Battle of Chelsea Creek

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Chelsea Creek
partof=the American Revolutionary War


caption=Map of the battle location. Chelsea Creek separated the islands from Chelsea on the mainland to the north. The schooner Diana is represented by the burning vessel labeled "16". It was in Chelsea Creek during the battle and was never at the location indicated. It burned north of the boat labeled "Ferry Boat."
date=May 27 – May 28, 1775
place=Suffolk County, Massachusetts
result=Colonial victory
combatant2=

combatant1=
flagicon|UK|1606|size=65px
Kingdom of Great Britain
commander2=John Stark Israel Putnam
commander1=Samuel Graves Thomas Graves
strength2=300–600 in initial force to Hog Island (Stark). 300 additional reinforcements during the course of the battle (Putnam). These are rough estimates.
strength1=Several hundred Royal Marines (Samuel Graves). 30 on the "Diana" (Thomas Graves). These are rough estimates.
casualties2=none killed,
3 wounded
casualties1=2 killed,
several wounded,
Armed schooner "Diana" destroyed|

The Battle of Chelsea Creek was the second military engagement of the Boston campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It is also known as the Battle of Noddle's Island, Battle of Hog Island and the Battle of the Chelsea Estuary. This battle was fought on May 27 and May 28, 1775 near Boston on Chelsea Creek and on nearby salt marshes, mudflats, and islands of Boston Harbor. Most of these areas have since been united with the mainland by land reclamation and are now part of East Boston, Chelsea, and Revere. The British colonists met their goal of strengthening the siege of Boston by removing the British regular's livestock resources on the islands. The British armed schooner Diana was also destroyed and its weaponry was appropriated by the Colonial side. This was the first naval capture of the war.

Background

The Battle of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 drew thousands of militia forces from throughout New England to the land surrounding Boston. These men remained in the area and their numbers grew, placing the British in Boston under siege. The British were surrounded on land to the north, west, and south, but they were still able to sail in supplies from Nova Scotia, Providence, and other places because the harbor side of the city remained open.McKay, Robert D."The Battle of Chelsea Creek: An account of the second engagement of the American Revolution, May 27, 1775." (1928) Chelsea Evening Record.] Colonial forces could do little to stop these shipments due to the naval supremacy of the British fleet and the complete absence of a Continental Navy in the spring of 1775. However, there was one remaining local area that continued to supply the forces in Boston after the war began.

Farmers to the east of the city in coastal areas and on the Boston Harbor islands found themselves vulnerable after April 19 because they were still in the British sphere of influence due to their geographic location. If they continued to sell livestock to the regulars then they would be compromised in the eyes of their Colonial countrymen, but if they refused to sell then the British would consider them rebels and raiding parties would simply take what they wanted. On May 14, the Massachusetts Committee of Safety under Joseph Warren issued the following order:

The Orient Heights neighborhood of East Boston is the present location of Hog Island. Much of the remainder of East Boston is the present location of Noddle's Island.

A few days before the battle, Warren and General Artemas Ward, commander of the forces participating the siege, inspected Noddle's Island and Hog Island. They found no British troops there but plenty of livestock. The animals in other coastal areas had been moved inland by their owners. ]

The British Navy around occupied Boston was under the command of Vice Admiral Samuel Graves. The Royal Marines were under the command of Major John Pitcairn. The British forces as a whole were led by Governor General Thomas Gage.

Prelude to Battle

The "regiment now at Medford" mentioned by the Committee of Safety was Colonel John Stark's 1st New Hampshire Regiment stationed near Winter Hill with its headquarters in Medford. Stark's forces included about 300 New Hampshire men from his own regiment and an unknown number from towns near Boston. ] [http://www.olgp.net/chs/war/second.htm Chelsea Historical Society] "Accessed August 15, 2007"]

Taking his instructions from General Ward, Stark's expedition crossed the bridge over the Mystic River just after midnight on May 27. Their route took them far to the north of Chelsea Creek through Malden and parts of what are now the towns of Everett and Revere. Additional local men most likely joined them during their march. Hog Island was accessible at low tide from the east by fording Belle Isle Creek near the current location of Belle Isle Marsh Reservation. Stark was notified by a farmer near this crossing that about 50 marines had been placed on Noddle's Island in recent days. Stark began to move his force to Hog Island at about 10 am and directed most of his men to round up livestock there while he forded Crooked Creek to Noddle's Island with a group of thirty men. Stark's small contingent on Noddle's Island scattered into small groups, killed the animals they could find, and set fire to haystacks and barns. ]

Battle

Islands

The Royal Marines quartered on Noddle's Island were surprised by the raiding party and pursued the scattered Colonial forces. Vice-Admiral Graves on his flagship, "HMS Preston" saw smoke from the burning hay at about 2 pm ] . Graves signaled for additional marines to land on Noddle's island. This combined force of roughly 400 marines formed ranks and began to systematically drive Stark's men back to the east. The colonists fled without fighting until they reached Crooked Creek. Then they dropped into marshy ditches and fired on their pursuers from strong defensive positions. ] A pitched battle followed.

Graves also ordered the schooner "Diana" and sloop "Britannia", tender of "HMS Somerset", up Chelsea Creek. Both vessels were commanded by Vice-Admiral Graves's nephews. Lieutenant Thomas Graves commanded "Diana," and his brother Lieutenant John Graves commanded "Britannia". They were accompanied by eight barges of Royal Marines to cut off the American retreat.

During the battle on the islands, the British marines fired from dry land on Noddle's Island, but the colonial militia were well protected in their wet ditches. All 3 casualties on the Colonial side occurred during this late afternoon exchange. Soon "Diana" appeared in Chelsea Creek to the north and fired its cannon on Stark's men, but this naval attack had no impact. The Marines withdrew from their positions to the interior of Noddle's Island, and Stark's men left Crooked Creek to join the main body of his forces on Hog Island. "Diana" and the other vessels continued northeast up Chelsea Creek in pursuit. By sunset, hundreds of cattle, sheep, and horses had been driven from Hog Island to the mainland. ]

Mainland coast

Some of Stark's men drove the animals off the islands and up the coast, but most of them fired on the barges to prevent the Marines from landing on the mainland. A few of the New Englanders had little more than their heads above water as they fired on the vessels. "Diana" and "Britannia" sailed far inland to shallow waters to support the barges with cannon fire. ]

The tactical situation changed dramatically just before 7 pm. ] The winds and current changed, and the schooner and sloop both ran aground. Rowers in the barges were now forced to tow "Diana" and "Britannia" to safety instead of landing to cut off the rebels and livestock. Under heavy fire from the shore, the rowers managed to pull the vessels southwest downstream to a region of the creek bordered by swamps. This provided a brief respite from colonial fire. Then they emerged from this swampy area and entered the populated region of coastline near Winnisimet. ] This is presently the Chelsea neighborhood near the McArdle bridge at the mouth of Chelsea Creek.

Much of Stark's force walked around the swamp to Winnisimet and greeted the vessels with gunfire from the Chelsea shore. They were joined at 9 pm by about 300 reinforcements with 2 cannon under the command of General Israel Putnam. The colonial forces were now formally under Putnam's command. Joseph Warren joined Putnam as a volunteer private soldier. At about 10 pm, the British rowers were forced to abandon the rescue of "Diana" due to heavy fire from the shore. The schooner drifted and ran aground again on the Mystic River side of the Winnisimet coast. "Britannia" was successfully towed to deeper water. ]

As the tide ebbed, the schooner's situation grew more perilous. Putnam waded out into the harbor up to his waist and offered "good quarter" to the sailors of "Diana" if they would surrender, but its cannon continued to fire. The schooner rolled onto its side due to the lowering tide, but the crew continued to fire cannon even when they were unable to stand on its deck. The British abandoned "Diana" soon after midnight on May 28. They fled to "Britannia" which was pulled to safety. American forces boarded "Diana" and rapidly removed everything of value, including guns, rigging, sails, clothing, and money. They laid hay under the stern to serve as kindling, and the vessel was set on fire at about 3 am to prevent it from falling back into British hands. Iron from the schooner was collected and turned over to the armorer of the Committee of Safety. ]

References