Before July 4th, 1776, let’s remember Captain Jeremiah O’Brien (1744–1818) commanded the sloop Unity when on June 12, 1775 she captured the British armed schooner HMS Margaretta in the Battle of Machias, the first naval battle of the American Revolutionary War. Under the command of Jeremiah O’Brien, thirty-one townsmen sailed aboard Unity armed with guns, swords, axes, and pitch forks and captured Margaretta in an hour-long battle. This battle is often considered the first time British colors were struck to those of the United States, even though the Continental Navy did not exist at the time. The United States Merchant...