Essex Goes to NRHP for Raid-- Part 2

Essex, Connecticut was attacked by the British because it was a regular hotbed for privateering.. The town, called Pettipaug back then, had lost a lot of trade and commerce because of the British blockade on Long Island Sound and had turned to privateering to make money.

The traditional belief was that when the British attacked, Essex gave up without a fight. For years the town marked the anniversary of the date with a parade on "Loser's Day" as it was referred to, but researchers have now found evidence of intense fighting.

There is also evidence of a shipwrecked privateer which was discovered in the Connecticut River in several feet of water this past September. It is off Watrous Point, a mile south of Essex Harbor. The ship has long since disintegrated, but tell-tale ballast stones have been found.

The National Park Service oversees the American Battlefield Protection Program and expects to rule on the application this spring on the bicentennial of the raid.

--Brock-Perry