On November 16, 1776, General George Washington and his troops faced British General William Howe in a battle to defend the last post of the Continental Army in Manhattan.^[1] The British Army targeted Fort Washington, located in what is now known as Washington Heights, because of its strategic importance and to finally seize control of Manhattan.

The fort, constructed in the summer of 1776, was located along the Hudson River and, up to that point, had been instrumental in blocking British ships from traveling up the Hudson River.^[2] Fort Washington was made of 250 foot high rock and dirt walls and was located on the highest point in Manhattan.^[3] Fort Washington operated alongside another fort located directly across the river at the New Jersey Palisades, known as Fort Lee.^[4]

Howe’s Troops

British General Howe began leading troops throughout New York, in part to overtake Manhattan, and methodically tightened his grip on the region. At the same time, Washington tasked Colonel Robert Magaw to lead and maintain 1,200 soldiers at Fort Washington while Washington and the Continental Army fought the British in other parts of New York.^[5]

On the heels of British victories in White Plains and Long Island, in mid-September 1776, British troops began making their way to Manhattan and the attractive strategic target, Fort Washington.^[6] Beginning shortly after sunrise on November 16, 1776, with about 8,000 men, the British launched a three-prong attack on Fort Washington that targeted the fort’s north, south, and east sides.^[7] The Continental Army braced for battle with only an estimated 3,000 people.^[8] At the start of the battle, Washington and other commanding generals were located across the river at Fort Lee but quickly traveled back to Manhattan to assist in battle.

American troops stationed outside of Fort Washington attempted to defend it from invasion. However, as the battle continued, American soldiers were increasingly forced into the fort by the British and Hessian mercenaries hired by the British. This placed American forces at a disadvantage because Fort Washington was too small to accommodate the nearly 2,000 individuals seeking refuge within its walls.^[9]

By 3 p.m. on the day of the battle, the American troops were forced to surrender. General Washington and several other commanding officers escaped back across the river to Fort Lee leaving the British to take control of Fort Washington and any remaining American soldiers. Unfortunately, these soldiers were taken captive as prisoners and would be left to face harsh winter conditions and in some cases death aboard British naval ships while being held as prisoners of war.

This battle marked the last battle in a series of losses in New York, leaving American morale at an all time low and victory seeming all but impossible for the Continental Army. After retreating into New Jersey, General Washington would make the fateful decision a little over a month later to cross the Delaware and change the tide of the war at the Battle of Trenton–transforming defeat into the spark of ultimate victory.

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Editor’s note: The authors are attorneys with Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP. 

[1] Fort Washington, American Battlefield Trust, available at https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/fort-washington.

[2] Revolutionary War Battles, George Washington’s Mount Vernon Organization, available at https://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-revolutionary-war/washingtons-revolutionary-war-battles.

[3] Americans Lose Battle of Fort Washington, California SAR, available at https://www.californiasar.org/2022/11/americans-lose-the-battle-of-fort-washington/.

[4] Harrison W. Mark, Battle of Fort Washington (Jan. 29, 2024), https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2362/battle-of-fort-washington/.

[5] Americans Lose Battle of Fort Washington, California SAR, available at https://www.californiasar.org/2022/11/americans-lose-the-battle-of-fort-washington/.

[6] Fort Washington, American Battlefield Trust, available at https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/fort-washington.

[7] Harrison W. Mark, Battle of Fort Washington (Jan. 29, 2024), https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2362/battle-of-fort-washington/.

[8] Id.

[9] Id.