Thomas Knox commanded about 300 volunteer infantry through a commission purchased by his landowning father. Captain William Loft was the principal officer with combat experience and brought about 150 sailors from press gangs and revenue vessels, together with nine guns. Lieutenant Colonel Colby added roughly 250 Pembrokeshire militiamen, while Lord Milford represented the county's civil authority. Lord Cawdor's practical judgment and the confidence of Loft and Milford ultimately outweighed his lower military rank when they accepted him as coordinator.
Chapter · 1:07:43-1:15:49
Cawdor, Knox, Colby, and Loft assemble the defense
The local defense drew on militia, yeomanry, revenue-vessel sailors, naval guns, and officers with sharply different experience.