Ezra Lee (August 1749 – October 29, 1821) was an American colonial soldier, best known for commanding and operating the one-man ''

Turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

'' submarine.

Early life and career

Lee was born in

Lyme, Connecticut Lyme is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States, situated on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Conn ...

. On January 1, 1776, he enlisted in the 10th Continental Regiment, which was raised in Connecticut, as a sergeant. In August 1776 he was selected by brother-in-law Brigadier General

Samuel Holden Parsons Samuel Holden Parsons (May 14, 1737 – November 17, 1789) was an American lawyer, jurist, generalHeitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 428. in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and a pioneer to the Ohio Countr ...

, also of Lyme, as one of several volunteers to learn to operate the ''Turtle'', an early submarine invented by

Saybrook, Connecticut Deep River is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Reg ...

, native

David Bushnell David Bushnell may refer to: * David Bushnell (inventor) (1740 – 1824), American inventor, inventor of the ''Turtle'' submersible * David Bushnell (historian) (1923 – 2010), American historian * David P. Bushnell (1913 – 2005), American en ...

. When General

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

authorized an attack on British Admiral

Richard Howe Admiral of the Fleet Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe (8 March 1726 – 5 August 1799) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. After serving in the War of the Austrian Succession, he gained a reputation for his role in amphibious operations agai ...

's flagship , then lying in New York harbor, Lee was chosen to operate the "infernal machine".

Governors Island attack

Sergeant Lee piloted the ''Turtle'' up to the ''Eagle'', which was moored off what is today called

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk ...

, due south of

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

. A common misconception was that Lee failed because he could not manage to bore through the copper-sheeted hull. In practice, it has been shown that the thin copper would not have presented any problem to the drill, and that he likely struck a metal rudder support. A more likely scenario is that Lee's unfamiliarity with the vessel made him unable to keep the ''Turtle'' stable enough to work the drill against the ''Eagle'' hull. When he attempted another spot in the hull, he was unable to stay beneath the ship, and eventually abandoned the attempt. Governors Island is off the southern vertex of Manhattan, this is the place where the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

and the

East River The East River is a saltwater Estuary, tidal estuary or strait in New York City. The waterway, which is not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates Long Island, ...

merge. The currents at this point would be strong and complex. The ''Turtle'' would only be able to attack ship moored here during the short period of time when the incoming tide balanced the river currents. It is possible that during the attack the tide turned and Lee was unable to compensate. He released the keg of gunpowder when British in row boats attempted to pursue him. The British, suspecting some trick, gave up their pursuit. Lee landed safely after remaining several hours in the water, and received the congratulations of Washington, who afterwards employed him on

secret service A secret service is a government agency, intelligence agency, or the activities of a government agency, concerned with the gathering of intelligence data. The tasks and powers of a secret service can vary greatly from one country to another. For i ...

. Lee made an attempt a short time afterward with ''Turtle'' to destroy a British frigate that lay opposite the village of Bloomingdale, but was discovered and compelled to abandon the enterprise. The submarine was soon afterward sunk by the British as it sat on its tender vessel, in

Fort Lee, New Jersey Fort Lee is a Borough (New Jersey), borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop The Palisades (Hudson River), The Palisades. As of the 2020 Uni ...

. Years later in a letter to

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

, Bushnell reported he had salvaged the ''Turtle''; its final fate is unknown. After these events, Lee was congratulated by Washington and General

Israel Putnam Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...

and moved into the secret service/special forces. Lee's headstone says "He was a Revolutionary Officer, and esteemed by Washington."

Later action

Lee was commissioned as an ensign in the Continental Army on October 11, 1776. Following a reorganization of the army, Lee was transferred to the

1st Connecticut Regiment The 1st Connecticut Regiment was a unit of the Continental Army, and was involved in the American Revolutionary War. The regiment was initially formed in 1776, and was active in various forms until 1783. 1776–1780 The 1st Connecticut Regiment ...

on January 1, 1777, was promoted to 2nd lieutenant on January 1, 1778, and to 1st lieutenant on June 5, 1778. He was appointed as regimental quartermaster on November 16, 1778, and transferred to the 5th Connecticut on January 1, 1781. He was appointed as paymaster in June 1781. During the Revolution, Lee participated in the battles of Trenton, Brandywine, and

Monmouth Monmouth ( or ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated on where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. The population in the 2011 census was 10,508, rising from 8 ...

. He had his sword handle shot off and received many bullet holes in his coat at Brandywine. He was discharged from the army in June 1782. Lee is buried in the Duck River Cemetery in modern-day Old Lyme, Connecticut. His 1821 obituary mentioned that, "This soldier is the only man who fought the enemy upon land, upon water, and under the water,"

References

* '' Appletons Encyclopedia'' * George J. Willauer Jr, ed. ''A Lyme Miscellany 1776–1976'' (Wesleyan University Press) 1976 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Ezra 1749 births 1821 deaths People of Connecticut in the American Revolution Continental Army soldiers People from Lyme, Connecticut People from colonial Connecticut Continental Army officers from Connecticut Submariners