Bernard Cornwell - The Fort

REVIEW BY BRIAN LOWEN ON SHOW 18TH AUGUST

Bernard Cornwell is probably most well known for his novels about Sharpe – a soldier who was involved in many battles during the 18th century.

This tale is set in 1779, during the American war of Independence, and is based on true facts.

A small British force of a few hundred soldiers land on a peninsula in the Penobscot river on the north eastern sea board of America, in what is now the state of Maine. They arrived there in transport ships protected by 3 small sloops. The sloops anchor across the mouth of the river to protect the soldiers while they build a fort in order to establish a bridgehead in this area where the local farmers are still on the side of the British and would not support the’rebels’, fighting for independence.

A much larger American force sets out from Massachusetts in a large fleet of 41 ships to destroy the enemy. The American soldiers manage to land on the rocky shore below the steep cliffs, on top of which the British force are struggling to build the fort. Instead of rushing the half-finished fort and overcoming the small British force, when they could easily have achieved their aim, they dither about suffering poor leadership, and instead start digging in for a long protracted battle, thus giving the British soldiers time to complete the walls of the fort.

The battle that followed was a classic example of how the best laid plans can be disrupted by personality and politics, and how warfare can bring out the best and worst in men.
The American army was a hotspotch of poorly trained men, mostly farmers and native Indians together with just a few regular marines and despite outnumbering the British they were no match for the well disciplined redcoats.

The American army commander kept entreating the Navy commodore to attack the 3 British ships with his warships but he refused to go into battle as his ships would have to sail in line ahead and suffer the broadsides of the 3 ships lined up across the river mouth, before they could break through and then would be trapped in the harbour under the cannon fire from the new fort.

The battle drags on and the American army is on the point of overcoming the redcoats when a relieving force of 3 British naval frigates appears over the horizon.

A good story that brings to life the hard conditions that soldiers experienced in those days. It also shows how important good discipline is essential in any army, because as the American rabble were arguing amongst themselves as to what was the best way to fight the battle and those who disagreed just went off home, the British meanwhile were well lead and followed orders that were clearly given.