The Penobscot Expedition

The Penobscot Expedition. Bucksport, Maine. , THE MILITARY HISTORY of our nation came to Bucksport quite dramatically over the centuries. The young settlement was occupied by the British during the War of 18 12 and gained its most prominent view, Fort Knox, in the 1840s, built to protect Bangor, the lumber capital of Maine. from potential threats., Perhaps the most dramatic event happened in 1779, during the Revolutionary War. A fleet of 19 American naval warships and 25 support vessels arrived at Penobscot Bay to reclaim the area from British forces based at Fort George in nearby Castine. But in the worst naval defeat of the war, the Americans were chased up the Penobscot River by a much smaller British force of only 10 warships. Trapped by the British, some American vessels were captured, while others were burned to prevent the British from taking them., In fear for their lives, most of the residents of Bucksport fled overland, all the way back to Massachusetts. The British vessel Nautilus anchored off Bucksport, and its crew pillaged and burned the now largely abandoned community., To assist you in following the Bucksport Miseum in the Streets" a brochure with a map is available at the towm office and from local businesses,