
The HMS Sylph with the HMS Maidstone close behind by B. J. Phillips
The H.M.S. Sylph was constructed in Bermuda in 1812, but was not the first ship to have the name Sylph. Although rated an '18' (based on the number of cannons aboard a traditional sloop-of-war) she was actually armed with sixteen 24-pounder carronades, two long 12-pounders and two 12-pound carronades.
During the months of June and July 1814 the Sylph was extensively active in the interruption of commerce and the capture or destruction of merchant vessels on Long Island Sound. On May 11th the Sylph captured the merchant sloop Grace and took her cargo of iron and dismantled her for fuel. On the 18th the Sylph along with the Frigate H.M.S. Maidstone fired upon a Swedish vessel prior to joining the remainder of the British squadron in blockading the Sound. The blockade, in addition to the Sylph and Maidstone, included the H.M.S. Bulwark and Nimrod. On May 25th the Sylph and Maidstone were engaged in a battle with about a dozen small gunboats under the command of Commodore Lewis. After a three hour battle the American gunboats succeeded in their task of allowing a large contingent of small merchant packets and coasters to pass unmolested past the British warships. At the conclusion of the battle two 74 gun British ships arrived on site and the American forces retreated towards Guilford. The Sylph continued throughout June to make trouble on the Sound. She joined the Maidstone and Belvidera, another frigate, along with the La Hogue, one of the 74 gun ships that had arrived in the Sound in attacking more and more vessels.
In early June the Sloop Nancy was located along near Northville, Long Island when the British arrived, attempting to land marines to destroy the vessel. They were beaten off by the local militia under Capt. John Terry who shot at the marines from the bluffs. Soon after the Sylph arrived and bombarded the cliffs with cannon fire. She was joined by another ship, likely the Maidstone, and together they attempted to drive off the American militia and take the ship, but in the end were unable to capture the Nancy.


The HMS Sylph from a Model—Courtesy of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England
On June 23, 1814 an early submarine, called the "torpedoe boat" was forced ashore near Horton Point, Southold after her line was cut in an effort to save a man who went overboard. The boat arrived on shore and over the course of the next few days her crew tried to get her off the beach. In the meantime, word was received by the Sylph and Maidstone of the boats arrival and they set course for her. On Sunday, June 26th, 1814 the Sylph and Maidstone arrived off of Horton Point and launched several small barges (or skiffs) with armed men intent on destroying the "torpedoe boat." Several members of the Sag Harbor militia who were present fired upon the British, who took at least four men either killed or wounded. The militia was forced to retreat and the British succeeded in landing on the Beach and burning the "torpedoe boat." The boat was one of the earliest forms of submarine to be engaged in naval battles.
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HELPFUL LINKS
Here are just a few links to other Genealogical and Historical organizations and websites that may be of help to the visitors of our website (All links checked & updated 04-02-2020):
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Brecknock Hall Foundation - Organization devoted to the preservation of Brecknock Hall in Greenport, the former home of David Gelston Floyd. The hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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Custer Institute - The Custer Institute and Observatory is Long Island's oldest public observatory (est.1927), and is located in Southold Hamlet. It is named for General George Armstrong Custer, whose niece resided on the North Fork of Long Island.
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Cutchogue New Suffolk Free Library History Page - Has contact information and a few links to other useful resources.
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Cutchogue New Suffolk Historical Council - A wonderful location that includes several important historical buildings and documentary holdings relating to the hamlets of Cutchogue and New Suffolk, Long Island.
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East End Arts Council - East End Arts is a multi-award winning not-for-profit arts organization serving the five East End towns of Long Island, NY since 1972. East End Arts is committed to building and enriching community through the arts by way of education, support, advocacy and inspiration.
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East End Seaport Museum & Foundation - The Mission of the East End Seaport Museum and Marine Foundation is to recognize, restore and preserve the maritime heritage of the East End of Long Island, New York. They also manage the restored Bug Lighthouse (a restoration, the original burned in 1963) which is located off of Greenport, New York.
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East Hampton Library - The Library holds The Pennypacker Collection of Long Island related documents and memorabilia. Their holdings relating to the history and genealogy of the east end of Long Island are quite extensive.
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Ferguson Museum - This museum is devoted to the history of Fishers Island, which is part of Southold Town. They hold an extensive collection of papers and photographs relating to the island's history as well as Fort H. G. Wright, which was once located there.
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Forgotten New York - A truly wild website that details the history of many things that we today overlook. The site includes New York neighborhood histories, cemetery descriptions, the history of lost streets and rail lines, and much, much more.
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Hallockville Museum Farm and Folklife Center - Located in the Town of Riverhead, Hallockville is a cultural institution dedicated to preserving and celebrating eastern Long Island's history, oral history, and cultural heritage relating to its traditional occupations.
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Long Island Children's Museum - One of the largest children's museums on Long Island and in the New York metropolitan Area.
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Long Island Genealogy - A website that is filled with huge amounts of data and links related to Long Island history and genealogy. Of special note are the cemetery indexes, local histories, and many articles on hard to find subjects.
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Long Island Historical Journal - The Journal is an annual peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing original studies of any aspect of Long Island history from the four counties of Kings, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk. The journal is a product of the Department of History at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
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Long Island History On The Web - A website resource for many different sites that deal with history of Long Island in general. A useful site that includes commentary and discussion concerning the accuracy and quality of the information provided on many of the websites.
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Long Island Lighthouses - A website devoted to the history of the many lighthouses that have and continue to dot the coast of Long Island. The site includes detailed histories and photographs as well as links to other related lighthouse sites.
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Mattituck Historical Society - Preserving the history of the hamlets of Mattituck and Laurel. Their grounds contain a number of historic buildings which are open for tours during the summer.
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Mattituck - Laurel Library History - This page has some good links concerning the history of Mattituck, New York, including scrapbooks and newspaper links.
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New Suffolk Waterfront Fund - Dedicated to the preservation of the New Suffolk waterfront property's scenic vistas and historic character while redeveloping it to provide greater public access opportunities now and for future generations.
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New York Genealogical & Biographical Society - Founded in 1869, the Society is the clearing house for genealogical and biographical material relating to New York State and especially the region around New York City.
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North Fork Works - Interesting site with radio interviews of North Fork of Long Island residents done by Hazel Kahan.
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Oysterponds Historical Society - One of the earliest historical societies founded on the North Fork, they preserve one of the only 18th century Southold Town taverns still in existence.
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Peconic Dunes County Park & Camp - Peconic Dunes is the successor camp to Camp Pinecrest Dunes, located in Peconic, NY. Acquired by the County in the early 1970's, the camp is now operated by Cornell Cooperative Extension.
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Queens Public Library - From its modest beginnings, the Long Island Division of the library has grown into one of the most extensive and important historical resources about Long Island, containing approximately 32,000 books, newspapers and other publications, 2,500 cubic feet of manuscripts, and over 100,000 photographs.
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Railroad Museum of Long Island - The museum, which is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the history of railroading on the Island, has two locations - one in Riverhead and one in Greenport, Long Island, New York.
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Sag Harbor Library - The Sag Harbor History Room is housed on the third floor of the John Jermain Memorial Library on Main Street in the Village of Sag Harbor. It holds an extensive collection of material related to the history of the people and communities of the Sag Harbor area.
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Shelter Island Historical Society - Founded in 1924, the Society holds a large collection of material relating to the families and history of Shelter Island, including items that link the families of the North and South Forks across time.
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Southold Indian Museum - The Incorporated Long Island Chapter of the New York State Archaeological Association is dedicated to the preservation and study of archaeology and natural history. The chapter was formed in 1925 and their museum holds tens of thousands of artifacts relating to the Indians of Long Island.
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Southold Park District - The Park District manages many sites, including the grounds of the Horton Point Lighthouse. If you are looking to take photographs or have a weeding ceremony at the lighthouse, consider contacting the Park District directly.
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Southold Town Historians Office - The Town Historian manages the extensive holdings relating to the management of the town of Southold, New York since 1640, though some of the earliest records no longer exist. The current Southold Town Historian is Amy Folk.
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Southwold Museum - Represents the area of Great Britain where some of the earliest settlers of Southold, Long Island, New York came from, including the Rev. John Youngs. The museum's collecting policy covers Southwold and its surrounding area, including the villages of Reydon, Wrentham, Wangford, Easton Bavents, Covehithe, Frostenden, Blythburgh, Walberswick, Wenhaston, Henham, Uggeshall and South Cove.
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Suffolk County, Great Britain History & Genealogy- A good website for connecting to all those ancestors who came to Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Long Island, New York during the 17th and 18th centuries.
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Suffolk County Historical Society - The Society was founded in 1886 to preserve the vast history of Suffolk County, New York and is located in downtown Riverhead, New York. They have an extensive research library and archive.
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Suffolk County Historic Documents Library - A part of the County Clerk's Office, the library contains extensive data on the history and development of Suffolk County, New York since 1683 including deeds, atlases, and insurance maps.
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Sylvester Manor - Sylvester Manor is notable as it is one of America’s few places that has been in the hands of the same family since it was first developed. Today it operates as a nonprofit farm committed to serving its neighbors and visitors by celebrating local food, history and arts & inventiveness in the every day.
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Vail-Leavitt Music Hall - Located in downtown Riverhead, it is a charitable organization built in 1881 to emulate the Ford Theater in Washington DC. It has a long and rich history that includes early experiments in talking films by Thomas Edison, and currently serves as both a rental venue and a presenting venue for the performing arts.
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Whitaker Historical Collection - A part of the Southold Free Library, the collection holds a vast amount of documentary material originally assembled by the Rev. Epher Whitaker, the long-time minister of the First Presbyterian Church of Southold.
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Historical Organizations located on the North Fork of Long Island, New York that DO NOT have a web presence include:
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The Stirling Historical Society (Greenport)
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The Old House Society (Cutchogue)

The Southold and Greenport Flags flying in Southwold, England during our Visit - 2005