| Battle of Harlem Heights | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theNew York and New Jersey campaign | |||||||
_(cropped).jpg) Illustration of battle | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States |  Great Britain | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| George WashingtonThomas Knowlton †Nathanael Greene | Alexander LeslieWilliam Howe | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| <1,800[2] | <1,600[3] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 30 killed 100 wounded[4] | 14 killed 157 wounded[4] | ||||||
 | |||||||
TheBattle of Harlem Heights was fought during theNew York and New Jersey campaign of theAmerican Revolutionary War. The action took place on September 16, 1776, in what is now theMorningside Heights area and east into the futureHarlem neighborhoods of northwesternManhattan Island in what is now part ofNew York City.
TheContinental Army, underCommander-in-chiefGeneralGeorge Washington,Major GeneralNathanael Greene, and Major GeneralIsrael Putnam, totaling around 9,000 men, held a series ofhigh ground positions in upper Manhattan. Immediately opposite was the vanguard of theBritish Army totaling around 5,000 men under the command of Major GeneralHenry Clinton.
An early morning skirmish between a patrol ofKnowlton's Rangers and British light infantry pickets developed into a running fight as the British pursued the Americans back through woods towards Washington's position on Harlem Heights. The overconfident British light troops, having advanced too far from their lines without support, had exposed themselves to counter-attack. Seeing this, Washington ordered a flanking maneuver which failed to cut off the British force but, in the face of this attack and pressure from troops arriving from the Harlem Heights position, the outnumbered British retreated.
Meeting reinforcements coming from the south and with the added support of a pair of field pieces, the British light infantry turned and made a stand in open fields on Morningside Heights. The Americans, also reinforced, came on in strength and there followed a lengthy exchange of fire. After two hours, with ammunition running short, the British force began to pull back to their lines. Washington cut short the pursuit, unwilling to risk a general engagement with the British main force, and withdrew to his own lines. The battle helped restore the confidence of the Continental Army after suffering several defeats. It was Washington's first battlefield success of the war.
After a month without any major fighting between the armies, Washington was forced to withdraw his army north to the town ofWhite Plains in southeasternNew York when the British moved west intoWestchester County and threatened to flank Washington further south on Manhattan. After two defeats Washington retreated west across theHudson River.
On August 27, 1776, British troops under the command of GeneralWilliam Howeflanked and defeated the American army at theBattle of Brooklyn.[5] Howe moved his forces and pinned the Americans down atBrooklyn Heights, with theEast River to the Americanrear. On the night of August 29, GeneralGeorge Washington, Commander-in-Chief of theContinental Army, evacuated his entire army of 9,000 men and their equipment across the water to Manhattan.[6]
On September 15, Howe landed his army in anamphibious operation at Kip's Bay, on the eastern shore ofManhattan, along theEast River.[7] After a bombardment of the American positions on the shore, 4,000 British andHessian troops began to disembark. The American troops began to flee at the sight of the enemy, and even after Washington arrived on the scene and took immediate command, demanding that his soldiers stand and fight, they refused to obey orders and continued to flee.[8]
After scattering the Americans at Kip's Bay, Howe landed 9,000 more troops, but did not immediately cut off the American retreat fromNew York Town in the south of the island.[9] Washington had all of his troops in the city on their way to north along the west side ofManhattan toHarlem Heights by 4:00 pm and they all reached the fortifications on the Heights by nightfall.[10]
Early on September 16, Washington received reports, which proved to be unfounded, that the British were advancing.[11] Washington, who had been expecting an attack, had ordered a party of 150 men under the command ofLieutenant ColonelThomas Knowlton toreconnoiter the British lines.[12] At daybreak, Knowlton's troops were spotted by Britishpickets from Brigadier Alexander Leslie'sLight Infantry brigade.[13] Two or three companies of the 2nd Light Infantry Battalion advanced to attack the enemy to their front. For more than half an hour the skirmish continued, in the woods spanning two farm properties, Jones' and Hoaglandt's.[13] When Knowlton realized that the numerically superior British forces were about to turn his flank, he ordered a retreat, which was conducted "without confusion or loss", although perhaps ten men had been lost in the initial skirmish.[14]
The British followed in rapid pursuit.[15] Knowlton's party emerged into the open on the edge of the woods overlooking a widere-entrant known as theHollow Way, which marked the forward edge of Washington's position. The rangers crossed into the American lines while the pursuing light infantry, on reaching the tree line, paused to reorganize. The sound of theirbugle calls, whether calling the skirmishers to regroup or calling for reinforcements,[16] to Washington's Adjutant GeneralColonelJoseph Reed were reminiscent of a fox hunt, and seemed to him to be intended as an insult.[12] Probably about this time, elements of the 2nd and 3rd Light Infantry Battalions, along with the42nd Highlanders were ordered up as reinforcements.[15] Reed, who had gone forward to confer with Knowlton, rode back to brief Washington and encouraged him to reinforce the rangers.[17] Washington, seeing an opportunity to revive the spirits of his men, devised a plan to entrap the unwary enemy patrol.[12] He ordered troops forward to make a diversionary attack, in order to draw the British down into the Hollow Way, while another detachment moved around the British right flank to cut them off.[18]
The diversionary party, composed of 150 volunteers, ran into the Hollow Way and began to engage the British, who responded by advancing down into the valley to occupy a wooded fence line and returned fire.[18] The volunteers were then reinforced by a further 900 men and a prolonged exchange of fire ensued, although the two sides were too far apart to do much damage.[18] The flanking party consisted ofKnowlton's Rangers, reinforced by three companies of Virginia riflemen commanded by Major Andrew Leitch, in total about 200 men.[19] As they moved forward, it seems an unidentified officer accidentally misdirected the group, and the manoeuvre caught the British in the flank, not their rear. During the attack, both Knowlton and Leitch were shot and fatally injured. Despite this, the American troops pushed on.[citation needed]
The British troops, realizing that their flank was in danger, retreated uphill to occupy a fence-line. Washington reinforced his troops in the Hollow Way and together with the flanking party mounted a frontal attack. The British light infantry retired across open farmland to a buckwheat field in the area whereBarnard College now stands. Here they received reinforcements; including a pair of 3-pdr guns.[citation needed] Washington was originally reluctant to pursue the British troops, but after seeing that his men were slowly pushing the British back, he sent in reinforcements and permitted the troops to engage in a direct attack.[2] By the time that all of the reinforcements arrived, nearly 1,800 Americans were engaged in the buckwheat field. To direct the battle, members of Washington'sstaff, includingNathanael Greene, were sent in. By this time, the British troops had also been reinforced; bringing their strength up to a number slightly less than the attacking Americans.[20]
For an hour and a half, the battle continued in the field and in the surrounding woods until, with some units, including the 3-pdrs, having fired away their ammunition,[21] the British began to withdraw. The Americans pressed forward in pursuit until Washington, concerned about the approach of British reserves, ordered a halt. Upon receiving Washington's orders to return to their lines, the troops gave a loud "huzzah" and left the field in good order.[22]
The British casualties were officially reported by Howe at 14 killed and 78 wounded,[23] but a member of Howe's staff wrote in his diary that the loss was 14 killed and 154 wounded.[24] The authorDavid McCullough suggests much higher figures of "probably...90 killed and about 300 wounded" but cites no source for this.[25] Henry Johnston, whose 1897 study remains the only detailed investigation of the battle, assessed British losses at 14 killed and 157 wounded and those of the Americans at about 30 killed and 100 wounded,[4] including Colonel Knowlton among the dead.
Major Andrew Leitch, commander of the Virginia riflemen, died some days later. Both sides claimed victory. The repulse of British troops in this "pretty sharp skirmish" boosted morale in the American ranks "prodigiously", as George Washington observed,[26] even among those who had not been engaged.[1] It also marked the first success of the war for the army directly under Washington's command.[1]
After the battle, Washington received word that the British were moving by sea to the north and landing at Throg's Neck. Concerned that the British would attempt to outflank him and trap him in New York, Washington began a strategic retreat north. To check the British advance, reinforcements from Massachusetts were sent to Eastchester to monitor the British movement. Unable to cross by land fromThrogs Neck, the British landed atPell's Point where a battle commenced on October 18, delaying the British and giving Washington time to move his army toWhite Plains. After being defeated at theBattle of White Plains and later atFort Washington, Washington and his army retreated acrossNew Jersey, pursued by the British, intoPennsylvania.[27]
The loss of Knowlton was a blow to the fledgling Americanintelligence operations, as he had created and ledthe first such unit of the Continental Army, at the direction of Washington.[citation needed]
1776 David.
