The Fort [ペーパーバック]

Having never read any of Bernard Cornwell's many previous efforts I was unsure of what to expect. Historical fiction can be one of those tricky areas where an author can easily change events to match up with a particular agenda. Conversations can be invented, events can be changed, and historical people can be described in ways that paint them in either a good or bad light depending on the author's personal opinion. So as much as I enjoy most books in this genre I still take them with a grain of salt.

Having said that, Cornwell's "The Fort" is an absolutely fabulous read, one I could not put down. It tells of an occupation by British troops during the Revolutionary War and the attempt of the Massachusetts Militia, strengthen by ships of the Continental Navy as well as Privateers, to "Captivate, kill, or destroy" the British forces. What should have been a relatively short and easy, if not somewhat bloody, campaign against the uncompleted Fort George turned into an almost month long siege as the American Forces failed to even launch a credible attack on the fort. The long stagnant siege allowed the Royal Navy to arrive and destroy what was the largest American Fleet ever assembled during the war.

Although history lays the entire blame of the military disaster on Commodore Dudley Saltonstall for his failure to lead his fleet into the harbor to destroy three British warships and therefore help coordinate a joint land/sea attack on the fort, Cornwell successfully argues that the blame lies more on the land forces commanded by General Solomon Lovell. Made up mostly of untrained citizens pressed into service the militia won the initial engagement and were primed to swarm the still uncompleted fort when Lovell decided to instead lay siege in the hopes Saltonstall would bring his warships in to bombard the British positions. What transpires is a test of wills where Saltonstall refuses to bring his ships into the harbor until the fort is neutralized while Lovell refuses to attack the fort without naval support. The long delay allows the British to fortify their positions and successfully wait for reinforcements to arrive.

One of the surprising revelations Cornwell provides is the antics and almost dereliction of duty by one Colonel Paul Revere. In his only real taste of battle with the British Revere is painted to be an arrogant, self-absorbed, surly, and mostly ineffectual artillery officer. His conduct during the attempted escape of the American Fleet from the Royal Navy is truly at odds with what most people have come to believe of him.

Again, this is just a wonderfully written book. The characters are well developed, the historical detail is extremely accurate, and the story written in a very vivid manner. Although I had never read one of Cornwell's previous books you can bet that omission will be corrected very soon. I highly recommend this book to anyone into events of the Revolutionary War.

Here are the good points about this book:

1. It's an interesting, true story about the Revolutionary War that is not well known but full of episode, color and historical significance: the Penobscot Bay campaign.

2. It's smoothly written with a measured flow and pace that draws you in, brings the narrative subtly alive and makes the events of military and naval action convincing, easy to follow and very engaging.

3. It's expert in its analysis and reliable in sticking to historical fact while providing a richness of fictional texture.

4. It's acute in its judgments of the real-life protagonists, making, for instance, the irresponsible and self-absorbed Revere come alive - alas - and bringing out with little need for embellishment or verbal flourish the decency and honor of many of the soldiers and sailors. The commanders with their vanities, ambitions and abilities and in too many instances their woeful inabilities are three-dimensional and very real, to the degree that the reader easily identifies with them or wants to move into the story and give them a big slap across the head.

The Fort has all the strengths of Bernard Cornwell's many other historical novels - The Sharpe Napoleonic War series, and the more recent ones centered around King Alfred, and the narrative of the Agincourt campaign. It seems to me to be better written than most of these; Cromwell can at times be a little lumbering and his characters somewhat patterned with their responses, emotions and motives repetitive. These are minor blemishes. I didn't see any of them in The Fort. It really is a pleasure to read.

Listen my children and you will hear
Of the unknown failure of Paul Revere
It twas the Summer of 1779.
Not a man left is still alive
Who recalls that infamous day and year

When the British came to Penobscot Bay
And a Massachusetts force came to drive them away
"Attack first by land",
"No, Attack first by sea"
While for the British, the commander McLean
Held Fort George though it was incomplete

While Lovell dithers, making Wadsworth seethe
And Saltonstall ships wait to engage the fleet
Col. Revere carries airs that you wouldn't believe
More interested in status than the British you see

Bernard Cornwell tells the tale
Weaving the story of land and sail
As once did he a fine story brew
Of Richard Sharpe and his Rifleman true
with Pelg Wadworth as the hero in lieu.

The tale is well written and the battles ring true
With fine characterzation and story too
Fans of his writing will no doubt cheer
Of the latest novel he presents to us here
The quality of his past is maintained
as a glimpse of a young Sir John Moore is made
long before his final fate
Is decided some decades and an ocean away

So if of Cornwell you are a big fan
Purchase the latest work of the man
Though fans of Revere might groan and wail
that he reminded the world of an embarrassing tale