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The Battle of Machias (also known as the Battle of the ''Margaretta'') was the second naval engagement of the American Revolutionary War, the Battle off Fairhaven being the first. It took place on June 11–12, 1775, in and around the port of Machias in what is now eastern Maine, and resulted in the capture by Patriot militia of a British schooner. Following the outbreak of the war and the start of the Siege of Boston, British authorities enlisted the assistance of Loyalist merchant Ichabod Jones to assist in the acquisition of needed supplies. Two of Jones' merchant ships arrived in Machias on June 2, accompanied by the British armed sloop ''Margaretta'', commanded by midshipman James Moore. The townspeople, unhappy with Jones' business practices, decided to arrest him, and in the attempt, decided to go after Moore and his ship. Moore was able to escape out of the harbor, but the townspeople seized one of Jones' ships, armed it and a second local ship, and sailed out to meet him. In a short confrontation, they captured Moore's vessel and crew, fatally wounding him in the process. The people of Machias went on to capture additional British ships, and fought off the landing of a large force intended to take control of the town in 1777. Privateers and others operating out of Machias continued to be a thorn in the British Navy's side throughout the war. ==Background== On April 19, 1775, the American Revolutionary War began with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in the British Province of Massachusetts Bay. Following the battle, the militia that had mustered to oppose the British besieged the city of Boston where the British troops were located.〔Leamon, pp. 74–76〕 Boston's British military leaders, Admiral Samuel Graves and General Thomas Gage, both had reason to do business with the people of Machias, a small coastal logging community located in what is now eastern Maine, but was then part of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Gage required lumber to build barracks for additional troops arriving in the besieged city.〔Duncan, p. 209〕 Graves wanted to recover the guns from the wreck of ''HMS Halifax'', which had apparently been intentionally run aground in Machias Bay by a local pilot in February 1775.〔Duncan, p. 208〕 The ship's guns were reported to be of interest to the Patriots of Machias.〔Leamon, p. 67〕 Graves authorized Ichabod Jones, a Tory Machias merchant who had ships in the port of Boston, to take flour and other food supplies to the town of Machias aboard his two ships ''Unity'' and ''Polly'' in exchange for Gage's needed lumber. To guarantee that this would happen, Graves sent the armed schooner ''Margaretta'' (sometimes also spelled ''Margueritta'' or ''Marguerite'' in historical accounts), under the command of James Moore, a midshipman from his flagship ''HMS Preston'', to accompany the two merchant vessels. Moore also carried orders to retrieve what he could from the wreck of the ''Halifax'', which they would pass on the way.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Machias」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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