviating patriotism. He had a family of several children. One son in- heriting his father's spirit, fell under Decatur before Tripoli. A daughter married Hon. Stephen Longfellow of Portland.
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THE HISTORY
[VOL. II.
A. D. 1779. of Lieutenant-Colonel Revere. The expedition was put in mo- Lieut. Col. tion by Massachusetts, " though with the knowledge of Con- Revere. gress ;" and hence a draft was made upon the State treasury for £50,000, to defray the expenses, exclusive of the provisions which the merchants in Newburyport and Salem supplied for six of the fleet, two months.
July 25. The fleet and troops arrive in Penobscot.
With so much celerity had this expedition been prepared and put in motion, that the whole force made its appearance, July 25, in Penobscot. But a distinguished officer has said, that though the government liad ordered out at least 1,200 of the militia,-" we had less than 1,000 men-about the number of the enemy." They were undisciplined troops, having been para- ded together only once, and this was at Townshend, their place of rendezvous, while the vessels were detained in the harbor by a head wind. They were, however, "brave and spirited men," ' willing to encounter the enemy ; and had circumstances justified ' an attack, they would without doubt have done their duty man- ' fully.'
'The British at 'Biguy- cluce.
General McLane having heard of the American fleet four days before its arrival, used every exertion to render his fortifi- cation defensible. Yet he was illy prepared to receive a visit from an enemy. Two of the intended bastions were not begun, the other two were in no place above five feet high, many parts of the ditch did not exceed three feet in depth, there was no platform laid, nor artillery mounted ; and therefore, when he had the news of a meditated attack, he employed his troops day and night upon the works. Still he was fully aware of his weak con- dition ; consequently as soon as our fleet made its appearance, he despatched a messenger with the intelligence, to Halifax.
cans effect a landing.
Nothing was attempted on the second day after arrival, owing July 28. 400 Ameri- to the surf occasioned by a brisk wind from the south .* But early in the morning of the third day, July 28, it being calm and foggy, our vessels were drawn up in a line beyond the reach of musket shot from the enemy ; and 200 of the militia and 200 of the marines were ordered into the boats from the shipping, ready at the signal to push for the shore; Mowett liad taken
* But Capt. John Brewer, a settler at Segeunkedunk, [in Brewer,] went on board the fleet. He had been in the Fort on the 25th July, and exam- ined it ; and now gave the General and Commodore every information they could desire.
473
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CHAP. XVII.]
a judicious position, which enabled him to command the mouth of A. D. 1779. the harbor, and prevent a landing on the southerly side of the penin- sula. A trench had been transversely cut nearly across the isthmus, at the northward, which severed the neck from the main, and se- cured the passes in that quarter. No landing could be effected except on the western side, which was a precipice-200 feet high, steep and extremely difficult of access ; also there was a line of the enemy posted upon the cliffs or heights, ' who opened a brisk ' fire upon us, (as an American officer states,) just as our boats 'reached the shore. We stepped out, and they were immediate- ' ly sent back. From the enemy's shipping, there was now a ' stream of fire over our heads, and from the top of the cliffs, a ' shower of musketry in our faces. We soon found the sum- ' mit at this place inaccessible, and we divided into three parties ; ' one deployed to the right and one to the left, in search of a " practicable ascent ; the centre keeping up an unceasing fire to ' distract the attention of the enemy. Both parties succeeded ' in gaining the heights; yet closing upon the enemy in the ' rear rather too soon, gave them a chance to escape ; and they ' fled, leaving 30 killed, wounded and taken. The conflict was ' short but sharp, for we lost 100 out of four hundred men, on " the shore and bank-the marines suffering most as they forced 'their way up the precipice. The engagement lasted only 'twenty minutes, and would have been highly applauded, had ' success finally attended the expedition. There was not in fact " a more brilliant exploit of itself than this, during the war. We ' next threw up some slight fortifications, within 700 yards of the 'enemy's main works.'
A council of war was called of the land and naval officers, the A Council same morning. The former were for summoning the garrison to " of war. surrender, offering them honorable terms ; but the Commodore and most of his officers were opposed to the measure. It was next proposed to storm the fort ; but as the marines had suffered so severely in effecting a landing, the Commodore refused to dis- embark any more of them, and even threatened to recall those on shore. Our force was thought insufficient to drive the enemy from the fort ; and the assistance wanted was communicated to government by special messengers, sent in whale-boats to Boston. Application On application to General Gates, then commanding at Provi- Gates. to General VOL. II. 60
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THE HISTORY
[VOL. II.
A. D. 1779. dence, he detached Colonel Jackson's regiment of Continental troops, as a re-enforcement, who were stopped at Falmouth.
Conduct of the Amer- icans.
In the mean time, General Lovell reduced the enemy's out- works and batteries, took several fieldpieces, and by indefatiga- ble labor every night, upon zigzag intrenchments, approached within fair gunshot of the garrison ; so that a man seldom in daylight showed his head above the enemy's works. It was after- wards fully ascertained, that General McLane was prepared to capitulate, if a surrender had been demanded. But Saltonstall was self-willed and unreasonable. He and the General disagree- ing as to the plan of operations, added one more to thousands of fatalities, incident to dissension. Wadsworth was the best officer on the ground. He urged upon General Lovell the expediency of keeping open a good retreat, as one of the first maxims of war. For this purpose he chose a place on the west bank of the river near the Narrows, below the head of Orphan Island ; and recommended the establishment of some works there, whith- er 'our men might retreat, should there be necessity, or make ' a stand in case of pursuit.' But Lovell opposed this ; alleging ' that it would dishearten our troops, or rather evince to them 'our own despair of success.'
Condition of the enemy's fort. A fortnight's time gave the British every advantage. General McLane, by skilful industry and perseverance, filled the gorge of one bastion with logs, surrounded the other with facines and earth ten feet thick, laid a platform and mounted several can- non, environed the fort with a kind of chevaux-de-frize, and en- closed the whole with an abatis. At intervals, Commodore Sal- tonstall manoeuvered to enter the harbor ; and day by day re- Skirmishes. newed a cannonade from the shipping. On the land, too, there were frequent and fruitless skirmishes, occasioned principally by reason of Lovell's exertions, to cut off all communication between McLane and Mowett. In the midst of their solicitude, a de- serter informed McLane, that his camp and Mowett's vessels were to be attacked the next day, by the whole American force. Had the attempt been essayed two days earlier, it might have met with brilliant success. But the fortunate day had passed ; and little else remained to the Americans than disaster.
August 13. A British A spy-vessel brought Lovell news, August 13th, that a Brit- fleet arrives. ish fleet of seven sail, was in the outer waters of Penobscot bay, standing in towards the peninsula. A retreat was immediately
475
CHAP. XVII. ] OF MAINE.
ordered by General Lovell, and conducted during the night by A. D. 1779. Gen. Wadsworth, with so much silence and skill, that the whole of the American troops were embarked undiscovered. As the British squadron entered the harbor, the next morning, it was August 14. found to consist of a large man-of-war, a frigate, two ships, two brigs and a sloop; commanded by Sir George Collier, ten days from Sandy Hook, near Halifax, and carrying 200 guns and 1,500 men .*
Saltonstall drew up his fleet in the form of a crescent, with the The Amer- apparent design of maintaining his position ; though in fact, for dispersed. ican fleet the purpose of checking the enemy's advance, till the land forces on board the transports, could be conveyed to some places of safety or retreat, up the river, or upon the western shores. Con- fident of his entire superiority, Sir George advanced without de- lay and poured in upon his enemy, a heavy broad-side, which threw the American fleet into confusion, and caused a disorderly flight. Most of the transports retreated up the river ; several went ashore at the foot of the narrows,} from which the men took some provisions ; and after landing and setting the vessels on fire, four companies collected and were led off by General Some ves- Wadsworth to Camden.# Others, against a strong tide, were able seis burnt. to ascend the river.
A general chase, and indiscriminate destruction ensued. The The rest Hunter and Defiance endeavoring to get by the head of Long Island, to sea, through the western passage, were intercepted ; and the Hunter ran ashore with every sail standing ; which, after Hunter. a smart skirmish between her crew and Lieutenant Mackey with
* An accurate account of this fleet, viz :-
The Raisonable, Com. Collier
Capt. Evans
64 guns, 500 men.
" Blande,
Berkley 32
220
" Grey Hound,
Dickson 28
200 } These on their pas-
Galatea,
Read
24 180 } sage took 2 Am. priv.
Camilla,
Collins
24
180
Virginia,
J. Ord
18
150
Otter,
14
100
204 1,530
t Between Orphan Island and the western shore.
# An attack upon Falmouth was afterwards expected. Thither Colonel Jackson and Colonel Mitchell resorted with their regiments .- Smith's Jour. p. 112.
destroyed.
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A. D. 1779. a party of 50 men from the Raisonable, fell into their hands.
Defiance. The Defiance hid herself in a small creek ; when, her crew find- ing the Camilla was in search for her, blew her up about mid- Sky Rocket. night. The Sky Rocket met the same fate from her crew, near Active. Fort-point ledge. The brig Active was burnt off Brigadier's Island. The residue of the fleet, by means of oars and studen sails all set, also the transports, made good their retreat into Marsh Hampden. bay, closely pursued by the British squadron. Here the Hamp- den, being overtaken, surrendered ; and at the same time, prizes
Nancy.
Rover. were made of the Nancy and the Rover. The frigate Warren Warren. was committed to the flames by her crew, at Oak-point cove, General Putnam. Vengeance. half a league above Frankfort village. The General Putnam and the Vengeance, having ascended still higher, were burnt op- Monmouth. posite Hampden. The others, being the Monmouth, Sally, Black Sally. Black Prince. Prince, Hazard, Diligence, Tyrannicide, Providence Sloop, Hazard. Spring Bird, Hector, and several transports ascended to places Diligence .. Tyranni- cide, Provi- denceSloop, above and just below the mouth of the Kenduskeag, where they were all blown up or set on fire by their own crews,* to prevent Spring their falling into the possession of the enemy.+ A prodigious Bird. Hector.
Losses.
wreck of property,-a dire eclipse of reputation,-and universal chagrin-were the fruits of this expedition, in the promotion of which, there had been such an exalted display of public spirit, both by the government and individuals. Our whole loss of men was probably not less than one hundred and fifty ; that of the enemy, eighty-five. So great pecuniary damage at this critical period of the war, and of the State finances, was a severe mis- fortune. In short, the whole connected was sufficiently felt ; for it filled the country with grief as well as murmurs.
Aug. 15. The Ameri-
The officers and men landing at different placest on the west- cans take up ern shores of the river, among inhabitants few, scattered and their march to Kenne- beck. indigent, immediately took up their march westward, through a wild and trackless country, thirty leagues or more, as they travel- led it, to the first settlements upon the river Kennebeck. Guid-
* Several were burnt on the morning of the 15th .- Colonel Brewer. ¡ Forty years afterwards, adventurers came into the river with a diving bell, and took from these wrecks, some of which could then be seen at low water, a great number of cannon ; and in the search, they found a barrel of pork, entirely good, except rusted next to the staves.
# Downing, a surgeon of the American fleet, dressed the wounds of sev- eral, at Capt. Brewer's dwellinghouse,-Somne were carried to Maj. Treat's in Bangor.
477
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CHAP. XVII.]
ed by Indians, they proceeded in detached parties, suffering every A. D. 1779. privation. For, not being aware of the journey and fatigue which they had to encounter, they had taken with them provisions altogether insufficient ; and some who were infirm or feeble actu- ally perished in the woods. A moose or other animal was occa- sionally killed, which being roasted upon coals, was the most precious, if not the only morsel, many of them tasted, during the latter half of their travels.
The ' Penobscot expedition,' was so much a subject of obloquy Court of En- and remark, that the Legislature at its next session, Sept. 9, ap- quiry. pointed a " Committee"# or Court of Enquiry, consisting of nine gentlemen,-to examine into the causes of its failure and make their report. At their second session, which was in Boston, the General and Regimental Officers, and the Commanders of the armed vessels attended ; and after a thorough investigation, the Court, Oct. 7, pronounced their opinion, which was this,- That " the principal reason of the failure was the want of proper Their de- " spirit and energy on the part of the Commodore :"+-That the cision. destruction of the fleet was occasioned essentially, because of his " not exerting himself at all, in the time of the retreat, by oppos- " ing the enemy's foremost ships in pursuit :"-" That General " Lovell throughout the expedition and retreat, acted with proper " courage and spirit ; and had he been furnished with all the " men ordered for the service, or been properly supported by " the Commodore, he would probably have reduced the enemy :" -That though a majority of the Commodore's naval Council, being commanders of private armed vessels, were against offen- sive measures, yet he repeatedly said, ' it was matter of favor " that he called any Council of them ; and when he had taken " their advice he should follow his own opinion ;' and in that way discouraged all the measures on the part of the fleet :- That " the naval Commanders, each and every of them behaved like
* This Committee, or Court, consisted of Major-General Artemas Ward ; Francis Dana, Esq. ; Major-General Timothy Danielson ; Brigadier-Gen- eral Jonathan Titcomb ; Major-General Michael Farley ; Major Samuel Osgood; James Prescott, Esq .; Colonel Moses Little, and William Seaver, Esq. ; the last three were not present when the report was signed.
t The popular voice charged Saltonstall with treachery and cowardice. But it seems these were not formally charged upon him ; and report says, that " he fought a very good battle afterwards in a large privateer."
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A. D. 1779. " brave experienced officers, during the whole time :"-And that " Brigadier Wadsworth, the second in command throughout the " expedition, in the retreat and after, till ordered to return to " Boston, conducted with great activity, courage, coolness and " prudence."-The Court also found "the number of men or- " dered to be detached for this service, to have been deficient " nearly one third. Whether the shameful neglect is chargeable " upon the Brigadiers, Colonels or other officers, whose particu- " lar duty it might have been to have faithfully executed the or- " ders of the General Assembly, we cannot (said they,) ascer- Saltonstall cashiered. " tain."-Upon this report the General Court adjudged, that Commodore Saltonstall be incompetent ever after, to hold a com- mission in the service of the State, and that Generals Lovell and Wadsworth be honorably acquitted.
Conduct of the Indians.
The Tarratine Indians at Penobscot, conducted throughout the whole campaign, with all due fidelity and friendship towards the Americans, agreeably to the articles of subsisting treaty. To two of the tribe, in reward for their good conduct, the govern- ment presented suits of clothes ; and afterwards the Legislature, placing more confidence in their integrity, resolved, that any of them be permitted to testify in cases of prohibited traffic.
Public bur- .«dens.
To defray the expenses of the Penobscot expedition, and the charges of local defence and of the ordinary civil list; to meet the call of Congress, for six millions of dollars, being the State's quota of 45 millions ; and to raise a re-enforcement of 2,000 men for the army ;- were burdens rendered more insurmounta- ble, because of the great numbers taken from the field and shop of productive labor. Public credit was oppressed, for the nom- inal State debt was about 200 millions of dollars, and if reduced to a fair exchange of $40 in the bills to one in silver,* the real debt was still more than 5 millions.
In Maine, the late fatal disaster, the enemy upon our coasts, the embargo, which prevented intercourse between our seaports and other places, and the uncommon drought-were circum- stances, which increased the dearth of provisions and the general distress. Yet no measures were left unessayed to relieve, pro-
* In Falmouth, [according to Rev. Mr. Smith's Jour. p. 111-112.] corn in June sold for $35 per bushel ; molasses $16 per gallon ; and one man ask- ed $75 for a bushel of wheat meal, and another, in August, paid $19 for a pound of tea. Such was, at this period, the value of paper money.
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tect and encourage the eastern people. Provisions were sent A. D. 1779. thither at the public charge. Eight families were removed from The eastern 'Biguyduce ; Muster-masters, committees of supplies, and pru- people. dential agents of different trusts were appointed; a truck house was established at Fort Halifax, and furnished with articles to the amount of £5,000, principally to promote the Indian trade ; and so much was a map of Maine, especially a correct one of the eastern coast, wanted at this time, that government granted to Mr. Sheppard, for his labored delineation of a chart, a whole township of land. As to articles of sustenance, no wines, spir- its, sugar nor molasses,-no wool, flax, cotton, nor goods made tions prohib- Exporta- of them,-no coffee, salt or chocolate,-no shoes, skins or leath- ited. er,-no live-stock, nor any sorts of provisions,-were allowed to be exported to any other State, after Sept. 23, upon the penalty of forfeiture. Nor might any person lade those articles nor any spars on board of a vessel, under a pretence of carrying them to the army, without license first obtained from a legislative com- mittee-man, appointed in every county .*
The people upon the Islands and banks of Penobscot, after The treat- the British had established themselves upon the peninsula, suffered ment of the from their soldiery great insults and injuries ; though the inhabit- the British. people by ants had the promise of the British General, that they should re- ceive good treatment, if they would continue quiet at home. Be- fore the American fleet arrived in the bay, an advanced guard was placed at Eastern river, [Bucksport,] to prevent all commu- At Bucks- nication. This gave the people umbrage ; but after the defeat, port. a British party, visiting that place, burnt the dwellinghouse of Jonathan Buck, his saw mill, vessel, and two barns, also four or five of his neighbors' habitations, t and took off a considerable quantity of plunder.
Gen. McLane himself, was a man of noble spirit. He gave to the settlers who visited him, the fullest assurances of safety, if their conduct was neutral,-he even permitted a cartel to
* These were, for York county, Daniel Moulton ; for Cumberland, Col. John Wait; and for Lincoln, Dummer Sewall .- There were at this time naval officers :-- York, Richard Trevot ; Pepperellboro', Tristram Jordan ; Falmouth, Thomas Child ; Penobscot, Nicholas Crosby ; Gouldsboro', Wm. Nichols ; Machias, Stephen Smith.
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