In 1814 I was in command of a schooner owned in Boston.Capt. Benjamin Spurling also had a vessel, and as the embargo was on whereby all vessels were forbidden to venture beyond the headlands for fear of being captured by the British cruisers (menacing) the coast at that time. Captain Spurling and I hauled our vessels well into Norwood's Cove (Southwest Harbor/Mount Desert Island) as far as we could at high tide.
    When we saw the British warship come in and anchor off Sutton's Island, we suspected she meant mischief. So we went over to our vessels to be there in case the British came in. While we were there a boat came in from the ship but as the officer in charge had no authority to treeat with us he took Captain Spurling and myself on board the ship to consult with the captain.
    It was arranged that Captain Spurling should remain on board as hostage while I went on shore to raise money to ransom our vessels. I was put on shore and immediatelyproceeded to raise men instead of money. My father (Joseph Bunker 1754-1820)  kept a small store at the Pool on Cranberry Island and quite a number of men used to congregate there to talk about the war.
Word was sent in different directions. Also a messenger to John O. Hotchkiss who commanded the militia at Eden, but the messenger was stopped at Beech Hill by one of the selectmen (n.b.Davis Wasgatt?) as he feared if the English were interfered with they would destroy the settlement. There were seventeen or eighteen men gathered in the woods.that lined the south side of the entrance to Norwood's Cove.
    The British  getting impatient at my delay and anticipating trouble sent in a barge with an armed crew and a small swivel mounted on her bow. Captain Spurling was also sent in the barge.When the barge approached near enough she was hailed and told to keep off as the woods were filled with armed men and if they came closer they would be fired into. But they did not heed the warning and still approached with the intention of entering the cove. But after several shots had been exchanged the barge retreated out of musket range and fired several shots from the swivelgun but did no damage, then returned to the ship. During the fighting Captain Spurling was placed in an exposed position they thinking the people would not fire for fear of hitting him but the old man shouted, "Fire away, boys. Don't mind me!"
    After the fight was all over the militia company from Eden who had gotten the word someway appeared on the north side of the cove and paraded out on a clear spot in full view of the ship. The next day Capt. Spurling says he saw them put three dead men in a boat. He could not say whether there were more or not as he was not allowed to see all that they were doing. After burying their dead on the tableland above Dog Mountain,replenishing their water supply from a stream in that vicinity they put Captain Spurling into a shore boat and the ship went to sea.