My first time out on the water with cataract-free eyes coincided with the 250th anniversary of the Arnold Expedition's disembarking from Newburyport, Massachusetts enroute to the Kennebec River in present-day Maine.
Yesterday morning, September 19th, I paddled over from my encampment at Salisbury Beach State Reservation to Newburyport's Old Waterfront, specifically Tracy's Wharf...
...which is said to have been "Base for American Privateers and British prizes captured during the Revolutionary War".
On this day back in 1775, a fleet of 11 vessels described by expedition member Sgt. John Pierce as "Brigs, Sloops, and Schooners" sat at dock. Onboard were 1100 soldiers and officers of the Arnold Expedition hoping to use the element of surprise to reach and hopefully capture Quebec City. Col. Benedict Arnold was awaiting word from 3 vessels he'd sent out on September 16th to scout coastal waters for British "men of war or cruisers". Once Arnold was told "the coast is quite clear", the mission got underway. The fleet had been assembled by Newburyport's Nathaniel Tracy at the request of George Washington for what Washington called "a secret expedition".
Thanks to Kenneth Roberts' book March to Quebec, which includes first-hand journal entries by several participants, the names of 9 vessels were preserved: the Abigail named by Capt. Simeon Thayer, the Betsey on which Sgt. Pierce was aboard, the Britannia with Maj. Return J. Meigs aboard, the Broad Bay (lead vessel) with Arnold and, according to Dr. Isaac Senter in addition to himself, included "Mr. Spring, the Chaplain, and a number of other gentlemen, several of which were volunteers of distinction", the Conway mentioned by Capt. Simeon Thayer, the Eagle mentioned by Arnold, the Hannah with Ephraim Squier onboard, the Houghton mentioned by Arnold, and the Swallow mentioned by many as having run aground before getting out of the river.
Some ship captains mentioned by Arnold were: Capt. James Clarkson on the Broad Bay, Capt. Somersby on the Houghton, and Capt. Maby on the Eagle.
On the Sunday before their departure a special service was held at the Old South Presbyterian Church...
...where the expedition's chaplain, Rev. Samuel Spring, is said to have given an inspiring sermon.
According to the History of Newburyport, Mass 1764-1905 by John James Currier, one soldier, 22 year old Joseph Ware wrote: "Early this morning weighed anchor with a pleasant gale, our colors flying, drums and fifes a playing, and the hills all around covered with pretty girls weeping for their departed swains."
This 1830 map found on the Norman B. Leventhal Map and Education Center shows the approximate route the vessels followed for 3 miles to reach the open ocean beyond the "bar"...
All but the Swallow made it out of the river without incident. With the Swallow having run aground, men had to be transferred to other vessels. Eventually a rising tide helped to re-float the Swallow and it later caught up to the fleet. It took the fleet 4 days to travel the approximately 130 miles to their destination on the Kennebec River, near present-day Gardiner, ME.
After pushing away from Tracy's Wharf in Newburyport I had this view toward the ocean...
Like Joseph Ware, I also had a "pleasant gale" as I passed the Salisbury Harbormaster's dock...
Further along on the Newburyport Waterfront are the range lights installed in 1873 to help guide mariners entering the river (photo taken on 9/18)...
About a mile and a half from the river's mouth I waved goodbye to the fleet as they sailed out and over the bar...
The day before (9/18) I ventured a little closer to the river's mouth by the "Butler Toothpick"...
...where I reflected on the tragedy which occurred here last month when a 47 ft power boat "The Great White" capsized while trying to exit the river through rough seas related to Hurricane Erin. One of the two men onboard did not survive.
While on land in Newburyport and Newbury I visited several locations where officers and soldiers found meals and lodging:
The encampment at Newbury's Upper Common described below...
The home of Nathaniel Tracy where officers such as Maj. Return J. Meigs reporting having dined on Sunday 9/17...
Today it's the Library...
Nearby is the home of Tristram Dalton where Maj. Meigs reported having dined Monday 9/18...
George Washington, himself, would later be entertained in this house...
Another stop in Newburyport was the Maritime Museum in the Custom House building...
...where a second floor room is devoted to the Arnold Expedition.
Behind the Maritime Museum is a full-sized Batteau...
...
...which is representative of the vessels the expedition transitioned to upon their arrival near Gardiner, Maine.
On the website The American Revolution.org I came across this detailed description of Arnold's small army by John Codman author of Arnold's Expedition to Quebec published in 1901: "The detachment, as a whole, was of the very flower of the colonial youth, young men of a spirit not easily to be restrained by their elders, when parental warnings of the fatigues and perils to be encountered only served to fire with more ardent yearnings for a share in the glory of success. Two hundred and fifty came from Rhode Island, one hundred from Connecticut, four hundred from Massachusetts, including the District of Maine, one hundred from New Hampshire, two hundred from Pennsylvania, one hundred from Virginia, and a few volunteers from New Jersey. Even at that time America was glad to accept the aid of the sons of Erin, and there were in the little army nearly two hundred "emigrants" - fully a sixth of the detachment - from the old country, a large majority of whom were from Ireland."
While the mission ultimately didn't succeed in capturing Quebec City, and many men perished, the expedition is still considered an admirable endeavor.
No trash was encountered on the water. Stopping to stretch my legs on an island upriver from the Route 1 bridge resulted in this rounded-up assortment of flotsam...
Greatly enjoyed 2 nights camping at the Salisbury Beach State Reservation Campground where the sound of breaking waves was easy to go to sleep to.
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