People

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.

Royal Navy commodore who commanded the British relief squadron that arrived at Bagaduce on August 13, 1779, forcing the American fleet to flee up the Penobscot River. His swift action turned a siege into a rout and the destruction of more than thirty American vessels.

Scottish-born British general who commanded the 700-man garrison at Bagaduce and oversaw the construction of Fort George. His steadiness under a three-week siege, combined with his opponents' inaction, allowed him to hold a position that should have been untenable.

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.

Boston silversmith and Patriot who commanded the artillery train attached to the Penobscot Expedition's land forces. Court-martialed after the expedition for alleged disobedience and cowardice during the retreat; charges were eventually dismissed in 1782. The Penobscot episode is among the least-discussed chapters of his biography.

Massachusetts general who participated in the Penobscot Expedition and later served as military commander of the Eastern District. He was captured by the British in 1781 during a raid on his headquarters in Thomaston and imprisoned at Fort George in Castine before making a dramatic escape.

Young British officer who served at the Bagaduce garrison during the Penobscot Expedition and participated in the construction of Fort George. Later became Sir John Moore, one of Britain's most celebrated generals, killed at Corunna in 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars.

French nobleman who settled at Bagaduce in the late 17th century, married into the Abenaki nation, and became a legendary figure in the region's history. The town's eventual name — Castine — honors him, connecting the Revolutionary War fortification to a century of earlier French-English-Native American contest for the same strategic peninsula.