Want of Proper Spirit and Energy: The Penobscot Expedition of 1779

Abstract

This thesis explores the ability of Massachusetts to conceive, launch, and execute offensive expeditions in relation to the failure of the 1779 Penobscot Expedition. This thesis seeks to highlight the difference between the colony's success in building and sustaining expeditions with its inability to overcome the limitations of its provincial army system. A secondary question focuses on how the army's source of soldiers, the militia, affected the outcome of the colony's expedition. This study reviews Massachusetts' colonial military operations in order to track its evolutionary growth in provincial armies beginning with King Philips' War through the Seven Year's War. Based on an analysis of the historical capabilities of Massachusetts' provincial armies, this thesis reviews the constraints of the provincial army system on the Penobscot Expedition and its leadership.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 10, 2011
Accession Number
ADA547183

Entities

People

  • Dale W. Burbank

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • American Revolution
  • Ammunition
  • Employment
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Massachusetts
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • New England
  • New Hampshire
  • New York
  • North America
  • Personnel Management
  • Rhode Island
  • United States
  • United States Military Academy
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.