Privateer Hyder Ally-- Part 4: The First Capture Is then Lost

Near the Cape of Good Hope, the Hyder Ally was chased all day by a British  East India Company sloop of war, but escaped under cover of darkness.  After rounding the cape, she captured an East Indian merchant ship with a valuable cargo.

Thorndike sent it off with a prize crew to Portland.  This prize never made it home as it was captured off Cape Elizabeth by the British privateer Tom.

That this prize was captured there is no big surprise because the coast of Maine was virtually under siege by the British for most of 1813 and 1814.  Maine had begun fortifying its coast as a result.

In Portland, the militia had built a defensive earthwork they named Fort Burrows, after the captain of the USS Enterprise in the famed battle.  Other batteries were around as well.  Also, out toward the harbors entrance, there were Fort Preble at Spring Point and Fort Scammel on House Island.  Both of these were built in 1809.

--Brock-Perry

Henry A.S. Dearborn-- Part 2: Built Forts, Commanded Militia, Military Societies

Obviously, he must have learned some military engineering from his father, Secretary of War Henry Dearborn, as he oversaw the construction of Fort Preble and Fort Scammel in Portland Harbor (Maine).  During the War of 1812, he commanded volunteers manning the defenses of Boston Harbor.

He was promoted to brigadier general in the Massachusetts Militia in 1814.  Also serving as adjutant general of the Massachusetts Militia from 1834 to 1843 with the rank of major general.

In 1816, he was elected captain of the Ancient and Honorable  Artillery Company of Massachusetts  In 1832, after his father's death (Henry Dearborn was an officer in the American Revolution), he was admitted to the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati.  This organization is made up of those who were officers during the Revolution and their descendants.

He eventually became the first  president general of the organization who was not a veteran of the Revolution.  As president he had the Society change its rules to where other descendants

--Brock-Perry

Fort Preble, Portland, Maine-- Part 2

Fort Preble was a star-shaped fort made of stone, brick and sod and mounted 14 heavy cannons.

It was built to accompany Fort Scammell on House Island to protect Portland in case the United States got drawn into the Napoleonic Wars.

In 1808, Sec, of War Dearborn ordered the regiment of Light Artillery to occupy the fort and enforce the U.S. Embargo Act which was a move to hurt France and England for their actions against U.S. shipping.

Various units manned the fort during the War of 1812 including the Regiment of Light Artillery, the 21st, 33rd and 34th Regiments of U.S. Infantry and the U.S. volunteers.  In times of crisis, local militia was also called out.

When Winfield Scott and other Americans were released from prison in Quebec, they landed at Fort Preble.  Many were starving and ill and some died at the post hospital.

Two new batteries were added around 1845.

From 1848-1849 and 1851-1853, Fort Preble was commanded by Captain Robert Anderson who gained much recognition at the start of the Civil War with his defense of Fort Sumter.

I will write about the fort's Civil War and subsequent service in my naval Civil War blog.

--Brock-Perry

Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn

The man who built the original Fort Scammell in Portland Harbor.

From Wikipedia.

(1783-1851)

American lawyer, author, statesman and soldier.

He was the son of Secretary or War and major general Henry Dearborn and named for his father's friend Alexander Scammell (American revolution, died at Yorktown).

In 1808 he oversaw the construction of Fort Preble and Fort Scammell in Portland, Maine.

During the War of 1812, he commanded volunteers in the Boston Harbor defensive works.

He later replaced his father as as Collector at the Port of Boston and served in that capacity from 1813-1829.  promoted to brigadier general in the Massachusetts Militia in 1817.

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort Scammell-- Part 2

Fort Scammell was built of stone, brick and earth and initially mounted 15 guns and a 10-inch mortar.  It was a semi-circular battery of masonry with a wooden blockhouse protecting the rear and mounting six guns.

In the 1840s, as part of the national third system of fortifications, it was modernized by extending its walls to anchor a larger area.  Thomas Lincoln Casey, an Army engineer known for his work on the Washington monument, completely rebuilt the fort in 1862 during the Civil War.

It was not rearmed during the Spanish-American War

Two emplacements for anti-aircraft guns were added in 1917.

The island became an immigrant quarantine station in 1907 and operated as such until 1937 when it was considered the "Ellis Island of the North."

--Brock-Perry

Historic Fort Scammell-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Yesterday I wrote about part of House Island in Portland Harbor coming up for sale.  The island contains Fort Scammell, a work dating to before the War of 1812.  It was the only American fort in what is today Maine, to exchange gunfire with British forces during the War of 1812.

It was built by Henry A.S. Dearborn, an officer in the Massachusetts militia and future general in 1808 as part of the national second system of fortifications.  The fort received its name from Alexander Scammell, adjutant-general in the Continental Army during the American Revolution who was killed at the Battle of Yorktown.

Fort Scammel was designed for the defense of Portland Harbor as was nearby Fort Preble.

The spelling of the name of the fort can vary by source.

Of interest, the S. in the fort's builder's name was Scammell.

--Brock-Perry

Half of Historic House Island Back on the Market

From the August 31, 2015, Portland (Maine) Press-Herald byWhit Richardson.

The fort on the island exchanged gunfire with British privateers during the War of 1812.

A portion of the prominent island in Casco Bay is back on the market after being bought ten months ago after a Florida real estate developer purchased it.  Asking price for the 13 acres is $6.9 million and includes three renovated cottages and a new boat dock.  It had been purchased in October for $2.2 million.  Good profit if you can make it.

Fort Scammell was built in 1808 on the island's southern tip and was the only fort on Maine's coast to see action during the War of 1812.

During the 1800s it was owned by two Portland fishing families to cut, salt and dry fish, mostly cod.

In 1905, the government bought the island for use as an immigrant station.

--Brock-Perry