Page 26. MAINE COASTAL NEWS November 2016 Continued from Page 25.


HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Bangor Daily Commercial - Early 1900s services.


The Battle at Sea.


the harbor, and to destroy the uncompleted gunboats, moored at Franklin wharf. “On the way up the harbor two


Falmouth fi shermen, Albert P. Bibber and Elbridge Titcomb, who were engaged in hauling their trawls near Damariscove Island, were captured by Read, intending using them as pilots, but they refused to serve and were confi ned below. At sunrise the ARCHER anchored near Pomery’s rock in Portland harbor. “Between one and two o’clock in


the morning the crew of the ARCHER approached the CALEB CUSHING in small boats with muffl ed oars. The cutter was heavily armed and well provisioned and was under orders to cruise in search of the TACONY, but on account of the death of her commander, Capt. Geo. Clark, she was delayed until the arrival of a new commander, and was in charge of Lieut. Davenport. Read and his companions boarded each side of the cutter. The rebels were heavily armed and in short order, they seized and ironed the watch. “Lieut. Davenport was aroused by


the scuffl ing on deck and as he made his appearance he too was seized, together with the crew, about 20 in number, all of whom were ironed and placed below. The rebels then clipped the cutter’s cable and at about 3 o’clock she was towed out of the harbor by placing two boats ahead, proceeding seaward by way of Hussey’s sound to avoid the ARCHER which sent a boat to her containing Bibber who was placed on board. Reed passed out to sea, in the passage between Cow Island and Hog, now Diamond Island, and headed at once for Green Island. “At 10 o’clock that morning the cutter


was about 15 miles from the city, becalmed. The seizure of the cutter was made known, between 7 and 8 when she was discovered from the Portland observatory proceeding outward. Hon. Jedediah Jewett, collector of the port of Portland, at once chartered the steamer FOREST CITY, Capt. J. F. Liscomb, and a smaller steamer named the CASCO, and the tug TIGER, to follow in pursuit. A detachment of about 30 men from the 17th U. S. Infantry at Fort Preble was placed on board the FOREST CITY, besides two rifl ed 12-pounders with ammunition. About 100 citizen volunteers, went on board. “The steamer was in charge of the


deputy collector of the fort, assisted by Lieutenant Merriman, who had arrived that morning to take command of the cutter. A detachment from the Seventh Maine


volunteers under Adj. A. A. Nickerson, now a resident of Portland, was placed on board the TIGER. “The steamer CHESAPEAKE, was


chartered by Hon. Jacob McLellan; mayor of Portland, and J. B. Brown, Esq. and was also at once made ready for the pursuit. “Bales of cotton were so arranged as to


aff ord protection to those on her deck as well as to her engines. “Two six-pounders were placed


forward in charge of Lieut. George Waldron, of the revenue service, and George Barry, a U. S. naval engineer. J. L. Gardiner, who had seen service under Admiral Farragut, and John C. Camber of Co. B, seventh regiment, an old man-of-war’s man, were given charge of the larboard and starboard guns respectively. William Bigelow and William Turnbull, two volunteers, were also designed as assistant gunners. Col. Mason of the 7th


regiment, Maine volunteer, with


a detachment of 27 men from the same regiment under command of Capt. Henry Warren, also went on board, together with a number of citizens who volunteered their


“Arms, ammunition and provisions


for 48 hours, were supplied by order of the mayor.


“The FOREST CITY, left Fort Preble 11


o’clock followed shortly by the tug TIGER. “The cutter was seen heading southeast.


When the FOREST CITY came within range, Lieut. Read opened on her with one round of cartridge from his 32-pounder amidships, but with no eff ect. He also fi red several shots from his 24-pound howitzer forward, but these shots fell wide of the mark. The FOREST CITY laid to, waiting for the CHESAPEAKE to come up. “After the fi rst shot from the cutter, the CHESAPEAKE headed for the cutter in an attempt to run her down. “After several shots from the cutter,


the CHESAPEAKE responded from her larboard gun. It was a beautiful line shot, but fell short. “The FOREST CITY now moved


toward the CHESAPEAKE and after a hasty consultation among the offi cers it was decided that the CHESAPEAKE, a propeller boat, should run the cutter down. The CHESAPEAKE under a full head of steam, headed for the cutter. Cheers were sent up from the FOREST CITY and the CHESAPEAKE. “The CHESAPEAKE hastened onward


and when within about two miles of the enemy, it was noticed that the cutter lowered a boat load of men, and preparations were made to receive them. “Another shot was fired at the CHESAPEAKE about this time, but all to no eff ect. “As the boat neared the steamer it


was found to contain Lieut. Davenport and the cutter’s crew, who had been set adrift with their irons on. The men were taken on board the steamer and placed below, when presently another shot from the cutter went shrieking through the rigging of the CHESAPEAKE, but with slight damage. “About this time the rebels abandoned


on cutter, after having set her on fi re. “The CHESAPEAKE within half a mile


of the cutter, but not deeming it prudent to approach nearer as it was known that the fi re was directly over the magazine, she stood away in close proximity. The FOREST CITY pursued the boat load of rebels who were making for the Harpswell shore. The rebels were taken prisoners without resistance and Mr. Bibber who had been set adrift in his boat by the rebels on the cutter was also picked up. About 2 o’clock the cutter’s magazine, containing 400 pounds of powder, exploded with a terrifi c concussion and with the fate of the CALEB CUSHING decided, the steamer returned to the city. “On the way in, the ARCHER, with


the remaining three of the TACONY’s crew, and Titcomb, the captured fi sherman, was caught by the FOREST CITY while trying to escape, and taken in tow. The rebel prisoners numbering 23, were landed at Fort Preble, where they were placed in close confi nement. The brilliant achievement of the expedition was honored by the ringing of bells and the fi ring of cannon.” The records of the adjutant general of , 1863, a note was


Maine show that on July 3rd


received from Hon. S. P. Chase, secretary of the treasury to Collector Jedediah Jewett, in which he returns thanks for the prompt measures to capture the rebel crew and for the crew of the cutter. The note also extended thanks to Col. Mason and the volunteers under his command, and to the commander of Fort Preble, and to the offi cers of the steamers employed. At a meeting of the Portland city government July 6, a resolution


of thanks passed both boards extending thanks to all who rendered services. Thos. Heff ron’s Account.


Thomas Heff ron of St. John Street, this


city, was a petty offi cer on the CUSHING at the time of her capture by the rebels in Portland Harbor, June 1863, and he relates a thrilling account of the surprise and capture of the crew. Mr. Heff ron returned from the front


early in May having served an enlistment in the 10th


Maine regiment. About the 15th of


May he joined he revenue cutter service and as he had had several year’s experience in the British Navy was readily picked out as one qualifi ed to fi ll a petty offi ce from the start. Speaking of the capture of the CUSHING, Mr. Heff ron has this to say: “The cutter lay at anchor the Friday


night that she was captured. The fi rst watch was on shore, while I was on the starboard watch as petty captain of the foretop. “It was about 1 o’clock Saturday of June and our cutter


morning, the 27th


was laying at Custom House wharf. Capt. George Clark of the cutter had died on Monday and was buried on Friday, so one watch was left on board the cutter while the other watch went on shore to attend the funeral. A day or so before the cutter had gone to the Cape shore where we took on a supply of ammunition. On the return of the port watch, it was our intention to get under sail in pursuit of the rebel vessels then in the vicinity intending to damage the shipping at this port. “It was about 1 o’clock on the morning of June, 1863, that we were


of the 27th


captured by the rebel forces under Lieut. Read. The rebels stole into the harbor in two boats and approached the cutter with muffl ed oars. At 12 o’clock I was on deck and placed a watch fore and aft. I then went below and with the other offi cers and men went to sleep soundly. “The boats containing Lieut. Read and


his men came along to the ship’s side of the cutter and they were promptly challenged. The boats pulled off and back again and suddenly the rebels were seen by the watch scrambling onto the deck of the Cutter. The men on watch were so terror stricken that they did not have sense enough to sound an alarm. In a few seconds I had learned of the presence of the rebels on board and so hastened to arouse the other men so that we could make good our escape. “I succeeded in crawling up through a


scuttle in the cook’s galley and it was my intention to climb onto the bulwarks and jump overboard and swim a distance of about 200 yards to where the U. S. government lighthouse steamer was anchored and tell them of our plight so that they could come to our assistance. “As I appeared on deck a rebel offi cer


grabbed me and held me in a vice-like grip. We had a hand to hand encounter in which I received a wound in my left leg caused by a thrust from the offi cer’s cutlass. I was thoroughly aroused by this time, and very indignant. Turning on the offi cer I said: ‘I wish I could have you in my grasp for about ten minutes and I would blow you to Hell.’ The offi cer did not seem particularly disturbed by this threat, but instead told me that he thought I was game to the end. I reminded the offi cer that I was game and would hang out and if ever there came a chance I would get square with him. “Before the starboard watch could


assemble on the deck they had been seized by the (?) offi cers and placed in irons. “At daylight on the morning of the the steamer FOREST CITY of the


27th


Boston & Portland Steamship Co., and the CHESAPEAKE of the Maine Steamship


Co., with volunteers from among the citizens, boarded these steamers and they put out toward the open sea to head off the cutter, which had been taken out by the rebel offi cers. “The handful of the cutter’s crew on


board at the time of the capture were placed in irons as soon as possible and the rebel crew took possession. I was trembling for fear the rebels would set the cutter on fi re and then abandon the craft which would mean certain death for us either from the fi re or the explosion of the powder magazine. One of the fi rst questions that I was asked by the rebels was about the location of the powder magazine. I knew at once what that meant and so I gave an evasive answer. I told the offi cers that I had only been on board a few days and all the magazine that I had seen were two shots that were lying on deck which I pointed out to him. The rebels then demanded of Lieut. Davenport that he tell where the magazine was located. Lieut. Davenport came to me as I had the key to the magazine and asked me to surrender the key. I told the lieutenant that it meant certain death to us if the rebels ever got at the powder magazine. I told Lieut. Davenport to keep cool and I would work things all right. “Lieut. Read came to me again, and told


me that he was going to blow us up. I asked how he proposed to do it, considering that he had nothing on board to do it with. The lieutenant reminded me that his boats were nearby with a supply of powder. The rebels then built a fi re forward and aft on the cutter. They then launched the cutter’s long both and we were set adrift in our boat. “When our crew were handcuff ed the


rebels shackled me to Jim Bush, a negro who served as waiter to Lieut. Davenport. The rebels did not make a good job of handcuffi ng Bush and me and as soon as we had got away from the cutter I released myself from the negro and commenced the work of liberating my comrades. With our freedom we were not long in getting our oars in place and heading toward the CHESAPEAKE which was by this time not far from us, in her pursuit of the rebels. “As we neared the steamer CHARLES


KNAPP the U. S. shipping commissioner at this port who was on the CHEASPEAKE fi red on us but failed of his mark. Mr. Knapp as did many others on the steamer, thought we were rebels and had it not been for Maj. John M. Gould and a few others on board the CHESAPEAKE, with recognized some of the cutter’s crew and knew that we were neither rebels nor deserters we might have died from bullet wounds infl icted by our own citizens. We were subsequently taken on board the steamer. The CHEASPEAKE followed the cutter for a distance when the latter was seen to blow up. “The steamer CHESAPEAKE then


headed for the city while the FOREST CITY pursued the rebels who had taken to their own boats before the cutter blew up. The rebels were taken prisoners, and the cutters’ crew were held in the county jail from Saturday noon until Monday morning when the aff air was investigated and we were readily acquitted and discharged. Not long after this I re-enlisted, this time going out in the 19th


Maine regiment. This in brief is what


I recollect incident to the capture of the cutter CUSHING. A few days after the capture of the CUSHING I had been honorably discharged from the revenue cutter service, and had returned to the infantry branch of the government service, making a service in the two arms of the government service of the three years and ten months.”


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