The British Naval Attack on Portland, October 18, 1775

by Jack Reynolds

Was it a fluke of the wind that sealed the fate of Portland on October 18, 1775?

Earlier in October British Lieutenant Henry Mowat, Captain of H.M. sloop of war, "Canceaux" was heading downeast from Boston with orders to bombard and burn New England coastal towns. Off Boothbay Harbor, however, a contrary head wind caused Mowat to change his plans for waging war further downeast.

"Since he bypassed towns in Massachusetts and continued past Portland I'm convinced that his primary target was Machias, Maine," said Professor James Leamon, kick off speaker at the Portland Harbor Museum 2006 lecture series. "In June the British in Boston had worked out a deal to trade food for Machias firewood. They dispatched cargo ships laden with food accompanied by a small navy escort to make the swap. A few Machias patriot hotheads seized the navy escort, killed its captain and made the crew prisoner.'

The headwind that saved Machias turned Mowat's four-ship fleet southwest toward Portland. An earlier fracas involving Mowat and Portland patriots may have prompted him to select Portland as second choice on his list of towns to be destroyed. Like Machias Mowat's ordeal in that town started off as a routine business deal.

In May of 1775 a shipment of rigging, sails, and anchors to outfit a new ship arrived in Portland consigned to a merchant by the name of Coulson. Local officials, enforcing a new American declared embargo, refused to allow the cargo to be landed.

"Coulson argued that since he had ordered the materials before enactment of embargo, the cargo should be landed," said Professor Leamon. "He appealed to the British in Boston to support his cause. The sloop of war, "Canceau," commanded by Henry Mowat was sent to Portland to lend Coulson military support."

Things, however, did not go well for Mowat in Portland. He was kidnapped while walking in Portland and his ship was seized by militias from towns surrounding Portland. The local "Committee of Safety"met and after a little reflection on the town's vulnerability to British reprisal sent Mowat back to his ship. He sailed away ready to fight another day.

On October 18, Mowat arrived at Portland, then known as Falmouth Neck. Despite the previous abuse by Portland patriots, he sent an officer ashore to show the town fathers his orders from Admiral Samuel Graves listing Portland as a town slated for destruction and to warn the inhabitants to move out of range of the impending bombardment. At dawn the following day the Mowat's fleet opened fire.

"About two thirds of the town was destroyed," Professor Leamon noted. "However, a landing party had to be sent ashore to torch the town because Mowat's ammunition was scanty and defective.. Meanwhile, patriots from surrounding towns were busy looting what their Portland neighbors could not save."

On October 30 the Gorham town meeting voted to condemn looters from that town and to require them to turn them in the stolen goods within a fortnight. In February of the following year the Massachusetts Bay General Court supported the recovery of posessions "carried away from the owners under cover of saving them for the use of the owners."

Perhaps Portland's ordeal was a small battle in the American war for independence, but Professor Leamon noted that Mowat's destruction of Portland did not go unnoticed by the framers of the Declaration of Independance. He distributed copies of the document and pointed out that their declaration of independence is supported by a long list of offenses committed by the British Crown.

The bombardment and torching of Portland, no doubt was on their minds when the framers included the offense: "He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people."

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