Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1883-12-27
The British Occupation of Penobsoot Dur
ing the Revolution.

last week.
| The investment of Penobscot, now Cas-
tine. during the war of the revolution the
successful defense of the place during pro-
tracted siege against the stringent forces
which could be brought against it, and its
uninterrupted retention by the enemy for
over four years, until after such retention
| had formed the subject of many vexed ques-
| tons Of diplomacy and constituted the last
,estige Of British authority in the old thir-
/ teen colonies, form one of the most inter
estng passages in our history. The COM
mander of the armed vessels who warded off
the attack was Capt. Henry Mowatt; of the
land forces, Gen. Francis Mclean. \ very
interesting sketch was given of Henry Mo
watt, Of whom the writer said. '.he was
born IN Scotland, 1874. was the son Of Capt
Patrick Mowatt of II. NJ, ship Dolphin
When made a lieutenant his certificate said
The produceth journals kept BY himself in
the Chesterfield and Ramellier and can
splice, knot. reef sail and do the duty of
an able seaman" In 1904 he was promoted
to a commander and served in the Canceau
twelve wears. He was forty lone years old
at the destruction of Falmouth. His next
ship was the Albany. flagship of the squad
ron on the Penobscot. After thirty years
service on our coast he died Of apoplexy
April IA, l19S. on his ship the Assistance,
near Cape Henry. and he was inferred at
Hampton. Va. He left a son. A short
time before bis death he nrot, a Relation
Of the services in which | was engaged in
America from l.j9 10 the close of the
American war in l7S3" Ii wa, probably
I
exhaustive search in the British Museum,
The principal British Libraries. and adyer-
ti>emrnts with liberal rewards attached. Its
discovery would she'd much light on our
levo.u'lrnaIy history, including the disman-
Ting of Fort pownai. soon after the battle
Of Banker Hi the reasons which induced
the occupation Of pcnob>cot. and whether
be inStigated tn" destruction Of Falmouth
OF obcyed The commands Of a superior Off
Ger. Incident, that have been preserved
concerning Capt. Mowlit seem to indicate
that hr was not the brutal, ignorant man he
Is generally believed 10 have been
H. return to the SUBJECT, Apprchen>.ve
Of a second attack. Gen. Mclean Ahor.d
increasingly after the siege was raised 10
complete Fort George. named after George
Ill The men !lbored night and day and
by December the works We're IN good state
Of defence The men were wcl FED aud
well housed. IN >trikin. contrast ID the con
GIcon If the American arm, al NurrI>,uwn.
>hNeru- IN the cold At one time an url>r
hld NJ e issued that on., twn-thirI, allow
aimee ot rum ana butter could ~ furnished
the soldiers until Al arrt,a. from Halifax.
l. became necessary. Later 10 limit the sale
Mi 4.s.i ,'T !
seA >pr.,Go.> liquors - .1n-c,mmi 5 !onei
itI-tt> aud prINatc>. The writer says
This vas ,ae fir, Name l.w. and Doubt
.eeN mnre practically enforce. than It, ru-
mcr .H, successors have been" The otfi cr,
Of the garrison were men Of education and
rei.cmen,. Mclean va. a man IF noble
,Y.l 4. cno. audi determined, ami beloved y,
t.e Inhabitants tat I'd, klYIne>, III their IL.
t'a>>. N.tcr f." months b. vent 20 II al
fan. ana died there in l7>l COL Campbell.
Pr Successor. ~a- violent. Impulsi,e man.
Gen Nal>wuirA Speak, II tA. Co.one.',
treatment u him while Ne wa i prisoner.
iH iar -ae>, terms. Anon. A5, "a III ,r,
Ne, Cant CrHs, ait.sAlrl> Sir Jane,
tgsi-. 1t,raur VI Canada. l.,, Moore the
c.,'rA'e! S.r ,aH Moore. mmort...zcl IN
WOES L.A4'tg lines. d. john CAT. Il
r-W n. ms surgeon and cU4a.a.4 Tie
-i'a aai - Il,.hA.!.r, t,rm-l ,4.' II
Ri. GARRISON. ..-r>,r.. Ia ta.r national p.>.
t..r- | .r winter II l7Np na, - c,-.. TIE,
P,Au'>c MAS frozen >nhl % ~, ul-...,..
uII t4r -1rfi> D bc-u..,t. th,. time i.rl4ti.,
III ..n..u- anl oiArr >pos, nA..e ,hu, III
from iht pIr-I1or aor.d NA>>ar .4>,.i,.
Ge-.r'l> ., ,.nii tt!an. KEEP, o-.tl,lu. N We
mrui> '.t' htP' ti.r -a.ll,,u constantly ru
'Ar I.er'. ln! Their plcAct-EGa-. eHv,r)ac,i
ta" whole pea.H>Ia. II April. l7>b. Mas
>1c..a>et'. 'l.t! - ct Washington t. sud
ar EXPEDITION against the place, hat Hr DEM
ur,'r4trl p tae cJIu'rN'e tiRlnc.4. coalition
~ .'ni .t,!ctH!.'N Iuc EIyA. ..rc- pp iAe
Ftnpo,.'' wa> constantly oaltg.l-. and tie
raids :'- ?.-nirr aul t. clp'Irc prominent
mrn mai, NJ, AIrbur a hu,N >crlr
II July, 1850. Gen. Ch4lle, Cusa.ng Of
Pa@Ha.turu, mad his chamber entered At
n.sat, and hc Mas seized, h.s wife being to d
Il So raised aa alarm, She should be >cl.p.d
by tile Indian, with the party A, sheriff he
had become obnoxious TO the Tories After
a short time h Was liberated. Gen MAIDS
worlds capture AMI escape nre historical
Capt. Dau!cl Sullivan, a brother Of Gen
John Sullivan. had h., House entered one
stormy might by party from M,wa;t, ship
tue Allegiance, and he vas carried of HI,
Elu~e va, tirri. III wouldn't tAke the oath
%. allegiance and MAS sent to iiaiit4X, then
go Ne" York and confined on the Jersey
h4.k NJ. -lN n 1n'h, an! died on h,> way
tome after exchange. Almost ALI the /. ;
t.rI!y deeds the Tories were resp Jn,!b.. ion.
They acted H. guides 10 seize Gushing and
WaIsworth. IN 1850, TO show the rigor Of
military discipline. the British comnlanaant
allowed astronomers from Harvard College
TO land on Long Island, lev niles from
Penoh>eot and remain two DAYS, - take OBJ
seINa,lon> pt an eclipse Of the ! N. In the
same year the French frigate Herman. Capt.
la Iranche. dlringlv entered the harbor
and made plan Of the fort without a sho,
\ being exchanged. In 1872 Commodore
Y Prehle mace brilliant raid at night and in
the face Of a furious cannonade. cut out a
. priya,eer.
j very interesting sketch Of the proposed
province Of New Ireland was given. Il
J va, intended to have is bounds from the
Penobscot to the ST. Croix, was to have its
\ parliament, its great landlords and tenantr,
its preierment, 10 office BY its governor. is
established chIrch, all like monarchical
country, and loyalists focked to the new
\ province. The king and cabinet approved
4 the constitution August 10 and IL 1850.
I but the Attorney General prevented the
carrying out Of the plan by an opinion that
Massachusetts extended to the boundaries
Of Nova Scotia, and the chartered rights
| would not allow such step Peace was
| deferred for the very reason that England
/ claimed or maintained the view that the
4 boundaries of Massachusetts extended only
to the Penobscot, in order to secure a home
/ for the Tories, but John Adams wouldn't
/ yield an inch, as number of extracts, given
4 by Mr.. Williamson, showed
Even after peace was declared the people
in Massachusetts couldn't wait for the treaty
to be signed. They begged that "yiperine
nest" on the Penobscot might be broken up,
and they circulated numberless pamphlets
on the subject. In the winter of 1888 an
address was forwarded to Washington by
the Massachusetts Legislature begging him
to the army to dislodge the enemy and
his firm and dgnifed reply, written on his
5lst birthday was given, showing the mad
visibility Of the request being granted