The Fort

A Novel of the Revolutionary War

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Robin Bowerman

While the major fighting of the war moves to the south in the summer of 1779, a British force of fewer than a thousand Scottish infantry, backed by three sloops-of-war, sails to the desolate and fog-bound coast of New England. Establishing a garrison and naval base at Penobscot Bay, in the eastern province of Massachusetts that would become Maine, the Scots - the only British troops between Canada and New York - harry rebel privateers and give shelter to American loyalists.

In response, Massachusetts sends a fleet of more than 40 vessels and some 1,000 infantrymen to "captivate, kill or destroy" the foreign invaders. Second in command is Peleg Wadsworth, a veteran of the battles at Lexington and Long Island, once aide to General Washington, and a man who sees clearly what must be done to expel the invaders.

But ineptitude and irresolution lead to a mortifying defeat - and have stunning repercussions for two men on opposite sides: an untested 18-year-old Scottish lieutenant named John Moore, who will begin an illustrious military career; and a Boston silversmith and patriot named Paul Revere, who will face court-martial for disobedience and cowardice.

Grounded firmly in history, inimitably told in Cornwell's thrilling narrative style, The Fort is the extraordinary novel of this fascinating clash between a superpower and a nation in the making.

©2010 Bernard Cornwell (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Grounded firmly in history, inimitably told in Cornwell's thrilling narrative style, The Fort is the extraordinary novel of this fascinating clash between a superpower and a nation in the making." (Amazon.com review)

Review

I live in Castine, Maine at Maine Maritime Academy, across the street from Fort George. I’ve enjoyed being able to see the different places mentioned in the book.

It’s crazy to think that this little piece of land was the greatest loss for the Navy till Pearl Harbor. Definitely should be taught in school.

The ending fizzled out.

I know this is a fiction set within a historical event. I also know Cornwell is probably the genre’s best ever; that’s my personal feeling, anyway. But this story deserves a better ending. When I heard the customary Audible final words, I was surprised. “Wait, that’s it?”

Outstanding Piece of Historical Fiction

Would you listen to The Fort again? Why?

Yes, the book is chock full of amazing and interesting detail in both military and period life that the reader/listener can't help but learn and develop a deeper interest and appreciation of the foundations of the U.S.

What other book might you compare The Fort to and why?

David McCullough's 1776

What about Robin Bowerman’s performance did you like?

Mr Bowerman delivered an impressive and creative performance. He added depth to each character and created a very vivid picture of the environment, people, and culture of the era.

If you could take any character from The Fort out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Peleg Wadsworth, he seemed a competent and undervalued voice to the expedition and added stability in a chaotic environment. Or Francis McLean who seemed beyond competent, stable, and common sensed while exhibiting grace and mercy in the execution of his duties.

Great Read

A great work of historical fiction by Bernard Conwell. This book details the Penobscot Expedition of 1779 launched by Massachusetts to "captivate, kill, or destroy" the force of British soldiers who had landed and built a fort in Majabigwaduce (now called Castine, Maine).

This book does a great job of capturing that attitudes of soldiers fighting on both sides of the revolutionary war, and tells the story of a military expedition taken on by Massachusetts.

As a native of Boston I am shocked that I had never heard of this tale before now, I am profoundly happy to have read this book, and plan to read many more of Mr. Cornwell's splendidly written books.

Good but not Great

I've listened to several Cornwell books on Audible. Usually they're compelling, tense and with superb narration. While this one held my interest, the tension was a little forced, the narrator simply "acceptable" and the audio quality suspect in places (at least places other than a school gymnasium).

I'm not clear on why the characters are a little more shallow than the typical Cornwell - perhaps he's trying to stick closer to the written record of the Penobscot expidition. I'd have to add that I really appreciate the "Author's Notes" Cornwell includes at the end of his novels, wherein he expands somewhat on the historical context and his departures for the purposes of narrative. That was sadly absent in this edition.

Good account of a bad time

Would you listen to The Fort again? Why?

No. I have gotten all I intended to get from it.

What did you like best about this story?

It helped me learn about a little known event in American history through the medium of an entertaining story.

Which scene was your favorite?

The discussion between Generals MacLean and Wadsworth. MacLean was my favorite character. Saltonstall and Revere were wonderful villains.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Whooops! or Uh-oh!

Any additional comments?

As a southerner, I am used to stories in which my side looses. Here, the author did a good job of gaining sympathy for both sides. The Wikipedia account of the engagement shows Cornwell did not overemphasize the superiority of the British leadership. This was a very different Cornwell book, but well worth the listen.

Excellent story

The story of the Fort has many twists and turns but clearly shows that a lack of real leadership, no matter the odds, can doom a project. Interesting that in modern times we are able to sometimes overcome poor leadership but the journey becomes much harder

Interesting Historical Narrative

The Fort is a straightforward fictionalized narrative of the Penobscot Expedition during the Revolutionary War. It's well written and will appeal to people with an interest in military history or who want an easy way to learn about an important event in the Revolutionary War.

The recording is not the entire book. It's missing the author 's lengthy Historical Note explaining the historical basis for the novel.

Inept Americans

The inept American effort was frustrating to learn, but that is because the story is well told. It is a reminder of our humble roots.

Ok, but not the best to come from Cornwell

First of all, I feel compelled to address those reviewers who feel that the author has fabricated some fanciful fiction, where the glorious British bested the Colonial upstarts at every turn, and suggest they might want to spend some time reading up on the period, and not just our own history or this battle, but also the broader history of the Seven Years War/French-Indian War, French Revolution and Napoleonic era.

If Bernard Cornwell shows any bias in his writings, it's towards his main characters, and often not even then. The only bias he consistently holds is to the facts surrounding the history behind the story. He takes liberties where necessary to drive the story, but works very hard to mold the story to the facts of events in question, not the other way around. The incident in this story actually happened largely as Cornwell has portrayed it. The US Navy, with the exception of John Paul Jones, didn't really come into its own until after the Revolution and didn't become the "scourge of the Royal Navy" until the War of 1812. At this point in our history, it was of little consequence and, as depicted in this book, couldn't compete for men and supplies with their privateer brethren. We formed our army with many misgivings about the idea of having a standing army. It was made up mostly of local militias, with little broad cohesion on a mass scale (the political bickering and communication problems inherent in this model are also featured in the story). We certainly won some major victories with this rag tag civilian army, but it was not the professional army that the Royal Army was. While we ultimately succeeded in winning independence, it wasn't because we clobbered the Brits in every battle on land and sea. We lost a few along the way as well.

I appreciated Mr. Bowerman's Scottish accent for the Scottish characters. Not overly thick, but genuine. His American accent wasn't bad either, though it was a inadvertently amusing at times and therefore a bit distracting. Overall, I really had no problem with the narration, though perhaps a different narrator might have breathed more life into the story? I dunno. It is what it is, and I've certainly heard a lot worse.

I don't know about a follow-up, as it's a book about a specific event, and not any one or two of the characters. It's not really that kind of a book. The characters, while all real people, who went on to do many other things during the Revolution and in their lives, were all actors in these events, and who they were and what they did came together to drive the outcome of the events in the story. None were really portrayed as heroes and villains, in the traditional sense. They were there, and the decisions they made, or failed to make shaped the outcome. Any follow-up would really just be another book about an event from the Revolution, which may, or may not feature one, three or all of the main persons featured in this book.

I would certainly go see it if it were made into a movie, though. The subject is interesting, and with the right cast and director, it might even make a better movie than it did a book. In fact, I think it would make a better movie.

I think fans of Cornwell should probably try it, if only to have read (or listened to) it. It is in keeping with his tradition of historical detail and accuracy, and so provides a good telling of this event. The characters aren't uninteresting, or poorly drawn, they just aren't...."true to life", like his fictional characters are. I think he fell short in this way, and characters are perhaps the most important part of a work of historical fiction.

I'll close by saying that one of the things I have always enjoyed about Bernard Cornwell, is his ability to paint an exciting, detailed and organic picture of a battle, including the events leading up to and following the event itself. His portrayal of the Battle of Assaye, in Sharpe's Triumph is one of my favorite literary interpretations of a battle. Setting aside the fictional Sharpe's involvement, one comes away with a solid understanding of the events.

Cornwell does his research.

In this regard, if nothing else, I feel Cornwell remained true to form.