The Fort

The Fort
Bernard Cornwell

‘Captivate, kill or destroy the whole force of the enemy’ was the order given to the American soldiers.THE FORT is the blistering novel from worldwide bestseller Bernard Cornwell.Summer 1779.Seven hundred and fifty British soldiers and three small ships of the Royal Navy. Their orders: to build a fort above a harbour to create a base from which to control the New England seaboard.Forty-one American ships and over nine hundred men. Their orders: to expel the British.The battle that followed was a classic example of how the best-laid plans can be disrupted by personality and politics, and of how warfare can bring out both the best and worst in men. It is a timeless tale of men at war, written by a master storyteller.

Bernard Cornwell

The Fort

Copyright

Published by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

This paperback edition 2011

First published in Great Britain by

HarperCollinsPublishers 2010

THE FORT. Copyright © Bernard Cornwell 2010. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Maps © Garry Gates 2010

Bernard Cornwell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978 0 00 733174 1

While some of the events and characters are based on historical incidents and figures, this novel is entirely a work of fiction.

EPub Edition © AUGUST 2011 ISBN: 9780007331765

Version: 2017-05-09

Dedication

THE FORT

is dedicated, with great admiration, to

Colonel John Wessmiller, US Army (Retired)

who would have known just what to do.

Contents

Cover (#u63304232-44bb-57cc-bc72-0481495839a8)

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Map

A Note on Names and Terms

One

There was not much wind so the ships headed sluggishly…

Two

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Revere stood square in the Boston Armory yard.

Three

On Sunday, 18th July, 1779, Peleg Wadsworth worshipped at Christ…

Four

The fleet sailed eastwards, driven by a brisk south-westerly, though…

Five

The Tyrannicide, flying the pine-tree flag of the Massachusetts Navy,…

Six

The daylight was fading. The western sky glowed red and…

Seven

The first shots crashed into the trees, exploding twigs, pine…

Eight

Marine Captain Thomas Carnes and thirty men had been on…

Nine

‘Where the devil is Revere?’ Lovell asked. He had asked…

Ten

The sun had not risen when Peleg Wadsworth roused Lieutenant-Colonel…