New York Campaign: Battles of Pell's Point, White Plains, and Fort Washington
- When
- 1776
- Where
- Pell's Point, Westchester County (now The Bronx); White Plains, New York; Fort Washington, northern Manhattan (Washington Heights)
- Episodes
- 3
In October and November 1776, William Howe's British and Hessian forces pursued George Washington's Continental Army through Westchester County and Manhattan. A delaying fight at Pell's Point on October 18 let Washington reach White Plains, where Howe defeated him on October 28, and British forces captured Fort Washington on November 16, ending the campaign in New York.
Episodes
- Battle of Pell's Point
American troops resisted a British and Hessian landing at Pell's Point on October 18, 1776, delaying Howe long enough for Washington's army to reach White Plains.
- Battle of White Plains
Howe attacked Washington's fortified position near White Plains on October 28, 1776, driving the Americans from Chatterton Hill and forcing a further northern retreat.
- Battle of Fort Washington
On November 16, 1776, British forces captured Fort Washington, the last American stronghold on Manhattan, gaining the surrender of the garrison's remnant.
Background and detail
Background. After evacuating Boston in March 1776, General William Howe regrouped in Halifax and embarked in June on a campaign to seize New York City. Following defeats on Long Island and an invasion of Manhattan on September 15, Washington's Continental Army withdrew north to Harlem Heights, leaving a garrison at Fort Washington on the island's highest ground.
Maneuvering to White Plains. Howe landed troops at Pell's Point on October 18 to encircle Washington between his force, troops in Manhattan, and the Royal Navy on the Hudson, intending to cut off Washington's escape route. Washington sent Colonel Rufus Putnam to reconnoiter on October 20; Lord Stirling's men reached White Plains at 9:00 am on October 21, followed by other units. Washington left a garrison under Nathanael Greene to hold Fort Washington and fortified two entrenchment lines at North White Plains by October 23.
People involved
- George Washington · Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army
- William Howe · British Lieutenant General commanding the campaign
- Wilhelm von Knyphausen · Hessian commander landing reinforcements at New Rochelle
- Nathanael Greene · American general left to garrison Fort Washington
- Rufus Putnam · American colonel conducting reconnaissance
- Henry Clinton · British general commanding the right column at White Plains
- Lord Percy · British commander bringing Hessian and Waldeck reinforcements
Sources
- Battle of Pell's Point Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-21
- Battle of White Plains Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-11
- Battle of Fort Washington Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.