Martha's Vineyard

Following his raid of Bedford and New Haven, Maj. Gen. Charles Grey sailed to Martha’s Vineyard to raid the island and collect livestock on September 10, 1778. He demanded from local leaders that the island’s residents hand over arms, livestock, and supplies.  Residents attempted to meet Grey’s demands, but unsatisfied, Grey ordered troops across the island to collect all available resources. The British finalized their raid and sailed back to New York City on September 15, 1778.

The significance of the Martha's Vineyard Raid is primarily at the local level. The supplies, particularly the livestock, that the British took during the raid helped to bolster their supply train. By seizing all of the arms and destroying the majority of the vessels the British prevented the majority of the inhabitants from serving as soldiers or privateers, and effectively removed Martha's Vineyard as a threat for the remainder of the war.