The Burning of Falmouth, which occurred on October 18, 1775, stands as a stark example of the Royal Navy's punitive actions against American colonial towns during the early American Revolutionary War. This event, targeting the town now known as Portland, Maine, was not merely a military engagement but a deliberate act of destruction aimed at quashing Patriot support. The day unfolded with a series of ultimatums, failed negotiations, and ultimately,
a devastating naval bombardment that left much of the town in ruins, forever altering its landscape and the lives of its inhabitants.
The Ultimatum and Failed Resolution
Captain Henry Mowat, commanding a British fleet, arrived in Falmouth harbor on October 16, 1775. Having previously been in Falmouth during Thompson's War in May 1775, Mowat was familiar with the area and the local Patriot activities. His instructions from Admiral Graves were to "lay waste burn and destroy such Sea Port towns as are accessible to His Majesty's ships." On October 17, after maneuvering his ships closer to the town, Mowat issued a proclamation, accusing the inhabitants of "unpardonable Rebellion" and giving them two hours to evacuate.
In a desperate attempt to avert disaster, a deputation from Falmouth, including Dr. Nathaniel Coffin, pleaded with Mowat. He offered a conditional cessation of hostilities: the townspeople must swear an oath of allegiance to King George and surrender all their small arms, powder, and gun carriages. While the townspeople began to evacuate, they did not swear the oath, and only a small number of muskets were surrendered, with no gun carriages. This refusal to fully comply sealed Falmouth's fate, as Mowat's deadline approached without a resolution satisfactory to the British.
The Devastating Bombardment
Mowat's deadline for the town's response was 9 am on October 18. By 9:40 am, with no further compliance from the townspeople and the town appearing deserted, Mowat signaled the attack by raising a red flag on the masthead of HMS Canceaux. The British fleet immediately commenced firing, unleashing a relentless barrage on Falmouth. The bombardment included incendiary cannonballs, which quickly ignited the harbor installations and spread to most of the town's houses and public buildings.
Eyewitness accounts describe the intensity of the attack. One report noted, "The firing began from all vessels with all possible briskness, discharging on all parts of the town… a horrible shower of balls from three to nine pounds weight, bombs, carcasses, live shells, grapeshot and musketballs." The bombardment continued with little interruption until six o'clock in the evening, lasting for nine hours. During this period, an estimated 3,000 projectiles were fired at Falmouth, averaging one every eleven seconds, illustrating the sheer volume and destructive power unleashed upon the town.
Completing the Destruction and Aftermath
When the naval bombardment alone proved insufficient to achieve Mowat's objective of complete destruction, he dispatched a landing party ashore. Their mission was to set fire to any buildings that had managed to survive the initial cannonade. The town militia, largely preoccupied with ensuring the safety of their families, offered little significant resistance to the landing party. Despite this, some British marines in the landing party were reportedly killed or wounded during their operations.
By evening, Captain Mowat reported that "the body of the town was in one flame." The combined efforts of the naval bombardment and the landing party ensured that Falmouth was largely reduced to ashes. This act of destruction served as a stark warning to other colonial ports, demonstrating the British resolve to punish any support for the Patriot cause. The Burning of Falmouth remains a significant, albeit tragic, event in the history of the American Revolution, highlighting the brutal realities of the conflict for civilian populations.
