Friday, August 17, 2007

Who was Dudley Saltonstall?

Dudley Saltonstall {1738-1796} was commander of the Penobscot Expedition in 1779 against a British army fort in Maine, during the Revolutionary War, which is generally acknowledged as the worst naval defeat in United States history.

Saltonstall's reported inaction and timidity were blamed for the defeat and loss of dozens of Continental Navy and Massachusetts ships, most of which were grounded and burned by soldiers in retreat. Soldiers under separate command launched a successful assault on the British fort at the mouth of the Penobscot River. This occupation of the fort and heights was repulsed by British reinforcements which were landed unharassed by Saltonstall's warships.

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