Except for the Raid of 1775

In this episode, we are joined by guest co-host, Peter Gillies, to chat about the 1775 American Privateer Raid on Saint John Harbour.

At the start of the American Revolution, privateers were used to disrupt British supply lines, especially to the besiege soldiers who were trying to hold Boston. Before Saint John was Saint John, there were two small settlements around the harbour: Portland Point and Conway. In August of 1775, a British ship named the Loyal Briton arrived at Portland Point and began loading supplies bound for Boston. The Americans caught wind of this and sent a 4-gun sloop with 40 armed men to capture the vessel.

Portland Point and Conway were virtually unprotected, making it easy for the Americans to seize the ship. While they were at, they also pillaged and burned down Fort Frederick and took 12 people prisoner.

In response to the raid, the British sent warships to the Bay of Fundy, Annapolis Royal, and Halifax. They did not, however, commit any resources to defending Portland Point and Conway. These communities would remain sitting ducks, and the Americans would return.

A North View of Fort Frederick Built by Order of the Honourable Colonel Robert Monckton, on the Entrance of the St. John's River in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. Painting by Thomas Davies (1758).

Sources:

• Baxter, J.P.,. Documentary History of the State of Maine Vol. XIV. Containing The Baxter Manuscripts. Maine Historical Society, 1910.

• Raymond, W.O. History of the River St. John, A.D. 1604-1784. Saint John, 1905.

• Williamson, W.D.. The History of the State of Maine; from its First Discover, A.D. 1602, to the Separation, A.D. 1820, Inclusive. Glazier, Masters & Co., 1832.