Raid on Chester, Nova Scotia

The Raid on Chester occurred during the American Revolution when the US privateer, Captain Noah Stoddard of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and four other privateer vessels attacked the British settlement at Chester, Nova Scotia on 30 June 1782.^[2] The town was defended by Captain Jonathan Prescott.^[3]

Raid on Chester
Part of the American Revolution
Captain Jonathan Prescott
Date June 30, 1782 Location Chester, Nova Scotia Result British victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Great Britain	United States of America
Commanders and leaders
Jonathan Prescott Captain Jacob Millett	Noah Stoddard George Wait Babcock Herbert Woodbury [1]
Strength
Unknown	5 vessels 170 crew members
Casualties and losses
No casualties	1 dead

Background

During the American Revolution, Nova Scotia was invaded regularly by American Revolutionary forces by land and sea. Throughout the war, American privateers devastated the maritime economy by raiding many of the coastal communities. There were constant attacks by privateers,^[4] which began seven years earlier with the raid on St. John and included raids on all the major outposts in Nova Scotia.^[5] The first raid on Chester occurred in 1779 and the second three years later.

Raid on Chester

Chester Blockhouse (present-day Wisteria Cottage House), Chester, Nova Scotia

On June 30, the day before the raid on Lunenburg, Stoddard and two other privateers descended on Chester, Nova Scotia firing cannon from their vessels. Captain of the militia Jonathan Prescott fired cannon from the blockhouse. (The cannon Prescott used are now located on the grounds of the Chester Legion.)^[6] Prescott's cannon fire struck one of the privateers. As a result, the privateers retreated behind Nass' Point. The crews went ashore and requested of Prescott to bury their dead. Prescott indicated that if they disarmed themselves, they would be assisted. Eventually, Prescott invited Stoddard and the two other captains to tea. Realizing the community was still vulnerable to attack, Prescott and his son lied to the privateers that Commander Creighton at Lunenburg had sent 100 soldiers to be billeted at Chester that evening. Upon the privateers' retreat to their vessels, Captain Jacob Millett led women and children marching in red colours, pretending to be British soldiers from Lunenburg. The privateers left Chester to raid Lunenburg the following day.^[7]

Aftermath

Chester Blockhouse Cannons, Chester Legion, Chester, Nova Scotia

Raid on Chester, Street Banner, Chester, Nova Scotia

The day after the raid on Chester, the American privateers redirected their attack on Lunenburg, presumably believing the Lunenburg militia had left the town to defend Chester.

Jonathan Prescott was suspected of being an American Patriot sympathizer given that, after the initial hostile engagement, he reportedly allowed Captain Noah Stoddard to bury his dead and then had tea with him the day before Stoddard orchestrated the raid on Lunenburg. People were also suspicious of Prescott's allegiance, because a number of Dr. Prescott's family were Patriots in the American Revolution; his nephew Samuel had ridden with Paul Revere. Samuel eventually was taken prisoner to Halifax where he is reported to have died during the war. Jonathan named one of his sons after Samuel and he is buried at the Old Burying Ground in Halifax.^[8] Jonathan's son Joseph joined the Continental Army, fought at Fort Ticonderoga, and was a founding member of the Society of the Cincinnati.^[9] Another of Dr. Prescott's sons John fought in the Battle of Lexington. His other son was Charles Ramage Prescott.

After the war, Jonathan Prescott was given the blockhouse, the modern-day Wisteria Cottage House, and used it as his home.^[10]

See also

• American Revolution - Nova Scotia theatre
• Colonial American military history
• Military history of Nova Scotia