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Fort Washington | |
 Pen and Ink map of Fort Washington, 1776 | |
  Location in New York City Show map of New York City Fort Washington (Manhattan) (New York) Show map of New York Fort Washington (Manhattan) (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Nearest city | New York City,New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°51′10″N73°56′17″W / 40.85278°N 73.93806°W /40.85278; -73.93806 |
| Built | 1776 |
| NRHP reference No. | 78001871 |
| Added to NRHP | December 6, 1978[1] |
Fort Washington was a fortified position near the north end ofManhattan Island, at the island's highest point, within the modern-day neighborhood ofWashington Heights in New York City. TheFort Washington Site is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[1]
DuringGeorge Washington's defense ofNew York during theAmerican Revolution, Fort Washington andFort Lee on theNew Jersey side of theHudson River were both created to prevent the British from being able to progress up the Hudson River as an escape route.[2][3] General Washington assessed that a defense of New York against British forces would be necessary, but he did not believe that such a defense would be feasible given the limited resources available toContinental Army troops.
Fort Washington was held by American forces under the command of ColonelRobert Magaw, who refused to surrender the fort to theBritish. He informed the British that he would fight to the last extremity.
As the fortifications served to restrict British forces' access to northernManhattan and the Colonial territory beyond, English GeneralWilliam Howe moved to seize the fort fromPatriot command and thus open a route to extend British control of New York. At the time, Howe commanded a force of approximately 8,000 men, made up ofHessian soldiers under the command of Lieutenant GeneralWilhelm von Knyphausen as well as additional British soldiers. On November 16, 1776, Howe ordered an assault on Fort Washington. In the course of the assault, later known as theBattle of Fort Washington, Howe's forces captured 2,838 American prisoners and secured a large store of supplies. Following the British-Hessian victory, the fort would be renamedFort Knyphausen.[4]
The English had been materially assisted by one of Magaw's officers, William Demont, who on November 2 had deserted and furnished Howe with detailed plans of the American fortifications and troop placements. Official American casualties included 53 dead and 96 wounded in addition to the rest of the garrison taken prisoner. The British and Hessian troops suffered 132 dead and 374 wounded. American prisoners were later marched through the streets ofNew York City, facing the jeering and mockery of the city's largeLoyalist population. Most of the prisoners were interned in British ships in New York harbor, where over 2,000 died of disease, cold, or starvation in the bitter winter. Approximately 800 survived to be released in aprisoner exchange the following year.[5]
At this battle wasMargaret Corbin, a Virginia colonist recognized as the first female soldier to fight in the American Army. Married to John Corbin of the First Company of the Pennsylvania Artillery, Margaret cleaned, loaded and fired her husband's cannon after he was killed in battle. Although severely injured, Margaret survived the encounter but never fully recovered from her wounds, leaving her permanently unable to use her left arm. She is believed to have been the woman or one of several women responsible for inspiring the legend ofMolly Pitcher.
The site of Fort Washington is nowBennett Park on Fort Washington Avenue between West 183rd and 185th streets inWashington Heights, Manhattan,New York City. The locations of the fort's walls are marked in the park by stones, along with an inscription. Nearby is a tablet indicating that the schist outcropping is the highest natural point on Manhattan Island, one of the reasons for the fort's location. Bennett Park is located three blocks north of theGeorge Washington Bridge, which is between West 178th and 179th streets. Along the banks of theHudson River, below theHenry Hudson Parkway, isFort Washington Park and the small point of land alternately called "Jeffrey's Hook" or "Fort Washington Point", which is the site of theLittle Red Lighthouse.
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