The Battle of Falmouth- Part 2

The Battle of Falmouth- this painting hangs in Falmouth Town Hall

"Like an oak that stands unmoved though all the winds employ their ceaseless roar."

Its possible that Falmouth would have been burned to the ground if it not for the assistance of a Tory or loyalist to the British crown named John Slocumb. Slocumb, the owner of a tavern on the island of Pasque, was entertaining the British the night of April second. During the evening, Slocum overheard the officers of the fleet discussing their plans to destroy Falmouth on April third.

Apparently, the soldiers had been rather unkind to Slocumb’s family while spending their time at the tavern. Perhaps it was this ill treatment that convinced Slocumb to warn Falmouth. Perhaps he simply did not want to see the town destroyed, as it was more than likely he had friends and family there. Either way, Slocumb secretly sent his son to Woods Hole during the dead of night to warn to Cape Codders that the British were planning to invade early the next morning and fire the town.

Word came to Joseph Dimmick and the other defenders of the coast. Falmouth began to prepare for invasion by improving the already existing trenches along the beaches close to the town’s main harbor, which is today Surf Drive Beach and Surf Drive Road.

Although the original settlement of Falmouth had grown since its foundation, and stretched as far north as Hog Island (Chappy Island) and Coonamesset Pond, the oldest and most densely settled areas were near modern Mill Rd, modern Main Street, and Woods Hole. If the British landed at what was once Old Stone Dock (Now Surf Drive beach), most of Falmouth would have been vulnerable.

Surf Drive Beach 2011-What remains of Old Stone Dock can still be seen.

If you are wondering, as I did, why the British did not invade the current Falmouth Harbor area, which would provide great access to much of Falmouth’s original settlements, the current Falmouth Harbor was not opened until 1908. It was formerly a small salt pond called Deacon’s Pond.



Deacon's Pond. This area is now Falmouth Harbor

According to Jenkins in Three Lectures on the Early History of the Town of Falmouth, Joseph Dimmick also called for reinforcements from the towns of Sandwich and Barnstable, both of which responded quickly.

The expected invasion came early in the morning of April 3rd. The fleet consisted of two schooners and eight sloops, according to Amelia Forbes in the Early History of Nuashon Island. About 80 men initially arrived at the entrenchments to meet the enemy, including Major Dimmick.

If you compare the following pictures, you can make generalizations about where the trenches might have been along Surf Drive and where most of the battle actually took place.





Town Hall Painting- Old Stone Dock is clearly visible





Surf Drive- Old Stone Dock and Nobska Point beyond

At 11:30AM the British ships opened fire on the town. Sources indicate that the ships fired what the militiamen called “hoits,” which seemed in the source material like some sort of artillery meant to cause initial impact damage, then spread fire throughout the town.

However, as New Englanders know, winter is just wrapping up in early April around here. In April of 1779, the town of Falmouth was just beginning to thaw out. This thaw actually protected Falmouth by preventing canon balls from ricocheting off the ground and spreading damage. The “hoits” would land and only cause damage to whatever they actually hit, but the thawing ground prevented the damage and fire from spreading.

The British soon launched ten boats from their small fleet. All together, these boats contained about 220 soldiers according to Frederick Freeman in The History of Cape Cod. The British attempted to land in several places near Old Stone Dock and along Surf Drive. However, Major Dimmick and the Falmouth militia were already there to meet them.

Although some modern sources claim that Major Dimmick defended the shores of Falmouth with only 50 men, this is a bit misleading. Dimmick had called for reinforcements from the towns of Sandwich and Barnstable. By the time of the battle, the Sandwich militia had arrived. According to Jenkins, four companies were assembled along the coast to meet the British. At least two of these companies were from Sandwich, one commanded by Captain Simeon Fisk.

Combining the numbers of all four companies, there were about 200 militiamen prepared for battle. Major Dimmick was second in command. However, he was himself in command of a group of 25 to 50 men within the trenches along the beach. The accounts of the battle and the actions of Major Dimmick are pretty fantastic.

With canon balls flying overhead, small arms fire pouring from the redcoats in the invading boats, Dimmick and the militia successfully prevented several British attempts to land at the beach. According to Jenkins:

"The most urgent entreaties could not induce Dimmick to protect himself in the trench; he continued to pace the breastwork whilst the balls were flying around him and with every report of the gun would wave his sword in defiance."

Dimmick sounds like he put up a pretty impressive fight. In fact, the quote which began this article was used by Freeman to describe Dimmick holding his position against his enemies.

The British did manage to at least land their boats on the beach several times, but the fire from the militiamen was too fierce to allow them to carve a foothold. The British continued to fire at the town and exchange small arms fire with the militia until 5:30Pm. However, they soon began to understand that their attempts were not going to be successful. At a signal from their flagship, the smaller boats returned to the warships and the entire fleet moved off toward Nobska Point and Woods Hole. The militia followed.



Nobska Point as seen beyond Old Stone Dock

The British attempted again to land in Woods Hole, but were repulsed by the Militia. At this point the British took refuge on Nonamesset Island, where they instantly began to slaughter the livestock. The British vented their frustration at the islanders, threatening them. The British soldiers stated that the “Damn rebels” had been killing them and that the rebels “fought like Devils.”

All animals were slaughtered on the island, including the animals of the once helpful Tories. There was one pig, whose squeals could be apparently heard from the most extreme point of the mainland. The militia had been watching the actions of the enemy from the shore when they head the poor pig. One of the men, named Simeon Hamlin, sat down and began to cry. The others asked him why he cried and he responded:

"Why, I hear that poor pig, and can’t help crying, to see how those cruel English will treat their fellow beings."

I thought that was an amusing line.

Over the next couple days the British fleet slowly broke up and headed away from the Cape. The ships did attempt to fire on the town again, but the militiamen stayed in their trenches and the enemy did not make another attempt at a landing.

Although other parts of the Cape and Islands suffered additional attacks and invasions, Falmouth never again needed to meet the Empire of Great Britain in combat, at least in the Revolutionary War. The town’s destruction had been prevented by the skill and bravery of a couple hundred farmers and fisherman who refused to let their homes be destroyed. Joseph Dimmick, of course, deserves recognition for the major role he played in Falmouth’s defense even after the battle.

Joseph Dimmick's Plaque in Falmouth's First Burying Ground

Dimmick remained heavily involved in the conflict even after the Battle of Falmouth. Jenkins goes as far as calling him, “the heart and soul of the military movement in this region." Although there were no more show downs on the beaches of Falmouth, Dimmick was involved in many more daring missions against the British.

Later, during the war, a ship had been sent to the Connecticut River to purchase corn, which had become very rare. On its return trip the ship was intercepted and captured by British Privateers just inside Vineyard Sound. However, the captain escaped and ran to Falmouth seeking the help of Major Dimmick.

Joseph Dimmick gathered his brother Lot and about twenty other men. They headed for Woods Hole. They took three small whale boats and silently rowed out to Tarpaulin Cove, where the Privateer and the captured trading vessel lay at anchor.

Lot Dimmick's Headstone at Falmouth's First Burying Ground

When they came in sight of the larger ships, the militiamen and the privateers exchanged fire. The militiamen killed at least one pirate and boarded the captured ship. They got the ship under way and accidently ran it aground near the Vineyard. They waited for high tide to free the ship, defending their catch from the British.

When the tide came in, they escaped with the trading ship and arrived safely in Woods Hole with its life saving cargo.

Dimmick and the men of Falmouth even captured an English ship of their own once. The ship held 33 English soldiers, who were all delivered to Boston as prisoners of war.

Even after peace was declared in 1781, Dimmick remained very influential and respected in town. Children gawked at their local war hero on the streets. He was honored by Governor Hancock as a guest of honor. He was elected High Sherriff, a position he held for 25 years. In addition, he served on the Massachusetts senate and was raised to the rank of General after the war. According to Jenkins:

"It may be said of him that he feared nothing human. It was his delight to be at the post of danger, and he was generally selected when any hazardous enterprise was undertaken."

Dimmick really seems like he was quite a guy. On top of being a local war hero, he seemed somewhat modest. According to Jenkins, on his tombstone is written, “He merited this noblest of his mottoes- An honest man.” Dimmick died in 1822.

Joseph Dimmick's Headstone at Falmouth's First Burring Ground
Strangely I did not see the inscription that was supposed to be there

Although, I could not discover where Joseph Dimmick’s original house was, his son built a house on modern Main Street in Falmouth. The house built by Braddock Dimmick is right across the street from the Village Green, where his father trained the soldiers of Falmouth’s militia.

The Dimmick House- Main Street Falmouth

This house even has a ghost story of its own. It is said to be haunted by one of the grandchildren of Joseph Dimmick. It is currently a bed and breakfast. The story says that if you sleep in the spirit’s bed, she may wake you and ask what you are doing there. My fiancé was not willing to stay the night with me, she was way more interested in the great cupcake store down the street.

I have to say I felt a little guilty researching the martial history of the town I grew up in. I had a vague idea of the Battle of Falmouth, but had no idea where it had taken place. Nor had I ever heard of Joseph Dimmick and what an absolute local hero he was. Where is the statue, town of Falmouth?

In Falmouth’s defense the historical society has done a beautiful job with marking the headstones at the First Burying Ground, so these graves can be easily located. Plus, Falmouth has done at least two reenactments of the battle for the town.

No, the Battle of Falmouth was not a true turning point in the American Revolution like the Siege of Yorktown. Instead, it demonstrates the growing feeling of nationalism and independence during the Revolution, even on rural Cape Cod. Further, it demonstrates the willingness of the small town farmers and fishermen of New England to fight for their land against largely overwhelming odds.

I wish history classes could spend more time on local events like this. It really puts one’s own hometown into a meaningful historic perspective. If one is truly supposed to learn lessons from the past through the study of history, the more I look into these local stories, the more I realize it would be hard to find a better teacher than a Yankee. Certainly, General Dimmick and the men of the Cape’s Revolutionary militia are no exception.



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The Battle of Falmouth- Part 1

The Battle of Falmouth by F.L. Gifford

When one thinks of the sites of significant battles in the history of our country, one does not generally think of Cape Cod. In fact, for most of the extensive history of warfare in this country, Cape Cod has been spared. Certainly the citizens of Cape towns and villages participated and served in combat, but the Cape itself has hardly been touched. This is even true for conflicts like the King Philip’s War and the French and Indian War. The sites of major battles were generally further north and west.

However, during the American Revolution, Cape Cod found itself consistently plagued by Great Britain due to its location. Specifically, there were several raids led by the British against Cape and Island farms during the War years of 1776 – 1779. Several times Cape Cod militias and British soldiers engaged in actual combat. Potentially the largest of these engagements occurred in the Vineyard Sound on April 3, 1779. The conflict that would become known as the Battle of Falmouth would place Cape Cod at the front lines of a battle for control of a developing country and culture, and would transform a local man named Joseph Dimmick from an ordinary minuteman into a hero.

Discontent with Great Britain seemed to start early on Cape Cod. In 1686 the British government wanted to gain greater control over rebellious Yankees in New England. Parliament decided to abolish the structure of colonies and colonial governments. In its place they erected the Dominion of New England, a consolidated New England government headed by one Sir Edmund Andros.

Edmund Andros instituted new taxes as a means of keeping New Englanders in hand. According to Jim Coogan and Jack Sheedy in “Cape Odd”, one of the more offensive Cape specific taxes was the crown’s new ownership claim on all “drift whales,” those whales which washed ashore.

These types of offenses and others led the West Barnstable native and later patriot, James Otis Jr., to coin the phrase “Taxation without Representation is Tyranny.” This phrase became a rallying cry for the rebelling colonies.



Cape Patriot James Ois Jr



Like the rest of New England, the Cape contained its fair mix of Tories (loyalist) and rebels. However, Cape Codders still took part in some of the more well known acts of rebellion. Several Cape men even participated in the Tea Party of 1773. In addition, at least one outspoken loyalist was tarred and feathered in the village of Barnstable.

In May of 1774, Parliament created the Massachusetts Government act in a further attempt to control New England. This act stated that members of the Massachusetts Governor’s Council would no longer be elected by the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Instead, they would be appointed and dismissed at the command of King George III.

This royal act was one of the last straws leading to open rebellion. The First Continental Congress, containing 12 of the 13 rebel colonies (Damn you Rhode Island), met in September of 1774. Directly following this, the town of Falmouth started to become directly involved in the resistance.

In an October meeting of the same year, the town decided to form its own Committee of Correspondence. These Committees were being founded throughout all 13 colonies and would act as local and colony wide shadow governments, operating secretly under the official British government. In addition, they would be instrumental in distributing rebel information and propaganda throughout the colonies.

Falmouth seemed to be a leader in the colonial rebel movement, as the Massachusetts Provincial Congress (the Mass rebel government) also met for the first time in October of 1774.

According to “Three Lectures on the Early History of the Town of Falmouth,” by Charles and Edward Jenkins, the town’s Committee of Correspondence decided to secure arms and ammunition for all men from age 16 to 60, which was paid for out of the town’s own budget.

Falmouth had begun to realize how vulnerable it was going to be during a colonial conflict with Great Britain. As the Cape had some of the best harbors at the time and was surrounded by many small islands in the Atlantic, the risk of being blockaded and starved was serious. In fact British warships had already been seen in the Vineyard Sound and had landed on the Elizabethan Islands by 1774.

On April 19, 1775, things began to get really ugly. British troops had engaged Massachusetts militias at the Battle of Lexington/Concord while attempting to capture colonial weapons stores and rebel leaders Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Falmouth received word of the event and immediately began to prepare to protect themselves.

The town raised a company of minutemen under the command of a Major in the local militia named Joseph Dimmick. Major Dimmick was entrusted with training the Falmouth minutemen at least two days a week until they were ready for combat.

According to the “Early History of Naushon Island,” by Amelia Forbes Emerson, that same year the British ship, Faulkland, landed in Tarpaulin Cove on Naushon Island. The Captain of the Faulkland harassed and threatened the inhabitants of the island, specifically one Elisha Nye. The men of the Faulkland confiscated 200 sheep, destroyed a portion of the Naushon’s boats, and did their best to intimidate the islanders into submission.



Tarpaulin Cove, Naushon Island- by Joseph McGurl



Nye petitioned congress for aid and in return congress ordered that a group of able bodied men be made ready to protect the livestock and people of the Elizabethan Islands from further British harassment.

The raids on Naushon continued. The defenders were often left on the Island to fend for themselves against British warships. During the winter of 1776 to 1778 the Island was raided time and again. Finally in spring of 1778, only five defenders remained. The British landed and made a clean sweep of the livestock and provisions of known rebels. The properties of the many Tories on the Island were left untouched or were paid for. The Island was now defenseless and Falmouth was in easy striking distance.

In 1776, according to Charles and Edward Jenkins, Falmouth officially decided to side with the choice of the Continental Congress; they declared independence from Great Britain. To me this seems like a huge decision. Falmouth was already in a vulnerable position, sticking right out into the Atlantic. In addition, there were some entire colonies who refused to side with the Continental Congress. Falmouth was certainly rebellious.

In 1779, things finally came to blows in Falmouth. For months British ships had been running low on supplies. They often used Naushon Island’s Tarpaulin Cove as a staging ground for raids on Cape farms and livestock. However, the people were not necessarily defenseless. In return for these raids, Joseph Dimmick often led counter raids on British ships. He and his men were often successful in regaining stolen Falmouth property. When they weren’t, they were successful in aggravating the British.

As Dimmick was establishing a reputation for piracy of sorts, the British were becoming more and more annoyed by the resistance of Falmouth’s militia. Yet, it was one final incident that seemed to push the sentiment from annoyed to violent.

The British had once again run short of supplies. Seeing an opportunity, they landed a small group of soldiers at Little Harbor in Woods Hole on the evening of April 1, 1779. Although there had been a night watch in Falmouth posted during the war years, the British were able to avoid being seen. Using a local guide, they raided the farm of Ephraim and Manassah Swift, rounded up twelve head of cattle, and drove them back to their boats at Little Harbor, where they killed them. This is the modern location of the Steamship Authority and the Coast Guard in Woods Hole.



The British Raid at Little Harbor- by F.L. Gifford



Charles and Edward Jenkins relate an interesting tale, which they state can not be verified as history. As they tell it, Manassah Swift’s wife was well known for making delicious cheese. Apparently, the local guide informed the soldiers of the quality cheese, and the soldiers wanted to steal some. While most of the British were busy driving the cattle back to the beach, two soldiers entered the Swift home.

Manassah’s wife was home alone with the children. She appealed to the soldiers, saying that her house was undefended, and gentlemen soldiers should not wish to take advantage of a helpless women (yeah right). The soldiers asked for the cheese, and Mrs. Swift informed them that there was not enough for her own family. The soldiers actually offered to purchase the cheese. Mrs. Swift informed them that they would not leave with a crumb. The soldiers, now annoyed, stabbed two wheels of cheese with the end of their bayonets and walked out the door. However, Mrs. Manassah was not a Yankee to be messed with. According to the authors:

"This dastardly act raised the good woman’s wrath. She stationed herself at the door and as they retreated she grasped the cheese and . . commenced with her tongue such a well directed fire as completely to subdue them. She called them a valiant set indeed – fitted for just two things, to rob hen roosts and make hen-pecked husbands."

As the story goes, Mrs. Swift drove off the soldiers with insults and actually kept her wheels of cheese. I don’t know if this story is fact, but it does illustrate a reality. The British soldiers were not often out for blood when it came to the colonists of New England. Certainly they stole from them, but they often purchased just as much. They did kill colonists, but often only did so in combat or when attacked. Mrs. Swift might have been lucky in that regard.

As the rest of the soldiers were busy killing the stolen cattle on the beach back at Little Harbor, they were ambushed by a group of minutemen led by Joseph Dimmick. The local militia harassed them so badly that the British were forced to abandon their stolen provisions and return to their ships hungry.

Little Harbor Oct 2011
Site of the British Raid 1779



Litte Harbor Oct 2011
You can see Naushon Island in the distance

The British had apparently had enough. They were annoyed by the incident in Woods Hole and fed up with the resistant locals. On their return to their fleet, they decided to burn the town of Falmouth to the ground on April 3.

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As this article became too long, I will post it in two parts. Hope you enjoyed it!!

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