Key Facts
- Date
- June 11–12, 1775
- British vessel captured
- HMS Margaretta
- British commander fate
- Midshipman James Moore fatally wounded
- Colonial ships used
- 2 (one seized from Jones, one local)
- Also known as
- Battle of the Margaretta
Strategic Narrative Overview
Townspeople arrested Ichabod Jones and attempted to seize Midshipman Moore, who escaped to his vessel. The colonists then commandeered one of Jones' merchant ships, armed it alongside a second local vessel, and pursued the Margaretta into open water. In the ensuing short but sharp engagement on June 11–12, Moore was fatally wounded during the fight, and HMS Margaretta, along with her crew, was captured by the colonial forces.
01 / The Origins
Following the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in 1775, British authorities needed to supply troops besieged in Boston. Loyalist merchant Ichabod Jones was enlisted to deliver provisions via two merchant ships to Machias, Maine, escorted by the armed British sloop HMS Margaretta under Midshipman James Moore. The townspeople of Machias, already hostile to British authority, strongly opposed Jones' mission and the presence of a Royal Navy vessel in their harbor.
03 / The Outcome
The colonial victory secured HMS Margaretta as a prize and demonstrated that organized local resistance could challenge Royal Navy vessels. The people of Machias subsequently captured additional British ships and repelled a larger British retaliatory force in a 1777 engagement. Privateers and colonial fighters operating from Machias continued offensive operations against British maritime targets for the remainder of the war.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
James Moore (Midshipman), Ichabod Jones (Loyalist merchant).
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.