Battle of Fort Washington

The Battle of Fort Washington was one of the greatest disasters of the Revolutionary War. Fort Washington at the northern tip of Manhattan had been maintained as an American position despite Washington's doubts about its defensibility. When the British launched a coordinated four-column assault on November 16, the garrison of 2,900 men under Colonel Robert Magaw was trapped.

Hessian forces under General Knyphausen attacked from the north across extraordinarily difficult rocky terrain. British and Hessian forces also pressed from the east, south, and across the Harlem River. Despite the difficult approaches, the weight of numbers prevailed and the Americans were driven back to the fort's interior. The garrison was surrounded. Magaw requested a three-hour truce to consider terms, then surrendered the entire garrison of 2,818 men along with enormous quantities of ammunition, cannon, and supplies.

Washington watched the assault from the New Jersey shore with tears in his eyes — reportedly the only time he was seen to weep during the war. The loss represented about one-fifth of his entire force. Hundreds of captured soldiers died in British prison ships, the notorious disease-ridden hulks in New York Harbor where conditions were deliberately horrific. The fall of Fort Washington also had a treason element: officer William Demont deserted to the British before the battle and provided detailed plans of the defenses, making the assault considerably easier. Only the stunning reversal at Trenton six weeks later prevented the complete collapse of the Continental Army.