Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1920-06-24
Maine Romance
and History of
Past 100 Years

along the shores of Casco bay on ter
ritory now within the limits of Bruins
wick and Cape Elizabeth.
First Chartered City.
In. 1641 occurred another notable
event in the history Of America, when
Sir Ferdinando Gorges established the
first chartered city in the United States
under the name Of Gorgeana. This is
now the town Of York.
The year ITS was q memorable one
in the annals of Maine. In June the
first naval battle of the Revolutionary
war, the first naval engagement Of the
present United States and the first
time the British flag was struck to
Americans on land or sea, occurred
off Machias, Maine, when the British
warship Margaretta was captured by
the American ship Unity. The latter
was commanded by Capt. jeremiah
O'Brien Of Machias, often called "the
father Of the American navy" and
for his notable achievement he was
given vote Of thanks by congress.
Another historic event of the year
was the march of Benedict Arnold and
his army across Maine in an attempt
to capture the city Of Quebec.
Falmouth, now the city Of Portland,
also was bombarded and destroyed In
1775 by British fleet under MOwatt.
In 1779 Castine. whose career forms
one of the most romantic pages in
American history. was captured by the
British. and 1t was in this engagement
that the famous Sir John Moore. the
subject of that Immortal poem, The
Burial Of Sir John Moore, received
his baptism OF fire. In that battle
Paul Revere, who only few years
before had made his memorable ride.
led the Massachusetts, detachment OF
troops. E
In 1903 Commodore Edward Preble.
of Portland commanded the American
squadron at Tripoli which defeated
the Barbary pirates, and upon his re-
turn to the United States was received
with great distinction and given a
vote of thanks and awarded medal
by congress.
any Lost Youth"
Hundreds of thousands have read
Longfellow's immortal poem my Lost
Youth" In which he describes his na-
tive city of Portland, and in which he
has made famous the naval battle be-
tween the American warship Enter
prise and the British warship Boxer
fought off the eastern end Of Casco
bay. In this bloody engagement the
captains of the two ships were killed
in action and both were buried In the
old Eastern cemetery at Portland,
their graves, side by side, being Wis
tied annually by tourists from every
section of the world.
The year 1914 was another notable
one In the history Of the state. Dur
ing 1t the present city of Eastport was
captured by the British and held as
q part of Canadian territory for about
four years. The second capture Of
Castine by the British also occurred,
and a day or two later was fought the
remarkable battle Of Hampden, much
overlooked by historians, and In which
both American and British soldiers
were killed. and the present cities of
Bangor and Belfast captured.
On March Is, 1920, Maine officially
became a separate state of the Union.
up to this time it having been q part
Of Massachusetts and known as the
district Of Maine.
In 1889 occurred one Of the most
notable events in the history OF the
United States and in which Maine
was the great factor around which
revolved the, principal Incidents. This
was the ArO6stook war which threat
ened hostilities between Great Britain
and the United States. Large num-
bers of troops were raised and i'm
mense sums of money appropriated
by both nations for the expected con-
flict, the commanding officer for the
United States being the renowned Gen.
Winfield Scott. Actual bloodshed was
averted, however, and the cause of
all the trouble, the northeastern bound
ary Of Maine, was adjusted by a trea-
ty negotiated by Daniel Webster, Sec
retary of state, and Lord Ashburton,
pritoip
Maine was the pioneer which blazed
the path of national prohibition when