Battle of Fort Washington

Battle of Fort Washington
Part of the American Revolutionary War
A view of the attack against Fort Washington, by Thomas Davies
Date November 16, 1776 (1776-11-16) Location Washington Heights, New York 40°51′10″N 73°56′17″W / 40.85278°N 73.93806°W / 40.85278; -73.93806 Result British victory[1]
Belligerents
Great Britain Hesse-Kassel Waldeck and Pyrmont	United States
Commanders and leaders
William Howe Hugh Percy Wilhelm Knyphausen	Robert Magaw  George Washington Nathanael Greene
Strength
8,000[2]	3,000[3]
Casualties and losses
84 killed 374 wounded[4]	59 killed 96 wounded 2,837 captured[4]

The Battle of Fort Washington was fought in New York on November 16, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War between the United States and Great Britain. It was a British victory that gained the surrender of the remnant of the garrison of Fort Washington near the north end of Manhattan. It was one of the worst Patriot defeats of the war.^[5]

After defeating the Continental Army under Commander-in-Chief General George Washington at the Battle of White Plains, the British forces under the command of Lieutenant General William Howe planned to capture Fort Washington, the last American stronghold on Manhattan. General Washington issued a discretionary order to General Nathanael Greene to abandon the fort and remove its garrison, which then numbered 1,200 men^[6] but which later grew to 3,000,^[3] to New Jersey. Colonel Robert Magaw, acting commander of the fort, refused to abandon it, believing his troops would be able to defend it from the British. Howe's forces attacked the fort before Washington could arrive to assess the situation on November 16.

Howe led an assault from three sides: the north, east and south. The tides of the Harlem River prevented some troops from landing and delayed the attack. When the British moved against the defenses, the southern and western American defenses fell quickly, and the obstacles meant to deter an attack were bypassed with ease.^[7] Patriot forces on the north side offered stiff resistance to the Hessian attack, but they too were overwhelmed. With the fort surrounded by land and sea, Colonel Magaw chose to surrender. A total of 59 Americans were killed in action and 2,837 were taken as prisoners of war.

After this defeat, a large portion of Washington's army was pursued across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania, while the British consolidated their control of New York Harbor and eastern New Jersey.