Battle of Harlem Heights

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American Revolutionary War
Northern Campaign

The Battle of Harlem Heights was fought on September 16, 1776 during the American Revolutionary War between units of the American Continental Army and British-Hessian units. The battle took place in Manhattan in the area between what is now Morningside Heights and West Harlem . The battle marked the Americans' first victory in the War of Independence with the British Crown.

The Continental Army with the commanding Generals George Washington , Nathanael Greene and Israel Putnam held several defensive positions in the north of Manhattan with approx. 1,800 soldiers against approx. 5,000 attacking British-Hessian units under the command of the British General Alexander Leslie. During the attack, the British used a horn signal commonly used in fox hunting as an attack signal. This measure failed to humiliate American defenders and lower their morale. The Americans felt compelled to defend their positions against the attacking units with increased commitment. After the attackers could be bypassed and slowly pushed back, the British units withdrew from the fighting and moved away. General Washington ordered his troops to break off a pursuit that had already begun and also to withdraw. After a series of defeats, the battle at Harlem Heights was the first victory of the Continental Army against the British in the American Revolutionary War.

prehistory

On August 27, 1776, British troops under the command of William Howe defeated the American army at the Battle of Long Island . Howe then moved his units, forcing the Americans to line up on Brooklyn Heights with their backs to the East River . On the night of August 29th to 30th, George Washington had the American army cross the river to Manhattan Island with 9,000 men and all equipment.

On September 15, the British followed the American army and crossed over to Manhattan. After the British artillery shot at the American positions on the beach at Kips Bay, 4,000 British and Hessian soldiers landed on the island. When landing at Kips Bay , the American defenders fled from the advancing attackers. George Washington could not prevent his units from escaping on the frontline because his orders were disregarded.

After the American units were dispersed at Kips Bay, General Howe had 9,000 more soldiers transferred to Manhattan on the same day. However, the reinforced troops could not prevent the Americans from withdrawing in an orderly manner from the city of New York, which at that time was still limited to the southern end of the island of Manhattan. General Washington moved his troops to Harlem Heights (now Morningside Heights ) by nightfall .

Course of battle

On the morning of September 16, news reached General Washington that the British units were advancing. Washington anticipated an attack and sent a squad of 150 men, under the command of Thomas Knowlton, to clear the British lines. At daybreak, the American patrol was discovered by British guards. The British attacked immediately with two or three companies of light infantry. The fighting that followed lasted more than half an hour and took place in fields and adjacent wooded areas. When Knowlton noticed that the outnumbered enemy troops were trying to clasp the Americans, he ordered the retreat, which could be carried out in an orderly manner and without loss.

The British units immediately began the pursuit and were reinforced by two more battalions, including the 42nd Highland Regiment. During this pursuit, the British buglers blew a customary fox-hunting signal, which the Americans found humiliating. Angry, Joseph Reed brought the news of the humiliation to Washington with a plea to reinforce the retreating Americans. Instead of complying with the request for reinforcements, Washington devised a plan to lure the British pursuers into a trap. Military historian Edward G. Lengel later described the Washington plan as a key event in keeping the Continental Army together despite the defeats that followed. Washington sent 150 volunteers to trap the British attackers on a ravine and 900 more men to encircle the British without being noticed.

Knowlton's Rangers and three other rifle companies were involved in the attempted encirclement. At the beginning of the attack on the British, an American officer misjudged the situation and opened fire on the enemy's flank instead of the rearguard as planned. The British troops found out about their encirclement at an early stage and avoided a fenced-in field. The Americans continued to attack, and Knowlton was killed during the fighting that followed. The attacking Americans drove the British further up a hill. There they received reinforcements, including artillery. The British were able to hold this position for two hours, but were then pushed further back into a buckwheat field by the Americans .

If Washington originally had doubts about the pursuit of the British troops, the success of its soldiers on the battlefield changed its mind, immediately sent further reinforcements and gave the order for a direct attack. When all reinforcements arrived on the battlefield, nearly 1,800 Americans and nearly 5,000 British and Hessians faced each other. Washington staff officers, including Nathanael Greene, were now in command of American units on the front line.

Although the British were in the majority, they could no longer hold their positions. For another two hours the battle continued in the fields and surrounding hills until the British were ordered to retreat. The Americans continued to advance until Washington received news that more British reserves were on the march. Washington ordered the withdrawal because it feared a British trap. The American withdrawal was carried out in an orderly manner.

consequences

The British and Hessians had 90 dead and 300 injured. American casualties were 30 killed and 100 injured. American officers Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Knowlton and Major Andrew Leitch were among the dead. The victory increased the morale of the Americans, even among those soldiers who were not involved in the fighting. The victory was also Washington's first success on the battlefield during the American Revolutionary War.

The following month there was only sporadic, minor fighting, and Washington moved its army to White Plains in October after learning of British plans to encircle the Americans in Manhattan. After the defeats in the battles of White Plains and Fort Washington , the Americans, pursued by the British, withdrew to Pennsylvania via New Jersey .

Web links

Commons : Battle of Harlem Heights  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ McCullough, p. 166
  2. ^ McCullough, page 191
  3. ^ McCullough, page 209
  4. ^ McCullough, p. 212
  5. ^ Lengel, page 154
  6. ^ Lengel, page 155
  7. ^ McCullough, page 217
  8. ↑ a b c d Lengel, page 156
  9. ^ Johnston, page 61
  10. ↑ a b Johnston, page 62
  11. ^ Johnston, page 63
  12. ^ Johnston, page 68
  13. ^ Johnston, page 69
  14. ^ Johnston, page 74
  15. ↑ a b Johnston, page 80
  16. ↑ a b Johnston, page 82
  17. ↑ a b McCullough, page 218
  18. ^ Johnston, page 85
  19. ↑ a b c Lengel, page 157
  20. ^ McCullough, page 219
  21. ^ McCullough, p. 230
  22. ^ McCullough, page 255

credentials