Disaster for Americans at Penobscot Bay

American Revolution
Written By Tom Hand

On August 13, 1779, the Americans in Penobscot Bay were trapped by a British fleet under Sir George Collier. Between midnight and 5 a.m., 750 Massachusetts militiamen and all their supplies were loaded back onto twenty-five transport ships and moved north towards the Penobscot River, hoping to make their escape. Inconceivably, the entire American fleet, all 44 ships, would be gone the next day, without any shots being fired by either side.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses how the Penobscot Expedition turned into a disaster for the Americans, and why it still matters today.

Images courtesy of Picryl, Library of Congress, The New York Public Library, MFA Boston, Naval History and Heritage Command, Wikipedia.

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Closing Scenes of the Penobscot Expedition
Closing Scenes of the Penobscot Expedition

As morning broke on August 17, 1779, Vice-Admiral Sir George Collier, the commander of the small British flotilla inside Penobscot Bay, could hardly believe what had transpired over the past three days. Arriving with the expectation of a stiff fight from an American fleet much larger than his own, no battle ever materialized as the American commanders chose self-destruction to facing British guns.

Disaster for Americans at Penobscot Bay
Disaster for Americans at Penobscot Bay

As darkness fell in Penobscot Bay on August 13, 1779, the American soldiers and sailors in Penobscot Bay realized they were trapped by the newly arrived British fleet under Admiral Sir George Collier. With disaster staring them in the face, General Solomon Lovell, commander of the militia, and Commodore Dudley Saltonstall, the navy commander, displayed an energy that had been absent for much of the past three weeks.

Time Runs Out for Americans at Penobscot Bay
Time Runs Out for Americans at Penobscot Bay

The Penobscot Expedition which started so well with the successful assault up the cliffs at Dyce’s Head to the plateau at the top of the Bagaduce Peninsula on July 28, quickly ran out of steam. Three main impediment was an inter-service squabble between the army commander, General Solomon Lovell, and his naval counterpart, Commodore Dudley Saltonstall. Showing a reluctance to engage the enemy that seemed to border on cowardice, Saltonstall would be an obstacle that Lovell could not overcome.

The Penobscot Expedition
The Penobscot Expedition

In June 1779, with the British establishing a foothold in Penobscot Bay 240 miles northeast of Boston, the Massachusetts General Assembly sprang into action. The men chosen by the Assembly to lead the expedition to oust the Brits was an interesting group, all New Englanders and not a professional soldier among them.

British Forces Establish Foothold in Penobscot Bay
British Forces Establish Foothold in Penobscot Bay

The greatest naval disaster in our nation’s history until Pearl Harbor was a largely forgotten episode that took place on the remote coast of Maine in the summer of 1779. The location was Penobscot Bay and the event proved to be an embarrassment caused by ineptitude, cowardice, and lost opportunities.

Tom Hand
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Closing Scenes of the Penobscot Expedition
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Time Runs Out for Americans at Penobscot Bay