Burning of Falmouth: British Shell a Maine Town, Pushing Colonies Toward Independence
British warships bombarded and burned the town of Falmouth, now Portland, Maine, destroying over 400 buildings in retaliation for colonial resistance. The gratuitous destruction outraged the Continental Congress and directly accelerated the creation of the Continental Navy to protect American coastal towns from Royal Navy aggression.
October 18, 1775
251 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on October 18
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