ME, USA
Massachusetts Assembles the Penobscot Expedition Fleet
July 1, 1779
Massachusetts assembled the largest American naval force of the Revolutionary War: more than forty vessels, including warships, transports, and supply ships, carrying over a thousand soldiers and several hundred marines and sailors. The expedition was a significant logistical achievement for a state already stretched by the demands of the war. Commodore Dudley Saltonstall commanded the naval element; Brigadier General Solomon Lovell commanded the land forces.
People Involved
Connecticut naval officer who commanded the American fleet during the Penobscot Expedition of 1779. His refusal to engage the British sloops-of-war without army flank support, combined with his failure to act decisively when the opportunity existed, was the primary cause of the expedition's failure. Court-martialed and dismissed from the navy after the disaster.
Massachusetts militia general who commanded the land forces during the Penobscot Expedition. Like Saltonstall, he declined to act without support from the other service. His forces did capture high ground above the British fort but never followed through with an assault on Fort George itself.