The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-11-07
AIDED The REVOLT
The Destruction Of Portland, Me-,
In Colonial Days.
ACT OF AN ENGLISH OFFICER.

humiliation of the City and Saved
Portsmouth, N. H., For Which Port
lands Fate Had Been Planned.
One of the causes Of the Revolution
AIRY war. and quite as important one
as the stamp act, was the wanton de-
struction Of the city of Portland, Me-,
then part of the town Of Falmouth.
1t was said that the patriots might
have forgiven Lexington and Concord,
but that the razing of this town, which
had been peaceably inclined until then,
incensed the colonies beyond measure.
One prompt result was the immediate
formation Of Maine regiment which
was added to the meager forces of the
Continental army.
Not SO generally known however, Is
the tradition that it was due to the.
Vaccinations of a beautiful woman
that Portland was destroyed and an
other town preserved.
When the British commander, Cap
tain Mowatt. on board his flagship, the
Canceau, anchored with his feet In
Portland's inner harbor, he did not re-
veal to her citizens that the unscrupu-
lous little god of love had been his
pilot Instead, on a bright October
morning In 1775, he ran up the royal
ensign on his feet and at o'clock
began bombardment that lasted IN
interruptedly until o'clock at night
Portland was unprepared for such
visitation, and there was no attempt
at defense, the inhabitants simply
swarming the streets with their OK
carts and horses and attempting to
seek safety by flight to the open coun-
try back from the water front
So close did the assailing vessels ap-
proach thai under cover of the bonn
bardment they landed sailors who per
vaded the town, setting fire to such
buildings as had escaped damage from
Captain Mowatt had completed the sac
rifice he desired to lay before loves
shrine three-quarters Of the town was
totally destroyed. including the mu-
nicipal buildings. churches, public L.
brary, fire engine houses. warehouses,
wharfs and shipping.
All that he left was a handful OF the
poorer novels, every residence of i'm
portance being bombarded or set on
fire and 5000 inha bitants left shell
terless at the approach Of winter
To make 1t practically certain that aid
could not come to the seaport by wa
ter he destroyed all but one wharf and
took with him on his departure all the
vessels anchored in the harbor that
had been spared from the torch.
Truly he had a glorious bonfire and
In explanation he exhibited instruc-
lions which read: "Come opposite the
town with all possible expedition, and
there burn. sink and destroy" but the
gossips of the time said that these or
ders originally related to Portsmouth.
N. H., and that it was due to a woman
that they were not carried out as writ.
ten
Captain Mowatt and his feet had
anchored off Portsmouth harbor some
time previously to his assault upon
Portland. and while there he had gone
quietly on shore and secretly visited
ebC AAAbAy vi tue IOtdilSI tOT 4OIY. IN
the colonists called them, Nathaniel
Sparbawk. Nathaniel had daughter,
a girl of eighteen. famed the country
round for her beauty as her father was
famed for his obnoxious loyalty to
King George, and when the sailor cap
tain saw her he proved an easy con-
quest like most sailors where pretty
rrrrxrro a. 4
1t necessary to be rowed from his SHY
many times in order to spend the even
ings with attractive Mary Sparhawk.
Her wit beauty and brilliancy o.
conversation fascinated him and
through her influence. it is said. ii
intention Of bombarding Portsmouth
was abandoned, and Portland suffered
In the stead Of the town which held
the charming little loyalist
So what one historian termed "a
wanton, indefensible assault upon an
undefended and peaceful city" came
about through woman's smile, and
every volley from, the fifty guns of
Mowatt's feet doubtless carried his
thoughts back to the lass who had won
his heart. The smoldering wharfs and
the flaming houses were his burnt of
fer1ng to his ladyove.
The Sparhawk house. where the cap
tain lost his heart still stands; but,
alas, the romance ended as so many
romances do. for after the Revolution
was over the fair and fascinating belle
married a physician and a patriot
Detroit Free Press.