06/12/2026
OTD, June 12, 1775, the first naval battle of the American Revolution, the Battle of Machias, took place off the coast of Maine. The small engagement, between one British and two American vessels, began over, of all things, lumber.
The town of Machias depended on the trade of its plentiful lumber supplies for food shipped up from Boston. In 1775, the British in Boston were in desperate need of lumber. Loyalist merchant Ichabod Jones, owner of the schooners Unity and Polly, agreed to ensure the British received the Machias lumber after he traded with the local colonists. To make certain the deal went through, the British patrol schooner Margaretta was sent to accompany the two trading vessels, armed with 40 crewmen, 4 four-pounder cannons, and 12 one-pounders.
The Sons of Liberty in Machias staunchly opposed the selling of their lumber to the British and determined to take the Margaretta. They seized two ships, Unity and Falmouth Packet, and sailed out to confront Margaretta armed primarily with muskets, pitchforks, and axes. Unity, the fastest of the ships, caught up to the British vessel first, and the crew boarded it. One British sailor wrote of the engagement:
“A Sloop & Schooner appeared, we immediately weighed Anchor & stood out for the Sea, they coming up with us very fast, we began to fire our Stern Swivels, & small Arms as soon as within reach. When within hail, they again desired us to strike [surrender] to the Sons of Liberty, promising to treat us well, but if we made any resistance they [would] put us to death … they immediately laid us Onboard, took possession of the Schooner [carrying] her up to Machias, in great triumph.”
The commander of Margaretta, James Moore, was mortally wounded in the engagement, and the ship surrendered to the colonists. The battle is considered to be the first time British colors were surrendered to the American rebels.
Photo credit: Illustration of the boarding of Margaretta from "Life of Captain Jeremiah O'Brien, Machias, Maine" by Rev. Andrew M. Sherman, 1902.
