As dawn broke over Machias Bay, Maine, on June 12, 1775, 32 men – armed with guns, swords, axes and pitchforks and led by a revolutionary firebrand named Jeremiah O’Brien – brought their commandeered sloop Unity quietly around the lee side of Round Island.
Their target, the British armed schooner Margaretta, immediately attempted to fire on the unarmed Unity, but Unity was too close. O’Brien commanded his crew to ram the British ship, boarding and engaging in hand-to-hand combat. By the end of an hour, the British captain was mortally wounded and the British ship had surrendered. READ MORE.
