REID, SAMUEL CHESTER ( 1783-1861). An American naval officer, horn in Norwich, Coon. He went to sea at the age of eleven, and on his first voyage was captured by a French frigate and confined for six months in Guadalonpe. Sub sequently be entered the United States Navy and served on the Baltimore under Commodore Trux tun in the West Indies. During the War of 1812 he commanded the privateer General Armstrong. On September 26-27, 1814, in the neutral harbor of Fayal, Azores, the General Armstrong was attacked by three British vessels of much superior strength. Reid and his men defended themselves bravely in one of the most heroic conflicts of the entire war and on the second day, after having disabled one of the British ships, and inflicted a loss of 120 killed and ISO wounded on the enemy, scuttled their ship, and retreated to the shore.
The entire American loss was 2 killed and 7 wounded. The violation of the neutrality of Fayal, a Portuguese port, resulted in a protracted diplomatic correspondence, and the final submis sion of the question at issue to Louis Napoleon, who decided against the American contention. Subsequently, however, the British Government apologized for the breach of neutrality. After the war Reid became a sailing-master in the navy, and was for many years warden of the port of New York, in which capacity he introduced many reforms, established the )ight-ship at Sandie Hook, perfected the signal telegraph, and reorgan ized the pilot system. He planned the present United States flag. adopted in ISIS, providing for thirteen permanent stripes, and stars increasing with the admission of new States.