Eastport fell under British control in 1814 and was then attached to Canada for four years. Not that it went quite that easily.
As the conventional story proclaims, Captain John “commanded the first militia company organized in Eastport, his uniform consisting of an old Continental three-cornered hat, and he wore an old sword. His company was made up largely of veteran soldiers of the revolution, a wild set of fellows whom their captain found it difficult to control.”
More descriptively, in William Henry Kilby’s history volume, as Shackford’s grandson Samuel contended, “His men were of a sturdy, wild set of fellows, who appeared to think that the first duty of a soldier on training days was to drink toddy; and their captain had a hard enough time to control them. Many of them, having served half-clothed and half-fed in the Continental Army, doubtless felt that they had earned the right to an occasional frolic.”
I won’t question his sources, but he neglects to mention that Fort Sullivan and its commanding officer surrendered without firing a shot, as did Castine, Machias, and a fourth Downeast town. Still, continuing the Shackford account,
“When the British fleet captured the island and the commodore came on shore to take possession of the island, Captain Shackford met him at the shore, carrying a goad stick in his hand,” not the old sword, mind you, “and addressed him thus: ‘Well, sir! What brought you here? I am King of this island, and these are my subjects. If you behave yourself, you can come on shore. If not, you had better be gone.’ The commodore politely assured him that he had called on business, and trusted that he should conduct himself in a manner becoming a gentleman and to the satisfaction of his Majesty.”
Goad stick? Like for cattle? Captain John apparently had a flair for drama, as the next incident illustrates.
“After the English had taken possession of the town, all of the inhabitants were ordered to swear fidelity to the King, or leave the town and have their property confiscated. But the old soldier, when summoned to appear and take the oath, replied to the officer that he had fought under General Washington; that he might take four horses and draw him in quarters, but never would he swear allegiance to the King of England. It was probably on account of his eccentricity and boldness that the old gentleman was excused from taking the oath and allowed to retain his property.”
Follow that? Who would you nominate to portray Captain John in the movie? And, for that matter, the Brit? It’s still a great scene.
Beyond that, Lorenzo Sabine, editor of the Eastport Sentinel, later contended, “No privateer was owned here,” though Eastport was subject to heavy privateering (state-sanctioned piracy) during the War of 1812. The British cruiser Breame took prize of the Delesdernier with master John Shackford junior and Samuel Wheeler, an owner on board as a passenger. They paid ransom for their property and were released.
Another ship, commanded by Captain John’s son William and sailing from Eastport in early 1812 with a cargo of rice and flour, was captured 25 miles from the port of Cadiz, Spain, by three French privateers. He and his mate and cook were left destitute.
Another prize was a chebacco boat with Captain John’s sons Samuel and Jacob Shackford, who paid a stipulated sum and were given up. The chebacco design, by the way, was a little two-masted boat, popular among New England’s inshore fishery, originating during the Revolutionary War. They were built by the hundreds and averaged from 24 to 48 feet in length, had two masts and no bowsprit. They were usually a flush-deck vessel with several cockpits, or “standing rooms” in which the fishermen stood to fish. A middle hatch gave access to the fish hold. They were also almost always built near the dwelling of the builder and sometimes no more than a few yards from the front door. Shackford Cove, then?
The third time John junior was taken prisoner was when the Delesdernier was captured off Cape Ann, Massachusetts. He and companion brother Samuel were taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he was left without a hat and, one dollar excepted, entirely destitute in the streets.
Captain John’s son-in-law Darius Pearce/Pierce, in command of the schooner Sally, better known as Old Sal, was taken by the frigate Spartan and taken to St. John, New Brunswick.
Quite simply, the War of 1812 hit the Shackford family heavily. At one time, John and Samuel Shackford and Darius Pierce were all held captive by Lieutenant Blythe, who then released them.
All of it, of course, has relevance on the house we bought, as you’ll see.
Jnana's Red Barn 