New Brunswick Historical Tidbits The Revolutionary War
By Mitch Biggar
In 1775 the 13 colonies to the south of Nova Scotia rose in revolt against England. While New Brunswick had no direct part of the conflict the indirect effects were great. The Revolutionary War which lasted for seven years had two immediate effects upon New Brunswick. First some of the New Brunswick settlers sympathized with the revolutionists and tried to help them. Secondly armed vessels were outfitted in some parts of New England to prey on the commerce of New Brunswick. The first event to ocur in New Brunswick took place in August of 1775. American privateers from Machias burned Fort Frederick at Saint John. About the same time some of these privateers entered the Bay of Chaleur and attacked Alston Point. The damage totaled 10,000 English pounds. The privateers then proceeded to Restigouche where they destroyed a store owned by Mr. Walker. On the way down the Bay the privateers were interecepted by two English gunships, The Wolf and The Diligence. A battle took place off of Perce Rock and two American ships were sunk.
The Indians on the Miramichi took advantage of the situation to rise against the British. They burned two houses, stole cattle and plundred a store owned by John Cort. Earlier that year both Maliseet Chiefs, Ambroise Saint-Aubin and Pierre Tomah had declared their support for the American cause at a gathering in Bangor.
With the support of their chiefs the Indians openly declared that they were in favor of the revolting Americans ans went up and down the Miramichi River shouting and yelling and displaying revolutionary colors. As a result of this small Indian uprising an English sloop of war under the command of Captain Harvey was dispatched to the Miramichi. On the way there The Viper captured an American ship named The Lafayette. Captain Harvey then sent the captured American ship still flying American colors upriver. The English crew aboard the American ship captured thirty-five Indians as they ran to the shore to greet them. The Indians were then sent to a jail in Quebec.
A year later in 1776 the two Maliseet chiefs signed a treaty with the Americans. This treaty promised the Americans six hundred warriors in exchange for a truck house at Machias.
Later on in the war an American spy named McLean visited the Miramichi and tried to incite the Indians to revolt. McLean supplied them with ammunition and some weapons. On one occassion two hundred Indians assembled at Burnt Church and planned to wipe out the white population. All the white people had left their homes and assembled around the vicinity of Chatam. A Roman Catholic priest named Father Cassinette arrived from Gaspe and told the Indians that McLean had been captured and executed in Quebec. When the Indians heard of this they dispersed and never again were the British in that locality disturbed by them again.
Sympathy with the rebels was very marked in the southeast of the province. The leaders of the rebellion there were Colonel Jonathan Eddy and John Allan. Jonathan Eddy was born in Massachusetts and later moved to the Chignecto area. Eddy had even represented Cumberland County in the Nova Scotia Assembly. Eddy's views on British rule changed with the introduction of the Stamp Act.
Colonel Eddy planned to sieze Fort Cumberland and hold it for the Americans. Eddy went to Machias where he enlisted the aid of twenty men. To these he added a few men when he reached Passamaquoddy. Eddy and his men then went to Maugerville where he was joined by a Captain and a Lieuetenant, twenty-five soldiers and sixteen Indians. Eddy now has a force of seventy-two men. In whale-boats and canoes they sailed up the Bay of Fundy. The American force landed at Shepody and captured Captain Walker and twelve men of the Fort Cumberland garrison. Colonel Eddy then went on to Memramcook where he persuaded a number of French Acadians to join him. In May of 1776 two privateers entered the harbour at Saint John and stayed for more then a week. Their ships went up the river to Maugerville and the crews told the people that the province would soon be invaded from the west. As a result of this threat 120 citizens of Maugerville declared their allegiance to the Government of Massachusetts.
Also in May of 1776 John Allan attempted to establish an Indian truck house on the St. John River. James Simonds sent word to Halifax and reported the state of affairs to the authorities. Colonel Goold and a party of men commanded by Major Studholme were sent to investigate. When they arrived the Machias rebels ran away.
John Allan was not so easily defeated however. On May 29th Allan learned that the HMS Vulture had returned to Annopolis. So on May 30th Allan set out from Machias with a party of forty-three men. Allan was joined by thirteen canoes of men at Musquash Cove. Allan then sent Jabez West with a party of men to capture Hazen, Simonds, ands White. West was sucessful in capturing William Hazen and James White. When the authorities in Halifax heard of this they sent the warship HMS Mermaid and the sloops HMS Hope and a detachment of soldiers to repel the American force. After a short battle the Americans were repelled.
After this incident William Hazen proceeded to Halifax and demanded protection. As a result a detachment of troops under Major Studholme wre sent to Saint John with orders to repair or rebuild a new fort. Studholme arrived in late November with fifty men and a preframed blockhouse. Studholme built a new fort on the hill and named it Fort Howe. The nw fortress included a blockhouse with barracks, a store magazine and at least eight six pound gunb. The fort could hold eighty men within the palisade and abatis.
This page was designed by Irene Doyle September 1999