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![Closing Scenes of the Penobscot Expedition](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5f189980db5cb01fc34a47f5/ebdaa807-fe4f-48df-ad4c-946d58beb167/AC-Massachusetts_Militia.jpg)
Closing Scenes of the Penobscot Expedition
As morning broke on August 17, 1779, Vice-Admiral Sir George Collier, the commander of the small British flotilla inside Penobscot Bay, could hardly believe what had transpired over the past three days. Arriving with the expectation of a stiff fight from an American fleet much larger than his own, no battle ever materialized as the American commanders chose self-destruction to facing British guns.