Simeon Perkins

Colonel Simeon Perkins (February 24, 1735 – May 9, 1812) was a Nova Scotia militia leader, merchant, diarist and politician. Perkins led the defence of Liverpool from attacks during the American Revolution, French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. In the 1770s, Liverpool was the second-largest settlement in Nova Scotia, next to Halifax. He also funded privateer ships in defence of the colony. He wrote a diary for 46 years (1766-1812), which is an essential historic document of this time period in Nova Scotian history.

He was Lieutenant-colonel of the county militia from 1772 to 1793, he served as colonel commandant from 1793 to 1807. During the American Revolution, he defended the town numerous times from attack by American Privateers. There were five raids on the town: October 1776, March 1777, September 1777, May 1778, and September 1780. He also went on the offensive by funding various privateer ships of his own to attack American Privateers.

A month after the HMS Blonde defeated the Duc de Choiseul, on May 1, 1778, American privateers raided Liverpool, ravaging and pillaging a number of the houses and stores, including the store of Simeon Perkins. Three weeks later, on May 21, the same privateers returned and tried to tow the wreck of the Duc de Choiseul out to sea. Perkins mustered ten men at the shore. Cannon fire was exchanged by the British militia and the American privateers. The privateers continued to fire at the town for almost an hour. Perkins marched his men along the shore, closer to the privateers. One of the militia was wounded in the ensuing exchanges. The privateers stayed off shore for a number of days. Perkins kept a sergeant and six men on guard duty twenty four hours a day until the privateers left the area.

After suffering three years of similar sporadic raids, Perkins, on June 2, 1779, built a battery for the artillery and on October 31 launched their own privateer vessel named Lucy to bring battle to their adversaries. As well, Perkins wrote a successful appeal to the authorities in Halifax, and on Dec. 13, 1778 Capt. John Howard's company of the King's Orange Rangers arrived aboard the transport Hannah. The company consisted of Howard, 2 lieutenants, 1 ensign, 3 sergeants, 2 or 3 corporals, 48 privates, and several camp followers, both women and children.

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