The fleet was guided up the stream by a Tory pilot, and encountered no
resistance until it reached the highlands of Cape Jellison, when a
volley of musketry was discharged by a little band of Maine patriots,
killing a number of sailors and soldiers who had been occupying
conspicuous positions on the decks. The British replied with broadsides
of grape-shot, riddling every house within striking distance, and
silencing the flint-locks. But the incident had maddened the commander
of the English squadron, and he gave orders to his gunners to take a
shot at everything on shore as they proceeded. As a result many houses
were struck and one cow was killed; the inhabitants, warned of the
approaching fleet, having retired inland out of range.
Thus the Britishers had it all their own way until they came to a point
called the Narrows, about a mile below Bucksport. Tall bluffs rise on
both sides of the river here, and on the crest of one old David Grant
lived in his little house with his wife. Grant was too old to go to the
war, but he was not too old to resist the invaders. As soon as he saw
the masts of the hostile ships coming around the bend, he got out his
muskets and took up a good position in front of his house with a firm
rest to aim on. From his point of vantage he could command the decks of
the ships as they passed, and as soon as they came within gunshot he
began to blaze away with his old shooting-irons, aiming at the officers
who were gathered on the sterns of their vessels.
His wife stood by his side and loaded the guns as fast as she could. At
the third shot fired by the old man, the defenders of the hill-top saw
the man at the wheel of the foremost vessel throw up his hands and fall
backward. Immediately the war-ship swung its nose around to the tide,
and would have run ashore if the order had not been given to drop
anchor. Grant had badly wounded the Tory, and the second vessel in the
line had to take the lead of the fleet with a resident of the locality
who sympathized with the British for pilot. During all this
manoeuvring, old David Grant was pouring buck-shot and bullets upon
the ships, and both he and his wife shook their fists in defiance at the
surprised Englishmen.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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