First Naval Battle of American Revolution

Remote Maine Outpost Scene of 1775 Attack on British Ship

Feb 7, 2009

When Machias settlers heard of Lexington and Concord, they attacked a British ship picking up lumber for British barracks in Boston.

The tiny Maine coastal outpost—then in Massachusetts—is regarded as scene of the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War. The attack is known as “the battle of the Margaretta and Unity.”

British Ships Brought Supplies

Machias was settled in 1763 by fire-ravaged Scarborough residents drawn to the area because of its abundance of timber and salt marshes. Dependent on the sea for supplies, they anxiously awaited the arrival of a cargo vessel following the long, hard winter of 1775. It would bring supplies in exchange for huge logs used as ship masts in British vessels.

When the British ship arrived to exchange supplies for timber, it was accompanied by The Margaretta, an armed schooner commanded by a Lt. Moor. This time not wood for ship masts was sought, but timber headed for Boston to build barracks for the British forces. The escort was for protection.

Defiant Patriots Erected Liberty Pole

Machias residents had heard of the battles at Lexington and Concord and didn’t want their lumber to be used by occupying British forces in Boston. In defiance of the king, the Machias patriots had erected a liberty pole. Lt. Moor demanded its removal, threatening to fire upon the town.

After numerous meetings, both public and private, residents decided not only that the pole would stay, but that they would try to capture Moor and his men while they were at church. Runners were sent to outlying settlements to request assistance.

Sunday came and Moor, already in church, saw a group of men approaching. He guessed their purpose, leaped out of an open window, ran to his ship and set sail to anchor further down the tidal basin.

The next morning—June 12, 1775—a group of about 40 men, armed with more pitchforks than guns, sailed down river in a tiny sloop, The Unity. Led by Jeremiah O'Brien, they pursued the Margaretta into Machias Bay. Near Round Island they caught up, engaged The Margaretta in battle and defeated her in what many naval historians call the first naval battle of the American Revolution.

Lt. Moor was wounded during the battle, brought back to Machias, and died the next day.

In his History of the United States Navy, James Fenimore Cooper calls this incident “the Lexington of the Sea.”

The copyright of the article First Naval Battle of American Revolution in Colonial America is owned by Rosemary E. Bachelor. Permission to republish First Naval Battle of American Revolution in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Aug 17, 2009 1:22 PM

Guest :

To claim the "Battle of the Margaretta" as the "first Naval Battle" of the revolution is a bit much. It was more a case of a sea borne riot, an impromptu affair and not a "Naval Engagement".