Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs led one of the most daring raids of the Revolutionary War against the British supply depot at Sag Harbor on Long Island. Meigs assembled 170 volunteers and crossed Long Island Sound in whale boats — a distance of about 100 miles round trip through wa…
Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs led one of the most daring raids of the Revolutionary War against the British supply depot at Sag Harbor on Long Island. Meigs assembled 170 volunteers and crossed Long Island Sound in whale boats — a distance of about 100 miles round trip through waters patrolled by British vessels. The operation required extraordinary seamanship, navigation in darkness, and precise coordination.
Landing undetected on the night of May 23-24, Meigs's force descended on Sag Harbor before the garrison could react. They burned twelve British vessels, destroyed large quantities of hay and supplies, and captured 90 British soldiers — all without losing a single man. The entire operation lasted less than 25 hours from departure to return.
Congress awarded Meigs a gold-hilted sword for the raid. The operation demonstrated the effectiveness of small, highly mobile amphibious forces in disrupting British supply lines and was celebrated as proof that American forces could strike with impunity even in areas considered securely under British control. Return Jonathan Meigs remains one of the most colorfully named officers in American military history.
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