Penobscot Expedition
19 JULY-17 AUGUST 1779
PENOBSCOT EXPEDITION
The land stretching northeast from the Kennebec River in modern Maine (location of Augusta) to New Brunswick was contested by France and England for a century. Then with the British victory in the French and Indian War in 1763, British control of the area was secured. But the land lay as an unorganized territory for a decade, indeed, the American Revolutionary War overtook any efforts of King George III to organize a Maine province. And, after the British evacuation of Boston in March 1776, their attention shifted further south to the New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania theaters. British interest in Maine revived in 1779. Loyalist Americans petitioned for the establishment of a new colony in the Maine territory–both as a haven for Loyalists exiles and as a base for military operations. In an effort to establish this “New Ireland” colony, on 30 May 1779 an eight-ship British squadron landed 640 troops at Castine, on a peninsula where the Bagaduce River meets the Penobscot River. The 74th and 82nd Regiments of Foot set about constructing an earthwork fort on the nearest high ground, to be named Fort George.
Although Castine was 50 miles beyond the northeast border of the Massachusetts colony, the Massachusetts General Court became alarmed. No British incursions near Massachusetts could be tolerated, and the Court authorized a 3000-man Colonial militia expedition to crush this new enemy endeavor. BGEN Solomon Lovell was appointed to command the ground forces, LCOL Paul Revere commanded the accompanying artillery unit. The militia embarked on a 44-ship naval force under the supremely cautious Continental Navy Commodore Dudley Saltonstall. Nineteen American warships comprised the combat arm, including the Continental frigate WARREN, 32; the sloop PROVIDENCE, 12; the brig DILIGENT, 12; the Massachusetts Navy 14-gun brigs TYRANNICIDE; ACTIVE; and HAZARD; and the New Hampshire Navy’s HAMPDEN, 20. In all, the flotilla carried 344 guns. Attempts at secrecy proved worthless, and the American arrival on July 25th was no surprise to the British. In a move that would prove key, Royal Navy commander CAPT Henry Mowat had detached HMS NAUTILUS, 18, NORTH, 14, and ALBANY, 14, to remain at the mouth of the Bagaduce to protect activities ashore.
The overpowering American force arrived this day, but strong winds obviated Lovell’s assault plan. Instead, 150 Marines from WARREN landed on nearby Nautilus Island to overwhelm an outlying British position. The main attack came three days later under bombarding fire from Nautilus Island and from Saltonstall’s armada. US Marines and colonial militia were landed at Dyce Head behind Fort George, where the 1000-yard-wide Witherle Woods blocked the fort’s view of the landing. Unfortunately the “beach” was a 50-foot sheer cliff–up which the Americans clawed and clamored on the morning of the 28th.
Continued 28 July…
Fowler, William M., Jr. Rebels Under Sail: The American Navy during the Revolution. New York, NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1976, pp. 103-09.
Leamon. James S. Revolution Downeast: The War for American Independence in Maine. Amhearst, MA: Univ. of Massachusetts Press, 1993, pp. 104-34.
Miller, Nathan. Sea of Glory: A Naval History of the American Revolution. Annapolis, MD: USNI Press, 1974, pp. 412-17.
Potter, E.B. and Chester W. Nimitz. Sea Power: A Naval History. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1960, pp. 71-72.
Site visits. Fort George Historical Site, Castine, ME, 21 August 2004, 22 July 2022.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: Many of the original 13 States commissioned their own State navies. Though these disparate naval forces were variable in their strength and proficiency, several State navy ships continue to be remembered today for notable actions during this era.
