Effort Underway To Pinpoint Precise Layout of British Fort in Sag Harbor That Was Taken in 'Meig's Raid'

From a window at the top of the staircase of his home on Madison Street, Randy Croxton has a clear view of the Old Burying Ground next to the First Presbyterian (Old Whalers’) Church in Sag Harbor.

When the trees are bare and the morning light is just right, Croxton, who is an architect by profession, can make out the slightest contours in the sloping topography that mark the remains of a British fort — or, more accurately, redoubt — that stood on the site for the seven years when the British occupied Sag Harbor during the American Revolution.

Despite the fact that the fort was constructed on high ground with a commanding view in all directions, it was overrun by a small force of Patriots on May 24, 1777, during the Battle of Sag Harbor, which is more commonly known locally as “Meig’s Raid.”

“I know what people think Meig’s Raid was,” said Croxton. “They think it was nothing.”

In reality, he said, what many people think was a brief skirmish was actually a daring attack that was spectacularly successful. As the Americans’ first victory on Long Island, it proved to be one of the few bright spots during the early days of the Revolution.

Today, he said, modern military historians recognize the attack as the first example of “special operations” in American history.

Now, with the help of Croxton and its vice president, Zach Studenroth, who is also the village’s historic preservation consultant, the Sag Harbor Historical Museum plans to undertake a study with ground penetrating radar and other technology to map out the precise dimensions of the fort and determine whether there are any unmarked graves in the old cemetery.

A longer-term goal is to recreate the fort in an interactive video that will allow people to understand how the fort functioned during the Revolution, Studenroth said.

The cemetery study will be the focus of “Historians Corner,” when the museum holds its annual gala on June 29 on the grounds of the Custom House. Croxton and Studenroth will be joined by archeologist Jo-Ann McLean to discuss the initiative.

More attention to the fort and the village’s role in the Revolution will be paid as the 250th anniversary, or semiquincentennial, of the signing of the Declaration of Independence approaches in 2026, Studenroth said.

Croxton, relying on the contours he could see from his house, said he was able to effectively map out the boundaries of the fort to within a foot. He said it would have been a 50-foot-by-50-foot earthen construction, surrounded by ditches and protected by sharpened timbers that protruded outward, making it a difficult for attackers to overwhelm it. A narrow entryway would have been on the south side of the structure, he said.

Croxton said Sag Harbor’s role in the Revolution is more significant than many people realize.

He said the tiny fort in Sag Harbor was the first one the British built on American soil after they drove George Washington’s army off Long Island in late summer 1776. The fort helped the British maintain control over the village and was part of a British presence that included 14 British warships that blockaded Long Island Sound during most of the war.

He said the British produced a field manual that gave precise instructions for how to build a redoubt. While the Sag Harbor fort was the first to be captured by the Americans, a similar structure at Yorktown, Virginia, was taken in what would prove to be the final engagement of the war.

Studenroth said when the British arrived in Sag Harbor in 1776, they found a deep-water harbor that suited their needs. Long Wharf had been constructed in 1770 and provided them with a place from which to ship plundered food, ammunition and other supplies.

Meanwhile, the cemetery had only been established in 1767, and a portion of it had already been cleared. The British conscripted American farmers and forced them to help build the fortifications, he said.

In early 1777, as the British consolidated their power on Long Island, the Americans plotted a counterattack.

On May 23, Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs set off from Connecticut with a force of about 170 men, who rowed 13 whaleboats across Long Island Sound, accompanied by three sloops. They landed on the North Fork and portaged across a narrow spit of land, where they left a small group of men and two of their boats, before continuing on their way.

The group arrived at Long Beach at around midnight. Croxton said about 120 to 140 men then marched onto Sag Harbor, splitting up at what is now the intersection of Main Street and Brick Kiln Road. One group made its way to Long Wharf, where it destroyed food stores and burned nearly a dozen British vessels to the water line.​

The other group swung east and attacked the fort, charging quietly up the exposed hillside with bayonets fixed.

The Americans did not suffer any casualties, but for the British it was an ignominious setback. Six British soldiers were killed, and between 90 and 99 British were taken captive, including their commander.

The small American contingent, prisoners and plunder in tow, marched back to their now heavily laden boats and rowed back to the North Fork, where they met with their escort ships. The whole operation took about 25 hours.​​​​​