Fort Richmond (Maine)

Fort Richmond was a British colonial fort near present-day Richmond Village, Maine.

Fort Richmond, Maine
Commander William Lithgow (judge)

History

The Pejepscot Proprietors and the Massachusetts Bay Colony built the fort in around 1720 on the western bank of the Kennebec River in response to Indian raids which eventually led to Dummer's War.[1] Named for Ludovic Stewart, 1st Duke of Richmond, the fort included a blockhouse, trading post, chapel, officers' and soldiers' quarters, all surrounded by a palisade.[2]

Captain Joseph Heath (military officer), Edward Shove, John Oulton, Captain Jabez Bradbury,[3] Captain John Minot and Captain Joseph Bane (Bean)[4][5] were the commanders of the fort.[6][7] William Lithgow (judge) and Arthur Noble were also commanders of the fort by 1746. (Lithgow married Noble's daughter.)[8][9]

Arthur Noble, Georgetown, Maine

During Father Rale's War, following the battle at Fort Menaskoux, Arrowsic, Maine, Fort Richmond was attacked in a 3-hour siege by warriors from Norridgewock (1722). Houses were burned and cattle slain, but the fort held. Brunswick and other settlements near the mouth of the Kennebec were destroyed. The defense was enlarged in 1723 during Father Rale's War. On August 19, 1724, a militia of 208 soldiers departed Fort Richmond under command of captains Jeremiah Moulton and Johnson Harmon, traveled up the Kennebec in 17 whaleboats, and sacked Norridgewock, killing Sébastien Rale.

Fort Richmond would be rebuilt in 1740.

William Lithgow (judge) was put in command from 1746 to 1754.[10] In 1748, natives took Frances Noble captive close to Fort Richmond. Frances Noble wrote her captivity narrative.[11][12]

The fort was attacked by another tribe at Swan Island in 1750.[13][14]

The fort was dismantled in 1755 when forts Shirley (also called Fort Frankfort located close to Richmond at present-day Dresden, Maine),[15] Western and Halifax were built upriver.[2][16]

Commanding Officers

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References

Endnotes

  1. Henry O. Thayer, "Fort Richmond, Maine" in Collections and Proceedings of the Maine Historical Society (Portland, 1894), 2nd ser., 5:135.
  2. Coolidge, Austin J.; John B. Mansfield (1859). A History and Description of New England. Boston, Massachusetts: A.J. Coolidge. pp. 281–282. coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
  3. "Bradbury memorial. Records of some of the descendants of Thomas Bradbury, of Agamenticus (York) in 1634, and of Salisbury, Mass. in 1638, with a brief sketch of the Bradburys of England. Comp. chiefly from the collections of the late John Merrill Bradbury, of Ipswich, Mass". archive.org. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  4. Coleman, E.L. (1926). New England Captives Carried to Canada Between 1677 and 1760 During the French and Indian Wars: Volume 1 ONLY. Heritage Books. p. 378. ISBN 9780788445897. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  5. Bane spent many years in captivity after being taken during the raid on York (1692) (See Williamson, p.664
  6. Maine Historical Society (1892). Collections and Proceedings of the Maine Historical Society. The Society. p. 94. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  7. Williamson, W.D. (1839). The history of the state of Maine: from its first discovery, A. D. 1602, to the separation, A. D. 1820, inclusive. Glazier, Masters & Smith. p. 154. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  8. "The New York genealogical and biographical record". archive.org. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  9. "The New York genealogical and biographical record". archive.org. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  10. Goold, W. (1881). Col. Arthur Noble, of Georgetown. Fort Halifax. Col. William Vaughan, of Matinicus and Damariscotta: Papers Read Before the Main Historical Society. S. Berry. p. 206. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  11. Drake, S.G. (1841). Tragedies of the wilderness, or True and authentic narratives of captives who have been carried away by the Indians from the various frontier settlements of the United States, from the earliest to the present time... p. 166. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  12. "Collections of the Maine Historical Society". archive.org. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  13. "Collections of the Maine Historical Society". archive.org. p. 187. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  14. "Collections, Historical and Miscellaneous and Monthly Literary Journal". archive.org. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  15. SEWALL, R.K. (1859). ANCIENT DOMINIONS OF MAINE. Elisha Clark & Company. p. 282. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  16. "Collections of the Maine Historical Society | Raid of 1750". archive.org. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  17. Bane spent many years in captivity after being taken during the raid on York (1692) (See Williamson, p.664

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