The Fort

Forged in Fire

Amid the untamed forests and windswept shores of 18th-century New England, The Fort plunges you into the harrowing true story of the Penobscot Expedition, one of the greatest naval disasters in American history. Bernard Cornwell’s masterful narrative follows Nathaniel Starbuck, a seasoned sailor haunted by past battles, who joins a ragtag colonial fleet determined to wrest control of the Penobscot River from the British. As cannons roar and timbers splinter beneath overhead bombardment, every moment crackles with the primal tension of survival and sacrifice.

Siege of Shadows

Encircled by British redoubts and cut off from reinforcements, the colonial forces find themselves ensnared in a deadly trap. Cornwell’s vivid prose captures the claustrophobic terror of trench warfare and the deafening thunder of artillery that shakes the earth. Through expertly rendered battle scenes—from desperate skirmishes in muddy trenches to guerrilla raids under moonless skies—readers experience the full brutality of 18th-century combat, where courage and cunning often mean the difference between life and oblivion.

Brotherhood on the Frontier

Beyond the smoke and steel, the novel delves into the bonds that unite soldiers and sailors in extremity. Starbuck’s hardened resolve is tested by alliances with local militias led by fiery rebels, Quaker pacifists torn between conscience and duty, and Native allies navigating shifting loyalties. Cornwell weaves their stories together, illuminating the complex tapestry of convictions that fueled a fledgling nation—where friendship and enmity stand side by side along the frontier’s bleak horizon.

Legacy of Resistance

As the expedition collapses into chaos and capitulation looms, The Fort asks what price freedom demands—and who truly writes history’s verdict. With meticulous research and unflinching honesty, Bernard Cornwell breathes life into forgotten heroes and tragic miscalculations, reminding us that even in defeat, the spirit of resistance can kindle a nation’s birth.

. Bernard Cornwell – bestselling British author born in 1944, renowned for his gripping historical epics and masterful depiction of warfare and heroism, whose novels bring the past vividly to life.