Captain William Scott (1846-1934) is a descendant of a soldier who served in the 84th Highland Regiment during the American Revolution (1775-83). He went to sea at age 12. Along with 10,000 other Maritimers, Captain William Scott went to fight in the American Civil War (1861-65). He fought for the North in the effort to end slavery. He was in the first major battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Seven Days (1862). Prior to this battle, the Northern forces almost ended the war early by almost conquering the capital of the South, Richmond, Virginia. During these battles, Robert E. Lee rose to power by pushing back the Northern forces for seven days until they reached Harrison’s Landing on the James River.At Harrison’s Landing, twelve ships of the Northern Navy were waiting to stop the advance of the Southern forces. At age 15, Captain William Scott was on one of the ships waiting at Harrison’ Landing. Captain William Scott remembered, “We formed a line of battle in a cove at Harrison’s Landing – twelve men of war – and we shelled them. By the end of the battle of seven days, 5020 soldiers died, 23, 971 were wounded, and 6999 were captured or declared missing. After the battle, Captain William Scott went ashore. He remembers, “Many thousands were killed and wounded that afternoon, and we were months burying the dead.” The war lasted for more years and then Captain William Scott came home to Minasville, Nova Scotia. Captain William Scott eventually successfully completed his exams to become a Master Mariner the same summer he attended the funeral of the great Nova Scotian, Joseph Howe (1873). As did most Nova Scotians, Captain William Scott supported Joseph Howe’s campaign against Confederation. For the next thirty years, Captain William Scott commanded tall ships to ports all over the world. Many of the ships were built by his employer Osmond O’Brien of Noel. One of the ships was named the Piskataqua. He navigated the dangerous waters of Cape Horn, South America twenty five times. Captain Bill remembered, “The Piskataqua was in the western hurricane. For three days we were everything but down. Once we went right over and the sails dragged in the water… thinking about it still makes cold shivers run down my back….”Eventually, the anti-confederation campaign was lost, steamships replaced wooden ships, and Captain William Scott retired from the sea to live on his farm in Minasville, Nova Scotia. He lived with his wife Paulina with his 7 children and 24 grandchildren in the same community. During his life after the sea, Captain William Scott ran a general store, a bed and breakfast, and the local post-office. Captain William Scott raised a flag on his property every morning and lowered it at the end of every day. He paced back and forth on his sidewalk and yelled commands at the farm animals. Until the end of his life, Captain William Scott would sit regularly on his veranda, stare out over the Bay of Fundy, and recite the poetry of Scotland’s national poet, Robbie Burns.
