Opening Thought
Here is another interesting bit of history that I did not know.
I was initially skeptical because I stumbled across it while scrolling through my Google news feed. When I clicked on the story, it took me to an “X.” I do not have an account there, but the story looked credible enough that I started digging deeper.
What surprised me was that I had read books and posted reviews on Washington, Adams, Hamilton, and Jefferson—the “Four Horsemen” of the American Revolution, if you will, written by some of the best historians in the field. Yet I had never heard of this event.
The story takes place off the coast of Maine, the state just north of where I grew up in New Hampshire. At the time, Maine was not yet a state. It was part of Massachusetts, and the area around Machias Bay was a remote frontier settlement.
The year was 1775, just weeks after the Revolutionary War had begun.
I have read David McCullough’s excellent book 1776, which focuses heavily on the war’s first year, and I do not recall this event being mentioned. As a side note, did you know that the famous Battle of Bunker Hill was actually fought mostly on Breed’s Hill? History sometimes has a funny way of naming things.
Back to Machias.
The colonial militia had the British bottled up in Boston following Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill. The British desperately needed lumber to build barracks and other facilities for their troops.
Enter Ichabod Jones, a wealthy Boston merchant with Loyalist sympathies. Jones owned two merchant vessels, the Unity and the Polly. He sailed to Machias carrying desperately needed supplies, including flour and pork, for the isolated settlement.
There was one catch.
Jones would only sell the food if the townspeople agreed to provide lumber for the British Army in Boston.
The people of Machias were not thrilled with that arrangement.
To protect the operation, the British dispatched the armed schooner HMS Margaretta under the command of Midshipman James Moore. When the British arrived, the townspeople raised a Liberty Pole—a tall wooden pole symbolizing resistance to the Crown.
Moore demanded that the Liberty Pole be removed and reportedly threatened military action if it remained.
The townspeople essentially told the British Navy to pound sand.
On Sunday, June 11, 1775, local Patriot leaders, including Jeremiah O’Brien and Benjamin Foster, attempted to capture Moore during church services. Moore escaped through a window and managed to return to the Margaretta.
At that point, the conflict had become unavoidable.
The next day, June 12, roughly forty local men launched an attack on the British vessel. What followed sounds more like an action movie than a history lesson.
Armed with muskets, axes, clubs, and even pitchforks, the townsmen pursued and boarded the Margaretta. After fierce hand-to-hand fighting, they overwhelmed the British crew and captured the ship.
Leading much of the effort was Jeremiah O’Brien and his five brothers—Gideon, John, William, Dennis, and Joseph. Their father, Morris O’Brien, had emigrated from Ireland, and the brothers became the backbone of the assault.
What makes this story fascinating is that America did not yet have a navy.
George Washington was still trying to build a functioning Continental Army. The Continental Congress was still figuring out how to organize a rebellion into a nation.
Yet here was a group of angry frontier settlers capturing a British armed vessel on their own initiative.
Many historians consider the Battle of Machias to be the first naval engagement of the American Revolution. Encyclopedia Britannica describes the capture of the Margaretta as “probably the first naval engagement of the American Revolution.”
My guess is that this story largely escapes the history books because there was no formal American Navy involved. It was not part of some grand strategy crafted by Washington or Congress. It was a local action carried out by determined citizens far from the major population centers.
There are other reasons it may have faded from public memory.
The battle was small compared to the major campaigns that followed. It was not officially sanctioned. Maine was still part of Massachusetts and would not become a state until 1820. And most Revolutionary War histories understandably focus on Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Trenton, Saratoga, and Yorktown.
Still, the significance should not be overlooked.
The battle demonstrated that the mighty Royal Navy was not invincible. It showed that ordinary colonists could challenge British military power using little more than courage, determination, and whatever weapons they could get their hands on.
The colonists kept the captured vessel and used it in their defense efforts. Machias soon became a persistent thorn in Britain’s side, launching privateering expeditions and disrupting British operations throughout the region for years.
Like many Revolutionary War stories, some details have become part of local legend over the years. Historians still debate portions of the famous Liberty Pole story, and some accounts were written decades after the events themselves. However, there is no debate about the outcome: local settlers captured the British armed schooner Margaretta and secured one of the earliest and most remarkable Patriot victories of the war.
Perhaps that is the larger lesson.
The American Revolution was not won solely by famous generals, politicians, and statesmen. It was also fought by farmers, fishermen, lumbermen, merchants, and local militias scattered across the colonies. Many of their names have been forgotten, but their contributions helped shape the war’s outcome.
Before the legendary exploits associated with John Paul Jones entered American folklore, an Irish-American lumberman and his five brothers in the remote wilderness of Maine used pitchforks, axes, and sheer audacity to capture a British armed vessel.
That is the forgotten story of the Battle of Machias.
And somehow, after reading all those books on the Revolution, it was a story I had never heard before.
Sources and Further Reading
Burnham Tavern Museum
The historic tavern where Machias residents met to discuss plans that led to the capture of the Margaretta. Today it serves as a museum dedicated to preserving the story of what locals often call the “Lexington of the Sea.”
Maine Historic Preservation Commission – Burnham Tavern
Provides historical background on Burnham Tavern and its role in the events surrounding the Battle of Machias.
https://www.maine.gov/mhpc/did-you-know/burnham-tavern-1770-machias-washington-county
Encyclopedia Britannica – Machias
One of the strongest mainstream references supporting the claim that the capture of the Margaretta was probably the first naval engagement of the American Revolution.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Machias
Town of Machias Historical Information
Local historical information discussing the battle and its continuing significance to the community.
Historical Notes
- Many historians consider the Battle of Machias to be the first naval engagement of the American Revolution, although some use slightly different definitions when comparing other early maritime actions.
- The colonies effectively had no established navy when the battle occurred, making the success at Machias even more remarkable.
- Burnham Tavern later served as a hospital for wounded participants from both sides following the battle.
- Jeremiah O’Brien went on to become a successful privateer and remained an important figure in Revolutionary history.
Closing Thought
One reason I like this story is that it reminds us that the American Revolution was not fought only by Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, and other famous names. It was also fought by ordinary people living in isolated settlements far from the centers of power.
Some of those stories became legends.
Others faded into obscurity.
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