To the editor:
On January 24, 1839, the Maine Legislature authorized a civil posse to support the Governor’s newly-appointed Land Agent, Rufus McIntire. Governor John Fairfield ordered McIntire to go to the “Aroostook and Madawaska country” to pursue and arrest New Brunswickers illegally harvesting timber (state property) in the Disputed Territory. On February 8, 1839, a volunteer posse left Bangor to station themselves at the terminus of the Aroostook Road, in present day Masardis. On the night of February 12th, McIntire and several other Americans were captured downriver by 40 armed men at the home of James Fitzherbert, in present day Fort Fairfield. They were promptly jailed in Fredericton, but later released on February 19th.
On February 13, 1839, New Brunswick Lt. Governor Sir John Harvey issued a proclamation that read very much like a declaration of war to Maine citizens. He had also mobilized units of the New Brunswick Militia to confront the American posse.
On February 15th, our Legislature learned of McIntire’s arrest and days later appropriated $800,000 for use by the Governor for protection of the public lands. A draft was also ordered for 10,343 men from the Maine Militia, to be ready for immediate action to reinforce the civil posse.
On February 16, 1839, Colonel Charles Jarvis was appointed as Provisional Land Agent. Jarvis arrived at Masardis the next day to join his civil force of 300 men. These men were well acquainted with fortifications, and most were pleased to be under his command.
I’ll follow the Fish River expeditions in particular, as the British were most alarmed about American movements north of the Aroostook River.
Jarvis sent Alvin Nye, Assistant Provisional Land Agent, George Buckmore, and a party of 25 men up the Little Machias River to Fish River to investigate and arrest trespassers there. By late February, Nye and his men brought out four settlers from Madawaska, and drove out two horses and four yokes of oxen.
Jarvis released the settlers on their promise “never to cut westward of the North Line.” Men of the posse donated cash to pay each of them $12 for “damage sustained by their forced and toilsome march.”
On February 22, 1839, Governor Fairfield wrote to President Martin Van Buren “since an attack upon the citizens of this State by a British armed force is in all human probability inevitable, the interposition of the General Government at this momentous crisis should be promptly afforded.”
On March 2, 1839, Congress authorized President Van Buren to raise 50,000 troops for the support of Maine, and appropriated $10 million to meet the expense, if war became unavoidable.
On March 5, 1839, diplomat-mediator General Winfield Scott arrived in Augusta on a mission from the President to defuse rising tensions in Maine’s 56-year northeast boundary dispute with Great Britain.
Days earlier, Scott had said “Mr. President, if you want war, I need only look on in silence. The Maine people will make it for you, fast and hot enough; I know them. But if peace be your wish, I can give no assurance of success. The difficulties in its way will be formidable.” The President’s reply was “peace with honor.”
It just so happened that Scott and Harvey were both high-level officers and combatants in the War of 1812 along the Niagara frontier. With escorts, they had met several times under flags of truce. In the campaign of 1813, Scott saved Harvey’s life near York, now Toronto. As military officers, they had mutual respect for each other.
Following a single exchange of letters between Scott and Harvey, an armistice was reached. On March 25th, Governor Fairfield ratified the truce and issued orders to recall the “Maine Militia” from the Aroostook region — but not the Land Agent’s civil posse.
Settlement of Maine’s northern boundary was still a couple years away. But Scott and Harvey would play critical roles in preventing bloodshed in the months ahead. To be continued.
Presque Isle
