ME, USA
Saltonstall Court-Martialed and Dismissed
September 1, 1779
The Massachusetts General Court convened a court of inquiry and then a court-martial to examine the Penobscot disaster. Commodore Saltonstall was found primarily responsible for the failure and was dismissed from the Continental Navy. The proceedings made clear that command paralysis — rather than British strength — had caused the disaster, a conclusion that military historians have largely sustained.
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.