 Having defended Plymouth from Native Americans and other Englishmen , Standish 's last significant expedition was against the French . The French established a trading post in 1613 on the Penobscot River , in what is now Castine , Maine . English forces captured the settlement in 1628 and turned it over to Plymouth Colony . It was a valuable source of furs and timber for the Pilgrims for seven years . However , in 1635 , the French mounted a small expedition and easily reclaimed the settlement . William Bradford ordered Captain Standish to take action , determined that the post be reclaimed in Plymouth Colony 's name . This was a significantly larger proposition than the small expeditions which Standish had previously led . To accomplish the task , Standish chartered the ship Good Hope , captained by a man named Girling . Standish 's plan appears to have been to bring the Good Hope within cannon range of the trading post and to bombard the French into surrender . Unfortunately , Girling ordered the bombardment before the ship was within range and quickly spent all the gunpowder on board . Standish gave up the effort . 
