Fought between May 27 and 28, 1775, on the islands off northeastern Boston, it is also known as the Battle of Noodle’s Island or Battle of Hog Island. It was the American Revolution’s second military action of open warfare within the region; the Battle of Lexington and Concord being the first on April 19th. It is also the first time in the war the rebel colonists used artillery. The clash between British marines and American militia occurred along Chelsea Creek, the surrounding salt marshes, mudflats, and land action on Noodle’s Island.
Since the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the British forces, approximately 6,500 soldiers under General Thomas Gage, were hemmed in on Boston’s Peninsula. Thousands of colonial militiamen had flocked to the Boston area to begin a siege. The knot was tightened as more and more New England militiamen responded to the Provincial legislatures and committees’ cry for more men. What we know as the Battle of Chelsea Creek was instigated by colonists as part of that siege. The Americans resolved to remove all livestock and hay off the northern islands in Boston Harbor before they could fall into British hands.
The action proved a resounded success for the Americans. Not only were the livestock obtained, but colonials held their own when the two sides clashed. To top it off, the British armed schooner, Diana, was destroyed, but not before the cannon and cache of weapons and ammunition were removed. It was a significant boost to colonial morale having fallen just six weeks after the Lexington and Concord Battle forced the British into the city.
British and American Forces
The leader of British Forces in America, Governor General Thomas Gage, was in Boston and was overall commander of all land and sea operations. The British navy was under the command of Vice-Admira Samuel Graves. The Royal Marines of approximately 400 men manned long boats and were commanded by Major John Pitcairn, who answered to Admiral Graves. The armed schooner Diana, under Graves’ nephew, Lt. Thomas Graves, would be sent up Chelsea Creek to cut off an American retreat. The Diane would ultimately be supported by the sloop Britannia, under the command of another one of Graves’ nephews, Lt. John Graves.
The overall commander of American forces besieging the British was General Artemas Ward. Colonel John Nixon of the 6th Massachusetts and 1st New Hampshire Regiment under Colonel John Stark, stationed at Winter Hill with headquarters in Medford, would be tasked to remove and or destroy all hay and livestock from the island region. Stark was a wily and obstinate New Englander. Both Nixon and Stark would be at the Battle of Bunker Hill. It would be Stark’s regiment, among the largest of the American forces, who would stand firm at Bunker Hill and annihilate the British Light Infantry as the redcoats charged. So too a large contingency of troops would be called to support Stark. They would be commanded by Dr. and General Joseph Warren, president of the Provisional Legislature, along with Colonel Israel Putnam, who, because of his actions in the closing bombardment of the operation, would be commissioned general.
Setting the Stage
The American siege blocked land supplies from reaching the Boston Peninsula and the city. Though British shipping was unaffected. Supplies from Nova Scotia, Providence, and England docked at Boston Harbor which remained in British control.
But the British were not cut off entirely from the land. American leaders knew that one land area was still supplying Boston’s needs. Farmers along the coastal mudflats on the mainland and islands to the northeast of the city found themselves in a quandary. If they sold their livestock and farm goods to the British, they would be considered loyalists; which would open them to confiscation of goods which could ultimately include their farms. However, they were vulnerable to England’s sea power. If they refused to supply the British, then they would be branded as rebels and British raiding parties would just take what they wanted, with no compensation and with possible destruction of their farm.
The British navy was active along the coastal area and the harbor islands. They patrolled the islands upon which was not only livestock and hay they intended on purchasing, but also hired out storage facilities that housed naval supplies. Oddly, though gun boats were active in the region, the islands themselves were not protected by land-based troops, either regulars or naval marines.
Prior to Shots Fired
Admiral Graves received intelligence that the Americans were planning to removed livestock off the islands and destroy all the hay and any supplies they came across. To prevent this, he posted long boats that included detachments of marines near Noodle’s Island. For reasons unknown, he did not post guards over the naval supplies on the island, though some historians believe he had done so.
On the evening of May 26th, Colonels Stark and Nixon left camp with approximately three hundred men (though some sources claim it was closer to 500 men). He and his detachment crossed the Mystic River just after midnight on the 27th. This march took them north of Chelsea Creek through Malden and an area that is now the cities of Everett and Revere. At low tide on the morning of the 27th, both Hog Islands and Noodle’s Islands were accessible by foot. The colonial militiamen crossed to Hog Island at around 10 AM without raising the alarm on Graves’ guard boats
On Hog Island, the men were directed to round up all livestock. While that was in effect, Stark, with a small contingency of around thirty men, forded the Crooked Creek to Noddle’s Island. There, the men scattered into small groups. They killed all the animals they could find, as there was no time to herd them and lead them over the mudflats to Hog Island. So too they set fire to the haystacks and barns throughout the island.
Battle
As soon as the marines landed on Noodle’s Island, they formed ranks and began a systematic sweep of the island. Starks men, faced with such overwhelming numbers, quickly retreated to Crooked Creek. Once there, they fell into the marshy ditches and fired at their pursuers. Their position was a strong defensive one and they immediately inflicted casualties on the marines. A heated exchange of fire resulted with the Americans holding firm as they continued to pour shot into the advancing British.
It was not until approximately 2 PM before the British saw the fires on Noodle’s Island and realized the Americans had followed through on their raid. Admir Graves on his flagship HMS Preston signaled for the guard boats to land their marines, numbering 400 men, on Noodle’s Island and attack the raiders. Graves also ordered the schooner Diana, under the command of Lieutenant Thomas Graves, his nephew, to sail up Chelsea Creek to cut off the rebel escape from the islands.
Eventually, the British withdrew to the center of the island to regroup. This left Stark’s men time to cross over to Hog Island where they rejoined the main force. By sundown, hundreds of cattle, sheep, and horses had been driven from Hog Island to the mainland. Because of the shallow water, the Diane had little effect in halting the rebels from completing their assignment. At dusk, when the Diane turned about so to avoid being trapped in the shallow water with change of tide, Lt. Graves realized he would need to be towed free. He signaled Admiral Graves who ordered barges manned by marines to haul the Diana out. So too the sloop Britannia, under another nephew, Lt. John Graves, would assist while providing firepower if the colonials fired upon them.
While Nixon and Stark’s men drove the livestock further up the coast, they noticed that the Diana was struggling. Stark sent a rider for reinforcements. While waiting for reinforcements, Stark’s men began firing upon the British ships. They were answered by the Diana’s guns and marines in the barges. General Israel Putnam answered the call for reinforcements with a large force some sources estimate to be near 1,000 men, along with two field pieces. The newly arrivals set their cannon at the mouth of Chelsea Creek in what is today modern-day Chelsea. They began a continuous fire of the fieldpieces while the barges struggled to tow the Diana to deeper water and safety. When the Britannia arrived, she added her fire power to the cannonade, along with field pieces the marines had landed on Noodle’s Island.
At around 10 PM, the British rowers in the barges were faced with the harsh reality that they could not rescue the Diana due to the heavy fire from the Americans. The barges had to release the sloop which then drifted and ran aground on the Mystic River side of the Chelsea coast. Upon impact, it tipped onto its side leaving any defense of the ship impossible. Lt. Graves abandoned the Diana and his men rowed to the Britannia, which was then towed successfully to deeper water. To save themselves, Lt. Graves had to leave behind all weaponry and many supplies.
The Americans promptly boarded the Diana and quickly stripped the ship of all weaponry, including its cannon. So too anything of value was taken; rigging, sails, crew’s personal effects, money, etc. To prevent the British from reclaiming the ship, it was set ablaze at approximately 3 AM in the morning. The cannon were converted to field pieces. It is not clear if they were used at the Battle of Bunker Hill which at that battle were poorly handled and had no effect on the action’s outcome.
Aftermath
General Gage reported his casualties to London as “Two men killed and a few wounded [the number is believed to be 32 wounded].” Stark reported that there were no fatalities, with four injured. The patriot press grossly exaggerated British loss as from one to two hundred killed. It was received with much hurrah among the rebellious population.
It was considered an American victory by virtue of meeting the goal of denying the British much needed livestock and supplies. The cannon, weapons, and destruction of the Diana was icing on the cake. The land and structures on Noodle’s Island were thoroughly destroyed and were left in ruin for the remainder of the British occupation. But the greatest value obtained by the rebel patriots was the boost in moral. Not just to the militia troops sieging Boston, but to the colonial communities and rebellion. Colonel Israel Putnam was shortly after commissioned a general by the Second Continental Congress, in part due to his reports that detailed his participation in the raid. Dr. and General Joseph Warren would see his last action the following month at the Battle of Bunker Hill, in which he received a bullet to the head as the redoubt was overrun and the patriots retreated.
After this action, General Gage set up a battery of cannon on Copp’s Hill in Boston. Admiral Graves decided to station the HMS Somerset in deeper water, moving it from its previous location in shallow waters between Boston and Charleston. And lastly and belatedly, he sent a detachment of regulars to secure Noodle’s Island. It was a useless act since anything of value had been destroyed by the raiding rebels.
Note: Much of the region the action occurred has now been claimed by Boston’s Land Reclamation; the water gaps between islands filled in resulting in part of East Boston, Chelsea, Winthrop, Revere, and Logan Airport.
