Celebrations of the United States’ 250th birthday have already started to gear up in North Carolina, with an event recognizing the Halifax Resolves occurring just last month in Halifax County.
While no major Revolutionary War battles happened in this corner of North Carolina (in fact very few happened in the state at all), there were still plenty of smaller interesting occurrences during America’s struggle for independence, many of which shed light on the region’s maritime heritage.
In 1781, as the War for Independence was approaching its conclusion, Edenton remained a relatively important port town for North Carolina. Throughout the war, the town had been able to avoid most of the conflict — until the end of that May.
On May 27, 1781, galleys — a type of ship usually propelled by oars —belonging to Loyalists attacked warehouses in Edenton’s port and seized three merchant ships. The merchant ships were owned by George Kelley, William Littlejohn and Robert Smith, all prominent members of the community, and citizens were quick to respond to the attack.
That same night, a group took a canoe out on the water to reclaim the ships from the Loyalists. They quickly recaptured the ship that belonged to Smith, but the rescue of Littlejohn’s ship did not go so smoothly. The attempt to secure the second ship ended with it in flames as the rescuers retreated, abandoning the vessel to sink into Edenton’s harbor.
In the chaos of the situation, many of the Loyalists, who started the chain of events by attacking the port, were able to escape from the harbor in their galleys. Not wanting to let them away so easily, the townspeople quickly outfitted and launched a small fleet of boats on May 29 to chase after the Loyalist galleys.
On June 6, 1781, after a small battle, the General Arnold, one of the galleys, surrendered to the forces from Edenton. The galley had been captained by a man named Michael Quinn, who had briefly served in the Continental Army before switching sides.
Fear of a British reprisal following the events drove away business and few merchants made their way in and out of the port. At the end of the war, the port was mostly deserted save for a few merchant vessels that had been abandoned there.
In 2001, the East Carolina University Maritime Studies Program excavated the Burroughs’ Site in Edenton’s harbor. By examining the shipwreck, archaeologists were able to determine that it was likely the remnants of an ocean-going merchant vessel, possibly one of the ships abandoned in the harbor following the skirmishes of late May and early June 1781. Further study of the wreck also provided insight into the differences between American and British ship construction and a better understanding of how colonial ship construction evolved from British tradition.
To learn more about North Carolina’s role in the American Revolution as well as ships and shipbuilding in the 18th century, please visit the Museum of the Albemarle, which is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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