Northeast Coast Campaign (1746)

The Northeast Coast Campaign (1746) was conducted by the Wabanaki Confederacy of Acadia against the New England settlements along the coast of present-day Maine below the Kennebec River, the former border of Acadia. during King George's War from July until September 1746.[2] They attacked English settlements on the coast of present-day Maine between Berwick and St. Georges (Thomaston, Maine), within two months there were 9 raids - every town on the frontier had been attacked.[3] Casco (also known as Falmouth and Portland) was the principal settlement.

Northeast Coast Campaign (1746)
Part of King George's War
Commander Samuel Waldo
Date April – September 1746 Location Berwick, Maine to St. Georges (Thomaston, Maine) Result French and Wabanaki Confederacy victory
Belligerents
New England	French colonists  Wabanaki Confederacy
Commanders and leaders
Commander Samuel Waldo (Falmouth)[1] Captain Jonathan Williamson	unknown
Strength
625	unknown
Casualties and losses
approximately 30 persons killed or captured	unknown

Background

After the two attacks on Annapolis Royal in 1744, Governor William Shirley put a bounty on the Passamaquoddy, Mi’kmaq and Maliseet on Oct 20.[4] The following year, during the Campaign, on August 23, 1745, Shirley declared war against the rest of the Wabanaki Confederacy – the Penobscot and Kennebec tribes.[3] In response to the New England expedition against Louisbourg which finished in June 1745, the Wabanaki retaliated by attacking the New England border.[5] New England braced itself for such an attack by appointing a provisional force of 450 to defend the frontier. After the attacks began they increased the number of soldiers by 175 men.[5] Massachusetts established forts along the border with Acadia: Fort George at Brunswick (1715),[6] St. George's Fort at Thomaston (1720), and Fort Richmond (1721) at Richmond.[7] Fort Frederick was established at Pemaquid (Bristol, Maine).

After the Northeast Coast Campaign (1745), another 200 British troops were sent to the New England/ Acadia border in January and 460 more in the spring.[8]

The campaign

The 1746 campaign started on April 19 when a militia of 10 natives raided Gorhamtown. Gorham had a blockhouse and four families. The natives divided into five parties of two. They then attacked the four families at the same time. Killing a father and four children killed, while taking the mother captive.[9] They took two other fathers prisoner. The men in the blockhouse charged after the natives and one of the militia men was taken captive.

The Confederacy next raided present-day Waldoboro, Maine, burning the village and killing some while taking others into captivity. Some of the villagers fled to Pemaquid and others to St. Georges. People did not return until after the war.[10]

The Confederacy raided Pemaquid, killing cattle.[10]

A militia of 15 native men ambushed 5 people at Sheepscot (present-day Newcastle, Maine), killing one of them. A villager killed one of the natives.[10]

At Wiscasset, Maine, natives killed 19 cattle and took Captain Jonathan Williamson[11] captive for 6 months.[10]

There was a battle near Fort St. Georges at Thomaston where one native was killed and one wounded.[10]

A militia of 30 natives were at Falmouth and North Yarmouth, Maine. They killed two near Long-creek (Stroudwater). The soldiers from New Casco Fort approached, the natives retreated to attack Frost’s garrisoned house at Stroudwater but it was heavily defended. Another blockhouse was built.[10]

At Scarborough, Maine the natives killed a soldier and several others.[10]

Last attack happened on 26 August in the vicinity of Pemaquid, Fort Frederick. Settlers destroyed his cattle and entire habitation, wounding the owner and his son.

Aftermath

In response to these events, Shirley sent more troops and munitions to the Maine frontier over the winter, anticipating the Wabanaki Campaign in the spring of 1747. In response St. Georges was garrisoned with 30 men; 370 put between Berwick and Damariscotta. 150 were detailed as minute-men. Scalp bounties were increased to 250 pounds for scalps taken west of Passamquoddy, 100 for anywhere else.[12]

Notes

1. Folsom, p. 242
2. Scott, Tod (2016). "Mi'kmaw Armed Resistance to British Expansion in Northern New England (1676–1761)". Journal of the Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society. 19: 1–18.
3. Williamson (1832), p. 240.
4. Williamson (1832), pp. 217-218.
5. Williamson (1832), p. 239.
6. Fort George replaced Fort Andros which was built during King William's War (1688).
7. Williamson (1832), pp. 88, 97.
8. Williamson (1832), p. 243.
9. Chadbourne, Ava Harriet (January 29, 1955). "Maine place names and the peopling of its towns". Portland, Me., B. Wheelwright – via Internet Archive.
10. Williamson (1832), p. 245.
11. 1752 - Georgetown region – Charles Cushing is commandant – Capt. Jonathan Williamson of Wiscasst and Capt Nichols from Sheepscot (Newcastle) served under him. (See Sewall, p. 282)
12. Williamson (1832), p. 251.

References

• Clayton, W.W. (1880). History of York County, Maine: with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers. Philadelphia: Everts & Peck.
• Shirley, William (1912). Correspondence of William Shirley: Governor of Massachusetts and Military Commander in America, 1731-1760. New York: Macmillan Co.
• Folsom, George (1830). History of Saco and Biddeford: with Notices of Other Early Settlements, ... Saco: A.C. Putnam. p. 203.
• Willis, William (1865). The History of Portland, from 1632 to 1864: With a Notice of Previous Settlements, Colonial Grants, and Changes of Government in Maine. Portland, Maine: Bailey & Noyes.
• Williamson, William D. (1832). The History of the State of Maine: From Its First Discovery, 1602, to the Separation, A. D. 1820, Inclusive. Vol. II. Hallowell, Maine: Glazier, Masters & Company.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Johnson, Michael; Smith, Jonathan (2006). Indian Tribes of the New England Frontier. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-937-0. OCLC 255490222.

See also

• Military history of Nova Scotia
• Northeast Coast Campaign (1703)
• Northeast Coast Campaign (1723)