Last weekend I spent Saturday at Gloucester’s Stage Fort Park watching the reenactment of the ‘Battle of Gloucester,’ and on Sunday Anne-Lise and I were aboard Thomas E Lannon for a different angle on the repeated reenactment. Capt John Lindsay, commanding the British sloop of war HMS Falcon, was on assignment to seize supplies and food from ships and farms along the coast to support the British troops occupying Boston. He sailed Falcon into Gloucester Harbor on Aug 8, 1775 accompanied by a captured American merchantman schooner (reenacted by Ardelle), while chasing another (Lewis H Story). The second schooner purposely ran aground to avoid capture. Capt Lindsay sent longboats to refloat her, and a separate “distraction” crew ashore to set fire to the town. The Gloucester militia thwarted all of his actions.
The score: Gloucester recaptured both American schooners, took 24 prisoners, freed American sailors impressed by the British, and lost 2 lives. HMS Falcon departed having accomplished none of her goals, losing American crew, and leaving 3 dead behind. This recounting of the battle at Stage Fort Park on June 20 and 21, 2026 is a combination of historical information, and how the reenactment was actually staged. They differ, particularly regarding the land battle.
