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| From the Library of Congress G3764.B6S3 1775 .D4 Vaultg3764b ar090000 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3764b.ar090000 |
This was just a teeny skirmish during the American
Revolution, but I love it because the marsh and the island where it happened
belonged to some of my ancestors, and some of the people involved are right out
of my family tree. As I tell the tale of the Battle of Noddle’s Island
(sometimes known as the Battle of Chelsea Creek, or the Battle of Hog Island),
I’ll point out the family ties.
Noddle’s Island is now where Boston’s Logan airport
sits. The land around it has been filled
in, and it is no longer an island. One
of the first settlers to live here was Samuel Maverick, and in the 1630s his
house was located near Maverick Square in East Boston, today. There is a “Maverick Station” on the blue
line of the T (the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) subway) in
this part of East Boston. Samuel Maverick (b. about 1602) is the brother to my 10 x Great Grandfather, Moses Maverick (1611- 1686).
Chelsea Creek, Rumney Marsh and Pullen Point, all
land near these islands, was settled by my Bill Family ancestors in the
1600s. They lived and farmed also on the
island that is now known as the town of Winthrop, Massachusetts. Early maps of the Winthrop peninsula are labeled "Bill's Farm". Rumney Marsh and Pullen Point are in the
current cities of Chelsea and Revere Massachusetts. Other ancestors from the
Belcher, Cheever, Tuttle, and Hitchings families lived here, too.
Fast forward 150 years, and the second battle of the
American Revolution happened here. Or
rather, a skirmish happened here. The
British were going up and down the coast causing trouble by confiscating
gunpowder and supplies, including hay cut and stored on islands, as well as
livestock that used to roam the islands safe from predators and poachers. On 27 May 1775, just a bit more than a month
after the Battle of Lexington and Concord, New Hampshire’s own General John Stark
was in charge of burning the hay and supplies on Noddle’s and Hog Island so the
resources wouldn’t fall into enemy hands.
The British saw the smoke from Boston, and came out to investigate.
British General Gage sent out the schooner Diana, which misjudged the depth of the
marshy waters and foundered in the mud.
Dr. Joseph Warren (of Bunker Hill fame) and General Israel Putnam (married
to my 1st cousin, 7 generations removed, Hannah Pope) arrived on
foot with a troop of soldiers from Stark’s 1st New Hampshire
Regiment. Although the British tried to
fire their cannons at the rebels, the cannons were pointed towards the mud
because of the listing ship, and so there was a standoff. When the British finally abandoned ship, the
colonial soldiers stripped the ship of everything of value: artillery, guns,
sails, money, anything not nailed down.
They put the hay the British wanted under the Diana and set it ablaze.
No one died. It
wasn’t much of a battle, but it was great for Boston’s morale to destroy a
British warship. Lord Percy wrote back
to England “ "The rebels have lately amused themselves with burning
the houses on an island just under the admiral's nose; and a schooner, with our
carriage-guns and some swivels, which he sent to drive them off, [had]
unfortunately [ran] ashore, and the rebels burned her." [The
Boston Harbor Islands: A History of an Urban Wilderness, by David Kales,
The History Press, 2007, page 46]
The guns and supplies from the HMS Diana were used by the Americans at
the Battle of Bunker Hill a few weeks later.
It is always fun to read more about
these little skirmishes, and to find out who was there. In the Chelsea, Massachusetts Historical
Society there were many details about this battle, and also in the book A
Documentary History of Chelsea, by Mellen Chamberlain, Jetty C. Watts,
and William R. Cuttler, published by the Massachusetts Historical Society,
1908. A few years ago, an article in the Boston
Globe got me interested in learning more about the Battle of Noddle’s
Island: “In Chelsea, hunt is on for remains of lost Revolutionary War ship”, by
Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press reporter,
Boston Globe, 20 July 2009 http://articles.boston.com/2009-07-20/news/29261040_1_battle-schooner-ship
Investigating this little story led to
discovering the places, names and stories of many ancestors!
Doncha just love this sort of thing? And to have it near your ancestors' land! How cool is that!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog today. I love it. I was born in Chelsea so clicked on this link. Have you read the Schoolmasters Daughter by John Smolens? There is a chapter on the Hoggs Island escapade during the revolution. Anyway just wanted to say hi
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog today. I love it. I was born in Chelsea so clicked on this link. Have you read the Schoolmasters Daughter by John Smolens? There is a chapter on the Hoggs Island escapade during the revolution. Anyway just wanted to say hi
ReplyDeleteThanks for you kind words about my blog. I have not read the book you mentioned, but it now on my wish list. Thanks for the heads up about the novel!
DeleteNoddle Island has been the catalyst that catapulted our Country into the known world.The secrets and Truths will someday be re-written by Historians.Great men have stood and lived upon its land,including George Washington to Captain Kidd.Noddle Island an outpost for the British who overlooked the Colonists with a Brigade of soldiers in Bellingham Park.Including deals with privateers aka pirates like Captain Kidd.Secrets and Truths known only to those who shook hands.The double cross when he captured a ship from India.The Ultimate Swindle hanging from the rope.
ReplyDeleteNoddle Island Holds so many secrets and truths that someday Historians will have to re-write the historical facts of how our Country truly began.Noddle Island was the catalyst that catapulted our Nation into what she has become today.The Island was in a perfect location for the British to overlook the Colonist including the hiring of privateer's of which one was Captain Kidd Himself.Washington also knew the value of its location after stepping foot on her he ordered it burnt to the ground and then fortified her.( Captain Kidd had a 50-50
ReplyDeleteI'm so passionate about Noddle Island and its History that I didn't even read your Blog and how your ancestry arrived and played such an important part.To say you should be Honored is putting it lightly.I've been researching and reading everything I can find concerning Noddle Island.There are so many things I found that it would amaze most Historians.
ReplyDelete