The Raid on Yarmouth took place on 5 December 1775 during the American Revolutionary War. The raid involved American Privateers from Salem, Massachusetts attacking Yarmouth, Nova Scotia at Cape Forchu. The privateers intended to stop the export of supplies being sent from Nova Scotia to the loyalists in Boston. Naval Documents of the American Revolution, Vol. 3, p. 109p.1281

Background During the American Revolution, Americans regularly attacked Nova Scotia by land and sea. American privateers devastated the maritime economy by raiding many of the coastal communities,Benjamin Franklin also engaged France in the war, which meant that many of the privateers were also from France. such as the numerous raids on Liverpool and on Annapolis Royal.Roger Marsters (2004). Bold Privateers: Terror, Plunder and Profit on Canada's Atlantic Coast, p. 87-89 Sent to join Captain Jeremiah O'Brien in the Bay of Fundy, five vessels left Salem for Nova Scotia. The schooners took four prizes in the Bay of Fundy and sent three to Salem. Two of the schooners went to Yarmouth. One of these schooners had prisoner Acting-Governor Phillips Callbeck, having been captured in the Raid on Charlottetown (1775).p. 109, note 2

Battle

On December 5, 1775 at 10:00 in the morning two American Privateers (80 men each) from Salem, each armed with eight Carriage guns and 16 swivels, landed at Yarmouth. Naval Records of the American Revolution, Vol. 3, p. 3 The crew had fire locks, pistols and cutlasses. They overwhelmed the local militia and imprisoned all the officers. Under threat of death, the inhabitants of the town watched as the privateers pillaged their town. As a result, 82 inhabitants of Yarmouth signed a petition to Governor Legge to either withdraw to Halifax or New England or be able to remain neutral in the conflict, which was quickly rejected by Richard Bulkeley. Naval Records of the American Revolution, Vol. 3, p. 121

Aftermath

American privateers remained a threat to Nova Scotian ports for the rest of the war. The attacks put an end to the trade relations between Nova Scotia and New England.p. 5 For example, after a failed attempt to raid Chester, Nova Scotia, American privateers struck again in the Raid on Lunenburg in 1782.

See also

Military history of Nova Scotia

References