Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
Peleg Wadsworth (1748-1829) wrote this letter to his wife, Elizabeth Bartlett Wadsworth, on Aug. 14, 1779 from the area near Castine about the impending conflict between the American troops and the British Navy.
He wrote that the British were moving up the bay and the Americans were waiting to meet them. He noted that the Americans, faced with a "superior force," had to "give up the ground that cost us so much Labour & so many brave men & officers," rather than risk more severe losses.
The Penobscot Expedition was considered the worst naval disaster until Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Transcription
About This Item
- Title: Peleg Wadsworth letter about Penobscot Expedition, 1779
- Creator: Peleg Wadsworth
- Creation Date: 1779-08-14
- Subject Date: 1779-08-14
- Location: Castine, Hancock County, ME
- Media: Ink on paper
- Local Code: Coll. S-6098 Misc. box 157/2e
- Collection: Peleg Wadsworth letters
- Object Type: Text
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Fort George (Castine, Me.)
- Generals--United States
- Letters
- Maine--History--Revolution, 1775-1783--Campaigns
- Manuscripts
- Penobscot Expedition, 1779
- Wadsworth, Peleg, 1748-1829--Correspondence
People
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
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