Battle of Fort Cumberland (1776)
Battle of Fort Cumberland | |||||||
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Part of the American Revolution | |||||||
Commander Joseph Goreham, Battle of Fort Cumberland, 1776 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States | Great Britain | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Jonathan Eddy Benoni Danks |
Joseph Goreham[1] John Eagleson[2] Thomas Dixson | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
400+ militia[3] | 200 militia (Fencibles)[4] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
"some" killed[5] 5 captured (1 died of wounds)[6] |
13 killed Unknown wounded 56 captured[7] |
The Battle of Fort Cumberland (also known as the Eddy Rebellion) was an attempt by a small number of
The fort's defenders, the
Background
Discontent in Nova Scotia
Part of a series on the | ||||
History of Nova Scotia | ||||
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Events | ||||
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Eddy believed that with military assistance from the Thirteen Colonies, he might be able to bring down the strongly Loyalist administration of Nova Scotia.[16] Early in 1776, Eddy went to Massachusetts in an attempt to interest political and military leaders there in supporting action in Nova Scotia, while Allan worked to raise interest in Nova Scotia. Allan's work was made more difficult by the arrival of Colonel Goreham and his troops to refortify Fort Cumberland, and by the activities of Michael Francklin, a former Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia and a vocal Loyalist. Eddy returned empty-handed to Nova Scotia in June 1776, only to learn that Goreham had put a price on his head.[17] The activities of Goreham's Fencibles in the Cumberland area were successful enough that Patriot activities there were effectively forced underground; the center of these activities was shifted to Maugerville in part as a consequence of this.[18] Goreham, a veteran of the French and Indian War, was also able to blunt Patriot inroads in the native communities, where the Mi'kmaq refused to take sides, and the Maliseet and Passamaquoddy, at first supportive of the Patriots, ultimately did not turn out in the numbers Eddy had hoped for or been promised.[citation needed]
Eddy returned to Massachusetts in August. While the Second Continental Congress and George Washington would not authorize, fund, or otherwise support military activities in Nova Scotia, Eddy was able to convince the Massachusetts Provincial Congress to provide some material support (primarily muskets, ammunition, powder, and other military supplies) for an attempt on Fort Cumberland.[16] It also allowed Eddy to engage in recruiting in the District of Maine.[19]
Raising the militia
Eddy left Boston in September and sailed to Machias, where he recruited about 20 men. On October 13, this party sailed from Machias for Passamaquoddy Bay. Coincidentally, John Allan, who was working on a longer-term plan for military action, sailed from Campobello Island for Machias the same day. The two parties met at sea, where Allan attempted to dissuade Eddy from his plan, informing him that the Mi'kmaq (the largest tribe in Nova Scotia) would not help him. Allan extracted a promise from Eddy to wait at Campobello while he went to Machias to meet with the council there. When the Machias council learned of how little native support there was, they sent a letter to Eddy urging him to give up the effort. Eddy persisted, and left Campobello, having added nine Passamaquoddy recruits to his band.[20]
From Campobello, Eddy sailed up the
Prelude
With a force now numbering about 72, Eddy sailed up the
On October 31, the frigate Juno escorted the supply sloop Polly to Fort Cumberland, where she docked below the fort on the Aulac River. Polly was laden with supplies to last the fort through the winter, and work began immediately to unload those supplies. Juno, easily visible from Sackville, was a concern to Eddy, since her presence added to the fort's defenses. Fortunately for Eddy, she sailed on November 3, leaving Polly docked below the fort. On November 6, Eddy's patrols began ranging closer to the fort, alerting Goreham to the approaching force. Goreham took no additional steps to protect Polly, and any attempts to get word of his predicament out were again delayed by his decision to await the return of scouts he had dispatched earlier. (The fate of the scouts is uncertain; they did not return before the fort was invested.) That evening, thirty of Eddy's men surprised the sleepy guards aboard Polly, taking thirteen prisoners. They also seized another ship, owned by a Patriot sympathizer, that happened to be anchored nearby.[26]
On the morning of November 7 Goreham decided that it was time to get a message to Windsor. He sent a party of men down to the dock that morning. These men, numbering about 30, were taken prisoner by Eddy's men as rapidly as they arrived due to their unawareness that Eddy had control of the ship.
Siege
Goreham took stock of his situation. Nearly one quarter of his garrison (more than 60 men) had been captured by Eddy, along with critical fuel and other supplies that had not been unloaded from the Polly before her seizure. His defenses consisted of a hastily constructed palisade that encompassed most of the fort, and six cannon, for which his men had only completed three mounts. The fort's military complement was 176 men, including officers and artillerymen. Over the next few days, local militia arrived to raise the garrison's size to about 200, although this included individuals not effective for combat due to illness.[29] On both November 7 and 8 he again attempted to get messengers out of Eddy's cordon, without success.[30]
On November 8 Eddy was joined by about 200 men from Cobequid and Pictou, and he finally felt ready to act on November 10. Eddy sent a letter demanding that Goreham surrender his garrison. Goreham refused, suggesting in retort that Eddy surrender.[31]
The next day authorities outside the area learned of Eddy's activities. Michael Francklin, patrolling in the Bay of Fundy for
Commodore Sir George Collier had previously dispatched HMS Vulture into the Bay of Fundy on rumors of privateering activity there, so he ordered HMS Hope to locate Vulture so that she could assist. However, Hope captured a prize and returned to Halifax; she was then sent out again to accompany a supply ship to Fort Cumberland.[33] In the meantime, Vulture fortuitously arrived at Windsor, where she took on some marines and Fencibles.[34]
Lacking artillery, the rebels attempted to storm the fort on the night of November 12, attempting a feint to draw Goreham's strength away from the weak points of the defenses. The experienced Goreham saw through the feint and repulsed the attack. One of Eddy's Maliseet warriors sneaked into the fort and very nearly opened a gate but was stopped at the last moment.[35] Following the failed attack, Eddy effectively lost control of the expedition, as a council of leaders formed against him.[36] Night attacks ordered by the council on November 22 and 23 succeeded in capturing and burning several buildings, but Goreham grimly held his ground, and the invaders were again repulsed.[37]
On November 27, Vulture arrived. Rather than retreat in the face of arriving relief, the rebels increased their guard; Goreham, with some intelligence about the size of the force opposing him, planned a sortie. Early on the morning of November 29, Major Thomas Batt led 150 men from Vulture's marine contingent and the Royal Fencible Americans, and scattered Eddy's men, killing and wounding several, at the cost of two dead and three wounded.[38]
Aftermath
Batt's men chased Eddy's, but bad weather and the lack of adequate footwear eventually caused him to call off the pursuit. Eddy's forces scattered, with many retreating overland to Maugerville. Some of the Massachusetts men took more than two months to reach Machias.[39] Homes and farms of rebel supporters were burned in reprisal[40] but British authorities took a lenient approach toward captured rebels, including Richard John Uniacke, who went on to become Attorney General of Nova Scotia.[41] Goreham issued an offer of pardon for those who would surrender their arms, which more than 100 locals accepted.[32] This prompted Major Batt to file charges against Goreham for neglect of duty; Goreham was exonerated.[42]
The victory at Fort Cumberland strengthened the British presence in Nova Scotia, in part by driving Patriot sympathizers like Allan and Eddy out of the province, but also by cowing those that remained, often by requiring people to make pledges to the Crown.[43] Some unrest continued for the remainder of the war (e.g., the Battle at Miramichi), although no further large scale military threat occurred. The most significant attempt occurred in the summer of 1777, when John Allan was authorized by Congress to take actions in Nova Scotia; however, only a small number of forces were raised for this effort at Saint John, and a British show of force put an end to the attempt.[44] Eddy appears to have been involved with Allan's work, but his movements prior to August 1777 are uncertain. Commodore Collier followed up by attacking Machias, intending to break Allan's plans. Eddy led the defense of Machias during the battle on August 13–15, 1777.[45] (Collier's action was in fact unnecessary; the Massachusetts Provincial Congress had in early August voted to disband forces recruited for Allan's expedition, because of the imminent threat posed by the army of General John Burgoyne in upstate New York.)[46]
The Battle of Fort Cumberland was poorly documented in 19th-century histories of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, often receiving only minimal mention. The involvement of local inhabitants (natives, Acadians, and English-speakers) in the siege was generally understated or unknown.
See also
Notes
- ^ Also spelled Gorham in some histories
- ^ "Canadian Bio". Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
- ^ Clarke, pp. 215–221 provides an order of battle listing 220 identifiable individuals. Clarke notes that of these, 88 Cumberland residents participated, and many more were known to participate.
- ^ a b Annual Report 1894, p. 352
- ^ Annual Report 1894, p. 362
- ^ a b c Annual Report 1894, p. 359
- ^ Porter, p. 18
- ^ a b Clarke, p. 12
- ^ Clarke, p. 45
- ^ "Loyalist Institute: Royal Fencible Americans, Proposal to Raise a Battalion, 1775". Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
- ^ Annual Report 1894, p. 332
- ^ Clarke, p. 113
- ^ a b Annual Report 1894, p. 361
- ^ Leamon, p. 89
- ^ Clarke, p. 11
- ^ a b Leamon, p. 88
- ^ Clarke, pp. 40–56
- ^ Clarke, p. 64
- ^ Clarke, p. 73
- ^ Clarke, pp. 79–80
- ^ Clarke, pp. 82–83
- ^ Clarke, p. 264n
- ^ Clarke, pp. 90–91
- ^ Clarke, p. 116
- ^ Clarke, p. 108
- ^ Clarke, pp. 106–110
- ^ Clarke, p. 111
- ^ Clarke, p. 112
- ^ Clarke, pp. 113–117
- ^ Clarke, p. 120
- ^ Annual Report 1894, p. 357
- ^ a b Annual Report 1894, p. 358
- ^ Gwyn (2004), p. 61
- ^ Gwyn (2004), p. 62
- ^ Clarke, pp. 139–140
- ^ Clarke, p. 141
- ^ Clarke, p. 172
- ^ Clarke, pp. 184–200
- ^ Clarke, pp. 201–206
- ^ Kidder, p. 70
- ^ Clarke, p. 210
- ^ Charters
- ^ Clarke, pp. 206–208
- ^ Leamon, pp. 90–91
- ^ Porter, p. 19
- ^ Acts and Resolves, pp. 87–90
- ^ Clarke, pp. 210–211
- ^ Fort Beauséjour/Fort Cumberland National Historic Site
Bibliography
- The Acts and Resolves, Public and Private, of the Province of the Massachusetts Bay, Volume 20. Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 1920. OCLC 4553382.
- Bumsted, J. M (1987). Land, Settlement, and Politics on Eighteenth-Century Prince Edward Island. Toronto: McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-7735-0566-7.
- Charters, David A.; Sutherland, Stuart R. J. (1979). "Goreham, Joseph". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. IV (1771–1800) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- Clarke, Ernest (1995). The Siege of Fort Cumberland, 1776. McGill Queens University Press. ISBN 978-0-7735-1867-4.
- Gwyn, Julian (2004). Frigates and Foremasts: The North American Squadron in Nova Scotia Waters, 1745-1815. Vancouver, BC: UBC Press. OCLC 144078613.
- Kidder, Frederic, ed. (1867). Military Operations in Eastern Maine and Nova Scotia During the Revolution. J. Munsell. This book contains Eddy's report detailing the action through early January 1777.
- Leamon, James S. (1995). Revolution Downeast: The War for American Independence in Maine. University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 978-0-87023-959-5.
- Porter, Joseph Whitcomb (1877). Memoir of Col. Jonathan Eddy of Eddington, Me. Sprague, Owen & Nash. This book also contains Eddy's report of January 1777 as well as additional documents and reports.
- Public Archives of Canada, Douglas Brymner; Arthur George Doughty; Edouard Richard (1895). 1894 Annual Report – Public Archives of Canada. Public Archives. This book contains Colonel Goreham's reports on the action, as well as orders issued by others with respect to this event.
- "Fort Beauséjour/Fort Cumberland National Historic Site". Parks Canada. Retrieved July 9, 2009.
Further reading
- D. C. Harvey, "Machias and the invasion of Nova Scotia", CHA Report, 1932: 17–28. On line
- Acadia in the Revolution 1882
Thomas H. Raddall, "His Majesty's Yankees" Doubleday & Company Inc. 1942 (historical fiction by Nova Scotia's most famous writer).
External links
- The Battle of Fort Cumberland at RevolutionaryWar101.com
- Another account of the battle at BluPete.com
- Rawlyk, G. A. (1983). "Eddy, Jonathan". In Halpenny, Francess G (ed.). Dictionary of Canadian Biography. Vol. V (1801–1820) (online ed.). University of Toronto Press.
- Royal Fencible Americans at the On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies