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Chelsea Creek – First Naval Engagement of the American Revolution Chelsea, East Boston, Revere, and Winthrop Suffolk County, Massachusetts

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Chelsea Creek – First Naval Engagement of the American Revolution Chelsea, East Boston, Revere, and Winthrop Suffolk County, Massachusetts NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AMERICAN BATTLEFIELD PROTECTION PROGRAM GRANT AGREEMENT No. GA-2255-09-018 CHELSEA CREEK – FIRST NAVAL ENGAGEMENT OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION CHELSEA, EAST BOSTON, REVERE, AND WINTHROP SUFFOLK COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS BY VICTOR T. MASTONE MASSACHUSETTS BOARD OF UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS CRAIG BROWN DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AT BOSTON CHRISTOPHER MAIO DEPARTMENT OF EARTH, ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCEAN SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AT BOSTON FINAL TECHNICAL REPORT (ARPA 1979, Section 470hh - deletions) DECEMBER 2011 For future copies: Kristen L. McMasters Government Technical Representative DOI - National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program 1201 Eye Street NW (2255) 6th floor Washington, DC 20005 This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The report authors would like to thank a number of individuals and organizations for their assistance and support in our undertaking of this study. Colleague William ―Bill‖ Stokinger suggested this battle might be a good candidate for an ABPP grant, encouraged our application, and shared his vast local knowledge and insight. The staff of the Massachusetts Historical Commission encouraged us to tell this story. The National Park Service‘s American Battlefield Protection Program provided not only the funding for this study, but through Kristin McMasters, invaluable advice and guidance throughout the course of this project. Match and administrative support for this project was provided through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM), and the Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources (BUAR). The University of Massachusetts at Boston served as a willing partner in this project. Dr. Stephen Mrozowski and the Department of Anthropology‘s Historical Archaeology Program provided guidance on the historical research methods as well as identified study co-author, Craig Brown. Similarly, Dr. Allen Gontz and the Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Science Department, long-time collaborators with BUAR, provided guidance on GIS methods as well as identified study co-author Christopher Maio as our GIS lead; Allen continues to encourage us to share the study methods and results through presentation and publications. In conducting the historical research, special recognition is extended to staffs of the New Hampshire Historical Society and The National Archives of England. Their prompt replies and expertise were instrumental in bringing this phase of research to a successful conclusion. Additionally, Anthony Adamsky assisted in canvassing southern New Hampshire for material on Stark‘s Regiment. Chelsea historian George Ostler provided guidance on Chelsea‘s history. Chelsea resident Randy Jones and his children, Tabitha and Randy Jr., showed us the locations where they found objects which might be related to the battle. Thanks are due to Rick and Mary Jane Terenzi at the Revere Historical Society for their timely and valuable assistance. Special thanks are due to Sarah and Bonnie Brown for their assistance as typists and proofreaders in preparing the primary source accounts (Appendix A). Reconstructing the landscape of 1775 was not a simple task. We relied on the resources obtained through the Boston Public Library‘s Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, MassGIS, and the earlier work done by Boston Survey Consultants for CZM. CZM‘s Dan Sampson and Emily Chambliss have provided on-going support through the project. The work and advice of Charlie Frye, ESRI‘s Senior Cartographer, on the Battle of Bunker Hill inspired our approach to recreating the Chelsea Creek landscape. University of Miami's Dr. David Tenenbaum and GIS consultant, Chris Watson, provided significant guidance and technical assistance. The precision and reliability of the data set and the resulting map products could not have been achieved without the intimate knowledge and generous assistance of Steve Mague of Durand Anastas Associates. There were simply too many other individuals to list here, many current and former residents of the study area; all willingly offered information and insights that helped us bring this story to light. i ABSTRACT Overshadowed by the iconic battles at Concord/Lexington and Bunker Hill, the Battle of Chelsea Creek is often overlooked as part of the siege of Boston. On May 27-28, 1775, Provincial (American) militia forces raided British forage and supplies on the northern shore of Boston Harbor. A running engagement with British marines and armed vessels ensued. The British forces were unsuccessful and resulted in the capture and destruction of the schooner HMS Diana as well as depriving the British forces of forage and livestock. Today, the area is a heavily modified urban-industrial landscape. The associated development activities obscured, damaged, or destroyed the major 1775 landscape features limiting the ability to identify the battlefield. The Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources (BUAR), Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, with participation by University of Massachusetts at Boston‘s Departments of Anthropology/Historical Archaeology Program and Earth, Environment and Ocean Sciences, undertook the long-overdue critical re-examination of the battle. This multi-disciplinary research involved evaluation of documentary record, reconstruction of the historic landscape, a military terrain analysis (KOCOA), and a preliminary field investigation. This study was funded through a grant awarded by the National Park Service‘s American Battlefield Protection Program. The primary historical sources contained a number of time cues and locational information that initially permitted only a general reconstruction of the battle. The majority of battle participants were not from the local area and the majority of the landmarks they describe are not actually named. This lack of local knowledge and precision in the documentary record made it difficult to identify the defining features on the actual battlefield. A high resolution GIS dataset and Citation Data Model (CDM) of the temporal and spatial features associated with the Battle of Chelsea Creek and the 1775 Boston landscape have been developed and base-level and battlefield maps were produced within the GIS. By subjecting the battle narrative to a KOCOA analysis we were able to reasonably identify the location of key features on our geo-referenced reconstructed 1775 landscape. This application has provided a clearer understanding of how the physical landscape influenced the Battle of Chelsea Creek and has provided valuable insights into battlefield events and preservation. Six core areas within the battlefield study area were visually inspected and three areas were identified as having potential for site preservation and more intensive investigation: Crooked Creek engagement area; Mill Hill/Chelsea Neck engagement area; and Winnisimmet Ferry Landing with HMS Diana grounding site. Filtering the battle narrative through the KOCOA lense and by tying it to the location of these historic features, we were able to define the physical limits of battle events and related movements. However, preliminary field investigation of those features provided insufficient physical evidence in order to prepare National Register nominations at this time. Field investigation verified that the majority of the ―battlefield‖ has been heavily impacted by urban development. Therefore, no NRHP evaluation of Revolutionary War defining features or sites was possible. In order to identify preserved locations containing the defining features of the battle, a more detailed topographic and land use analyses coupled with additional ground-truthing, intensive archeological sampling and geophysical surveys within core areas is recommended. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................ ii 1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................1 1.1 STUDY LOCATION .................................................................................................1 1.2 RESEARCH DESIGN ...............................................................................................3 1.3 ENVIRONMENTAL SETTING ...............................................................................5 1.4 CULTURAL CONTEXT ...........................................................................................5 1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .......................................................................................7 2.0 THE BATTLE OF CHELSEA CREEK, MAY 27-28, 1775 by Craig J. Brown .................. 8 2.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 8 2.2 THE SIEGE OF BOSTON ........................................................................................ 8 2.3 THE BATTLE ........................................................................................................
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