Five months after the Battle of Lexington and Concord, in September 1775, 1,100 men left what is now Pittston, Maine, in 200 battoes, a flat-bottomed boat, carrying well over 100 tons of supplies, and went up the Kennebec River. They portaged these puppies 13 miles over the height of land — climbing 1,200 feet in the first 3 miles — to what is now Flagstaff Lake, up the Dead River, through the Chain of Ponds, through 4–6 miles of boggy marshland into Quebec and down the Chaudiere, arriving at the St. Lawrence River across from the walled city of Quebec. They had lost or destroyed all of their boats and lost about 400 men due to sickness and starvation, causing many others to also leave the expedition. They failed to capture the city from the British, and they failed to convince many French Canadians to become the 14th colony. It was an astonishing feat, but it was not an auspicious start to the war.

Nevertheless, most of the Mainers who had left the expedition after witnessing sickness and starvation and the lost and destroyed supplies and battoes returned to the Siege of Boston and continued to be revolutionaries. In fact, one Woolwich man, Ebenezer Smith, began the expedition as a substitute, ended up a captain by the end of the Revolution and finished his military career as a lieutenant colonel in the War of 1812.

A few months earlier, in Machias, residents had heard of Lexington and Concord and the Siege of Boston. When local merchant Ichabod Jones arrived with two of his vessels and the British warship HMS Margaretta to load wood to build barracks in Boston, Machias voted to not cooperate, and on June 11, 1775, residents seized one of those ships and attacked the Margaretta, capturing her and her crew. Despite casualties on both sides, townspeople continued to use these ships and others to harass the British throughout the war.

I used to make the point to my students that, when we look at historical characters living in extraordinary times, we need to remember that they are living in the moment and making decisions based on what they are seeing. They don’t know what’s ahead. We — in 2025 — know how the war turned out, but these people did not. And despite the unfavorable conditions around them, many decided to continue to cast their lot with the Americans, not the British. Mainers are not quitters. We are tough and we are not deterred by setbacks.

The values we forged in our revolutionary experiences still serve us well, as we are also now living in a time that is extraordinary, and while for many, conditions are unfavorable, we continue to retain our spirit as Mainers and as Americans. We see it not only in our striving for equality and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness but also in our commitment to honesty, fairness and kindness. We know we are at our best when we work in community.

Examples from today: When we tutor kids, teach literacy to adults, participate in our town meetings, and volunteer and donate to the local food bank, we honor those values.

As we commemorate these events and others in Maine over the next few years, there are remarkable stories being told and retold by volunteers. In Castine, Portland and up and down the Kennebec, I encourage you to join in on these celebrations of our local historical societies and organizations. Maine is filled with what my husband calls “free-range historians.” Take some time to share and savor these valuable moments in our communities.

When this group of Americans formally embarked on their uncertain venture 250 years ago, they jointly pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to this imperfect, yet perfectible, cause. As Mainers, we lead. Dirigo. Let’s pledge ourselves to renew this commitment to these values in the coming years.

Rep. Allison Hepler is the House chairperson of the Marine Resources Committee and is a member of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. She is serving her fourth term in the Maine House and represents Arrowsic, Georgetown, Phippsburg, West Bath and Woolwich.