Bernard Cornwell’s The Fort plunges prow-first into the largest naval clash of the Revolutionary War. Readers will thrill to Cornwell’s triumphant return to American historical fiction in this gripping story of courage, strength and patriotism.

This is historical fiction set during the American Revolution in 1779. It is based on the disastrous Penobscot expedition. The author uses some literary license (which he indicates) but generally follows the actual events, mixing fictional characters with the real main players. A map is provided, and an afterward provides references he used including The Penobscot Expedition: Commodore Saltonstall and the Massachusetts Conspiracy of 1779, etc.

The author also provides information on what happened to the key players afterward, and a few notes on the surviving spear carriers. The main upshot of the expedition was that the Americans lost an entire fleet. It most certainly was not the best planned military operation, and left Massachusetts with an enormous debt (later assumed by the new United States government).