Fort George (11)

 (1779-1784, 1814-1819) - A British Revolutionary War fort established in 1779 in present day Chastine, Hancock County, Maine. Abandoned by the British in 1784 and burned down. Reoccupied and rebuilt by British forces during the War of 1812 in 1814. Finally abandoned by the British in 1815 and reoccupied by American forces until 1819. Abandoned as a fortification in 1819. Also known as Fort Penobscot (2) or Fort Castine (1).

Revolutionary War (1775-1783)
The present day town of Chastine was seized by British forces on 17 Jun 1779 during the Revolutionary War. The British began construction of Fort George on 2 Jul 1779 on a rise above the small town. On 24 Jul 1779 a Patriot force of 45 ships and some 2000 men attempted to retake the peninsula but were driven off when British reinforcements arrived. The British remained at the fort and improved it to include two brick magazines, barracks and officers quarters. In January 1784 the British abandoned the fort and burned down the structures.

As built and improved by the British, the fort was a 200 foot square earthworks with timber revettements and four corner blockhouses all surrounded by a deep ditch.

War of 1812 (1812-1814)
In 1814, during the last year of the War of 1812, British forces again occupied the old fort site, rebuilt the ramparts and mounted some 60 cannon. They also built a canal across the narrow neck of land connecting Castine to the mainland as a barrier to a land side attack and established a ring of smaller fortifications around Fort George. The other fortifications included Fort Furieuse, Fort Gosselin, Fort Sherbrooke (2), the captured Fort Madison (1) (renamed Fort Castine) and a number of gun batteries. The British evacuated and abandoned all the fortifications in April 1815.

American forces reoccupied the fort until March 1819 when they abandoned it as a fortification.

Current Status
Earthworks and one one of the brick magazines have been reconstructed and a single display cannon is in place. Part of Fort George State Memorial, Chastine, Hancock County, Maine

Sources:
 * , page 363-364

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort George