Lord Cornwallis

Washington ordered a fort on the Hudson's west side; construction began in July 1776, and it was renamed Fort Lee in September.

The defeat and capture of Continental troops at Fort Washington on November 16, 1776 left Fort Lee defenseless.

On the night of November 19, 1776, 5,000 British troops were ferried across the Hudson on barges, beginning the invasion of New Jersey.

Washington and Greene ordered Fort Lee's evacuation on the morning of November 20, 1776, as British and Hessian forces invaded New Jersey.

The Continental Army's general retreat began along a road now Main Street; during it Thomas Paine published "The American Crisis".

Cornwallis learned of Gates's movement on August 9, marched from Charleston, and reached Camden on August 13 with 2,239 effective troops.

Cornwallis's 2,100 British regulars and militia defeated Gates's 4,000-man American army four miles north of Camden, inflicting nearly 2,000 casualties.

The victory thrilled Britain and George III but devastated Americans; Gates's decisions were condemned, and Smallwood's command hopes collapsed.

The Americans lost eight field pieces, over 200 wagons, and most baggage; Cornwallis reported about 1,000 prisoners, many wounded, taken on August 18.

Warren Hastings resigned as Governor-General in 1785 after ten years of service, ending his tenure as head of the Supreme Council of Bengal.

Sir John Macpherson became acting Governor-General in February 1785 as the senior member of the council following Hastings's resignation.

Lord Cornwallis superseded Macpherson in September 1786, ending the interim administration and prompting Macpherson's return to Britain.

Lord Cornwallis, recently returned from India, testified for the defence on 9 April 1794, giving Hastings' case a major lift.

After the trial Hastings sought government assistance and received from the East India Company a £50,000 loan and a £4,000 annual pension.

The House of Lords acquitted Warren Hastings of all charges on 23 April 1795, with Lord Chancellor Loughborough overseeing the verdict.

Wellesley intended the college as a training ground for future European administrators, reflecting his belief that education ensured honest administration.

Wellesley's vision of an "Oxford of the East" was reduced to a school for Indian languages after a tussle with the Court of Directors led by Charles Grant.

The college trained British officials in Indian languages and fostered the development of languages such as Bengali and Urdu.

William Carey was appointed teacher of Bengali in 1800, serving from 1801 to 1831, and the Serampore Mission printed textbooks for the college.

Lord Wellesley founded Fort William College in Calcutta on 18 August 1800 as an academy of oriental studies within the Fort William complex.