Little Brewster Island, and the lighthouse located there, had been occupied by the British since 1774. After Bunker Hill it was decided that the lighthouse should be darkened so that the British would not be able to use it to support the blockade of the harbor. The colonists thus staged two raids on the island targeting the lighthouse within a two-week span.
The first raid took place on July 20. Colonists lead by Major Joseph Vose traveled to the island in whaleboats and were able to burn the wooden parts of the lighthouse and make a successful escape back to the mainland.
The British began repairing the lighthouse, with a detachment of Marines there to guard it. George Washington then ordered a second raid to destroy the repairs and either kill or capture all British present on the island. Major Benjamin Tupper led 300 men in whaleboats to the island on July 31. The colonists were able to destroy the repairs, and were also successful in killing or capturing all of the British guards present on the island. A brief engagement with British reinforcements ended when canon fire from nearby Nantasket Head (now the town of Hull) destroyed a British ship, causing them to retreat.
Casualties (second raid)
Colonists: 2 killed
British: 43 killed or captured on the island, unknown number in naval engagement
Result
American victory
Aftermath
The lighthouse was severely damaged, requiring about four months of repairs before it was usable again. Tupper and his men received commendations from Washington, while Vose was soon promoted to Colonel.
The HMS Falcon, commanded by British Captain John Linzee, first appeared off Ipswich Bay on August 5. He sent a group of 50 men ashore in West Gloucester to take sheep from Major Coffin’s farm. Coffin anticipated something like this and had gathered several men behind the dunes of the beach and all of them fired on the British, forcing them to retreat.
On August 8 or 9, Linzee went after two American schooners that were on their way to Salem. One was captured quickly and the second made its way into Gloucester Harbor and grounded itself there as the Falcon gave chase. Linzee’s attempt to take the second schooner resulted in a constant barrage of gunfire from the militia gathered onshore, and he was ultimately forced to retreat aboard the Falcon having lost both schooners and several of the Falcon’s small boats.
Casualties
Colonists: 2 killed, 1 wounded
British: 1 killed, 4 wounded, 24 captured
Result
American victory
Aftermath
The actions of the militia in Gloucester in resisting the British, along with similar such actions in other attempted raids, would later lead to reprisals against some coastal communities in New England.
Due in large part to its close proximity to Bunker Hill, Washington ordered Ploughed Hill in Charlestown (now Mount Benedict in Somerville) to be fortified. About 3400 men lead by General John Sullivan fortified the hill on the night of August 26.
On the following day, the fortifications were subject to a near-constant barrage of canon fire from British forces on Bunker Hill and two floating batteries in the Mystic River that lasted for most of the day. Unable to fully respond to the barrage due to low supplies of ammunition, the Colonists fired only one shot with cannon and successfully sunk one floating battery while the other ceased firing.
Casualties
Colonists: 4 killed, 2 “by their own folly” according to Washington
British: unknown
Result
American victory
Aftermath
The British regularly bombarded the fortifications on Ploughed Hill until September 10; the hill supposedly received more fire than any of the other forts in the area with more than three hundred shells falling in the first few days. The Colonists were able to maintain a strategic advantage by holding the hill for the duration of the siege.
In retaliation for the raids against British ships along the coast of New England, including the taking of the Margaretta in Machias, Captain Henry Mowat was ordered by Vice Admiral Samuel Graves to suppress rebellion on the coast and to “lay waste burn and destroy such Sea Port towns as are accessible to His Majesty’s ships.” Because of his temporary capture there the previous May during Thompson’s War, Mowat chose to attack Falmouth (now Portland, Maine) first.
Mowat led six ships of the British fleet to Falmouth, where he sent a notice ashore that he was there to "execute a just punishment" and gave the people two hours to evacuate. After a delegation from the town asked for mercy and were told that they would be spared only if they swore allegiance to the king and surrendered their weapons and ammunition, the people evacuated the town.
Incendiary cannonballs fired from the fleet set fire to most of the buildings, while a landing party sent by Mowat set fire to any buildings that had escaped the flames caused by the volleys. The barrage began shortly before 10AM and lasted for most of the day.
Casualties
Colonists: Unknown
British: Unknown, at least 1 wounded and 1 killed
Result
Technical British victory
Aftermath
Over 400 buildings were destroyed, leaving over 1,000 people homeless. It was not until well after the war ended that the town was able to fully rebuild itself. The cruelty of the raid was emphasized by Colonial propagandists and the incident was used to whip up even more support for their cause, and the Massachusetts Provincial Congress issued letters of marque to privateers, allowing them to take action against the British Navy.
Graves’ superior, Lord George Germain, relieved Graves of his command shortly after the incident due to his inability to suppress naval rebellion, and Mowat’s military career never fully recovered. The burning of Falmouth was called “absurd” and “barbaric” by French foreign secretary Charles Gravier, who had been keeping a close eye on the situation in the Colonies.