It was windy in Brooklin yesterday, with gusts exceeding 20 miles per hour down at Naskeag Harbor, shown here with its two “monument flags” being given a workout:
The monument to the Battle of Naskeag that the flags honor did not budge, but the story of that Revolutionary War event continues to evolve. A few residents say that it never happened, but most of us are willing to accept that something with guns happened here in 1778.
Few of us think that a real “battle” took place, however. It was more of a potshot followed by a later game of hide-and-seek between a few fast-retreating Americans and a lot of panting British redcoats.
As the leading story goes, Willie Reed of Brooklin was down in the Harbor in April of 1778 and he saw an enemy (British) barge passing close by. Well, Willie was a crack shot. He fired his musket at the barge and actually killed one of its crew with his first and only ball, according to the story.
The British were not amused. They vowed to come back and teach a lesson to the treasonous inhabitants of Plantation 4, which comprised Brooklin, Brooksville, and Sedgwick. As promised, two British war ships arrived at the Harbor in July and put ashore a party of more than 60 soldiers.
The red-coated British soldiers chased Naskeag’s seven drab American militiamen up and around the peninsula in a running gun battle. There apparently is no record of any American or redcoat being killed, but local farms were torched and Brooklin livestock was slaughtered by the enemy landing party
Why we want to celebrate this is a mystery. Nonetheless, you have to admit that the monument looks good down there. (Brooklin, Maine)