  Extremely red objects, identified in the early Spitzer Space Telescope
observations of the bright-rimmed globule IC 1396A and photometrically
classified as Class I protostars Class II T Tauri stars based on their
mid-infrared colors, were observed spectroscopically at 5.5 to 38 microns
(IRS), at the 22 GHz water maser frequency (GBT), and in the optical (Palomar).
The sources photometrically identified as Class I are confirmed as objects
dominated by accretion luminosity from dense envelopes, with accretion rates
1e-5 to 1e-6 Msun/yr. The ice/silicate absorption ratio in the envelope is
exceptionally low for the IC 1396A protostars, compared to those in nearby
star-forming regions, suggesting the envelope chemistry is altered by the
radiation field or globule pressure. Only one 22 GHz water maser was detected
in IC 1396A; its infrared counterpart has luminosity <0.1 Lsun, the first H2O
maser from such a low-luminosity object. The objects photometrically classified
as Class II are confirmed as classical T Tauri stars with warm, luminous disks.
The disk properties change significantly with source luminosity: low-mass (G-K)
stars have prominent 9-11 micron emission features due to amorphous silicates
while higher-mass (A-F) stars have weaker features requiring abundant
crystalline silicates. The distribution of Class I sources is concentrated
within the molecular globule, while the Class II sources are more widely
scattered. Combined with the spectral results, this suggests two phases of star
formation, the first (4 Myr ago) leading to the widespread Class II sources and
the central O star of IC 1396, and the second (<1 Myr ago) occurring within the
globule.
