Marblehead Men

Sailors become Soldiers who become Sailors

One of the most overlooked units in the Continental Army also played a vital role in saving the American cause, paving the way for several iconic commemorative paintings. The people who live along the rocky New England coast are as tough and rugged as the landscape itself. 

At least, they were during the era of the Yankee Doodle Spies. Hard, gritty men and women were the first to take meaningful action against what they saw as the injustices of British rule. I suppose carving out a civilization from a weather-beaten wilderness requires folks of tough mettle and stubborn ways.

New England's coast bred tough people

Among the toughest and most resourceful of that group were the men who sailed the cold and stormy waters along the North Atlantic coast, fishing, trading, and smuggling in both fair and foul weather. It is only natural that a militia regiment drawn from such stock would prove to be one of the go-to units of the struggle.

Marblehead Militia

All counties and some towns in New England had militia units that established a long-standing tradition dating back to at least the late 17th century. These units had experience from several wars fought against native tribes, Canadian neighbors, and their French rulers.

At the start of the fight against Britain, the Marblehead militia was among these. Because it was formed along the rugged New England coast, it was naturally composed of men who spent their civilian lives at sea.

Marblehead Militia

As tensions peaked in April 1775, the regiment was lucky to get a commander who proved to be as tough and resourceful as the men he led – Colonel John Glover. Under Glover, the regiment marched to Cambridge, where they joined the New Englanders besieging the British at Boston.

During the siege, Congress formed the new Continental Army under General George Washington's command. The Marblehead Militia, known as “Glover’s Regiment,” joined the Continental Army in June. It was originally called the 23rd Massachusetts Regiment. Only the best militia units were combined into the Continental regiments, creating America's first “professional” army.

The Continental Line

With their new status, they also received a new name, and the Marblehead militia was quickly renamed the 14th Massachusetts Continental Line. As a continental regiment, they would now be required to march and fight wherever the army moved, and wherever George Washington led them. He soon took them south to face new dangers and seek new opportunities for glory.

Nevertheless, the regiment of about 750 sailors never completely abandoned their heritage. Unlike other continental regiments, which started wearing similar uniforms of dark blue tunics, white or buff breeches, and leggings topped with a cocked hat, the Marblehead sailors dressed more like traditional sailors. The Marbleheaders wore distinctive blue jackets, white pants, and white caps. However, it was the skill, not their appearance, that was the greatest trait of these hardy sailors.

Washington’s Navy

As the siege of Boston went on, Washington decided he needed a naval force to stop supplies from reaching the British garrison. He assigned the 14th Massachusetts Line to outfit and crew four schooners for this purpose. Glover even offered his own schooner, the Hannah. His port at Beverly became the base of “Washington’s Navy.” Operating with a limited budget, the small fleet of five schooners managed to disrupt British supply lines and bring in captured supplies to support the Americans. Sailors from Marblehead also built most of the defenses that kept the British from taking the base.

Washington's Navy consisted of
fast schooners manned by experienced sailors

The Miracle on Long Island

Long before it became a traffic nightmare, Long Island was the scenic and rural breadbasket of New York. In the summer of 1776, it became the focal point of the British plan to crush the American rebellion.

Driven from Boston earlier that year, Lord William Howe’s reinforced army of over twenty thousand sailed into New York Harbor and landed at Staten Island. Soon, he moved his troops across the water and quickly encircled George Washington’s forces along the heights of Brooklyn. Although there was fierce fighting, the British numbers and well-positioned guns made Washington’s hold on the island a dangerous liability. He faced a difficult choice: defend with little hope or attempt to escape.

British Landing at Long Island would soon threaten the
American Army and the cause

In some ways, the latter was the toughest decision. The British naval strength was even more powerful than their land forces. Crossing despite these two hurdles would almost certainly cause disaster. But when a sudden fog rolled into New York harbor on the night of August 29th, Washington seized a brief chance to act.

So under cover of darkness and a thick fog, he made a risky decision and ordered his army to move against the enemy. His advantage was the 14th Massachusetts’ sailor-soldiers. For hour after hour, Glover’s men rowed boat after boat, carrying soldiers, horses, and equipment they could manage without alerting the British, who waited just a few hundred yards away.

Glover worked his men through the night to save an army

Despite the darkness and fog, the Marblehead men moved smoothly and silently. A splash or the bumping of a boat against another could easily have alerted the Royal Navy, whose warships lay anchored nearby. By the next morning, they had evacuated around 9,000 men from the jaws of the British lion to the safety of Manhattan.

The miracle retreat from LI saved the army and the cause

A War of Maneuver

The regiment’s usefulness was evident during the “war of maneuver,” which caused Washington to hurriedly relocate positions to avoid being destroyed by the British. Glover’s men slowed down the British advance at Kips Bay, giving the rest of the army time to retreat to the safety of Harlem. As the campaign moved north to Westchester, the regiment again played a vital role—this time as soldier-sailors.

Glover's sailor-soldiers stymied the British at Pelham

On October 13th, about 4,000 British and Hessian troops advanced inland from Pelham Bay. However, along the stone walls crossing the farmland, 750 men from the 14th Massachusetts and John Glover’s forces stood ready. They kept the British at bay, trading space for time and allowing the Continental Army a chance to prepare for the next attack. Glover’s men, skilled in scouting and raiding, showed they were just as comfortable on land as they were on their schooners’ decks. They captured supplies and enemy prisoners, then helped operate the artillery during Washington and Howe’s clash at White Plains.

The Crossing that Shocked the World

By December of that year, a battered and severely diminished Continental Army reached its breaking point as it looked across the Delaware River. Just hours behind, the advanced guard of a British column led by Major General Charles Cornwallis was closing in quickly. The men from Marblehead collected anything that floated along the river for miles and quickly ferried the ragtag army to safety.

Gen Charles Cornwallis nearly bagged
Washington, but for the Marblehead Regt.

But their greatest challenge still lay ahead. With enlistments dwindling as a new year approached, Washington had a short window to do something with his army besides fleeing from the redcoats. General Howe gave him the chance. Believing the Americans beaten, he scattered his army into winter quarter garrisons, leaving only a few isolated brigades in West Jersey.

The Glover Regiment brought Washington to destiny

Washington turned to Glover’s men once again. In another secret nighttime operation, Washington enlisted the experienced sailors to operate a different kind of boat. Long and sleek, the Durham boats were powered by pushing long poles into the riverbed. 

On a night when snow mixed with rain, file after file of Continentals, poorly dressed and poorly fed but determined, silently boarded the boats under the watchful eyes of the sailors. Throughout the night, strong arms pushed staffs into the swirling water. Strong legs and backs moved the boats, filled with men and equipment, across the swift current toward the dark and dangerous Jersey side. Despite the ice flows, Glover’s sailors managed to ferry over 2,000 troops and 18 guns.

Sailors to soldiers as Glover's Marblehead Regiment
 joins the night march on Trenton

But their work was not finished. The sailors then became soldiers and marched the grueling nine miles to Trenton, fighting valiantly in the short battle that shocked the world and saved the cause. Their final act was to lead the army back across the river, as their enlistments had expired and the regiment was disbanded.

Down to the Sea in Ships

Glover stayed with the Continental Army, but his men went home. New England was never a major battlefield for the rest of the war, but it still played a crucial role—providing support and attacking the British at sea. Glover’s experienced soldiers now became sailors again, engaging in a different kind of war, less showy but just as damaging to the British.

Privateers devastated British merchant shipping and tied down
the Royal Navy

Some people resorted to smuggling, a crucial way to support the war effort. Others went even further and turned to privateering, attacking British merchant ships in a conflict that deprived the British of wealth and supplies while boosting America’s limited resources. The Marblehead men played a key role in capturing more than 3,000 vessels during the war.