Nov 30

Nov 30 Pierse Long and the Battle of Fort Ann

Pierse Long was a Continental Army Colonel who led soldiers in the Battle of Fort Ann.

The Battle of Fort Ann included trickery from both sides of the engagement.

Pierse Long

By the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Pierse Long had established a successful merchant house in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

Long was an early member of his local Committee of Safety and participated in the response to Paul Revere’s Powder Alarm and the raiding of gunpowder at Fort William and Mary.

The following year, Pierse was commissioned as a Colonel in the Continental Army and raised the unit which would bear his name...Long’s Regiment.

Leaving Ticonderoga

By the summer of 1777, Pierse Long had brought his men to Fort Ticonderoga.

Long was part of the meeting at which it was decided that Arthur St. Clair should instruct his soldiers to evacuate the Fort. This was due to John Burgoyne approaching with the British Army.

While most of the Continental Army moved, Pierse was expected to wait and guard the rear of the retreat while assisting the sick and wounded to a new location.

Intelligence

As Long’s Regiment moved south, it was realized that an advance party of British soldiers were following them.

Pierse sent a spy to act as a deserter and lie about the size of the American forces. That same man returned later and announced how few men were with the British unit.

Long turned around and secretly surrounded the British.

The Battle of Fort Ann

This engagement became known as the Battle of Fort Ann. It lasted two hours and would have been a total American victory if not for some trickery.

Burgoyne’s deputy quartermaster, John Money, approached the field and heard the battle.

He let out a war-cry in the style of the Native Americans (though there were no natives with him) and it gave the Americans the impression they were about to be overrun with a much larger force.

Long ordered a retreat and left the scene without taking any prisoners of war.

Further Foundings

Shortly after the Battle of Fort Ann, Long’s Regiment had its enlistments expire.

Pierse volunteered to serve at the Battle of Saratoga under Enoch Poor but resigned from the Continental Army before the end of the war.

Long would be sent to represent New Hampshire at the Confederation Congress in 1785 as well as receiving appointment to the State Council for three years.

After attending New Hampshire’s Constitutional Ratification Convention, Long fell ill. He passed away just as the first Government under the Constitution was convening in New York City. Sadly, he missed the wedding of his daughter, Mary, to George Washington’s personal assistant, Tobias Lear.

Here are some other NEW HAMPSHIRE FOUNDERS:

Matthew Thornton and a New New Hampshire

Woodbury Langdon Gets Detained in New York City

Jonathan Blanchard Goes Off in an Extraordinary Manner

Surprisingly, the Battle of Fort Ann does not have a book to recommend.

If you are interested in learning more on the subject, I suggest ‘Campaign to Saratoga.’

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).