Landing at Kip's Bay
Landing at Kip's Bay | |
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Part of the Manhattan, New York 40°44′11″N 73°58′29″W / 40.73639°N 73.97472°W | |
Result | British victory[1] |
Hesse-Cassel
320 captured[5]
The Landing at Kip's Bay was a
Heavy advance fire from British naval forces in the East River caused the inexperienced militia guarding the landing area to flee, allowing the British to land unopposed at
The operation was a British success. It forced the Continental Army to withdraw to
Background
The
Howe's troops began an unopposed landing on Staten Island in early July, and made another unopposed landing on Long Island, where Washington's Continental Army had organized significant defenses, on August 22.[7] On August 27, Howe successfully flanked Washington's defenses in the Battle of Long Island, leaving Washington in a precarious position on the narrow Brooklyn Heights, with the British Army in front and the East River behind him. On the night of August 29–30, Washington successfully evacuated his entire army of 9,000 troops to York Island (as Manhattan was then known).[8]
Despite showing discipline and unity during the evacuation, the army quickly devolved in despair and anger. Large numbers of militia, many of whose summertime enlistments ended in August, departed for home.[9] Leadership was questioned in the ranks, with soldiers openly wishing for the return of the colorful and charismatic General Charles Lee.[10] Washington sent a missive to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia asking for some direction—specifically, if New York City, which then occupied only the southern tip of Manhattan Island, should be abandoned and burned to the ground. "They would derive great conveniences from it, on the one hand, and much property would be destroyed on the other," Washington wrote.[11]
Geography
York Island was occupied principally on the southern tip (now
Planning
Washington, uncertain of General Howe's next step, spread his troops thinly along the shores of York Island and the Westchester shore, and actively sought intelligence that would yield clues to Howe's plans. He also ordered an attempt against HMS Eagle, the flagship of General Howe's brother and commander of the Royal Navy at New York, Admiral Richard Howe. On September 7, in the first documented case of submarine warfare, Sergeant Ezra Lee volunteered to pilot the submersible Turtle to Eagle and attach explosives to the ship; the submersible's drill struck an iron band it could not penetrate, and Lee was unable to attach the required explosives. Lee was able to escape, although he was forced to release his explosive payload to fend off small boats sent by the British to investigate when he surfaced to orient himself. The payload exploded harmlessly in the East River.[15]
Meanwhile, British troops, led by General Howe, were moving north up the east shore of the East River, towards
On September 5, General Nathanael Greene, recently returned to duty from a serious illness, sent Washington a letter urging an immediate withdrawal from New York. Without possession of Long Island, Greene argued, New York City could not be held. With the army scattered in encampments on York Island, the Americans would not be able to stop a British attack. Another decisive defeat, he argued, would be catastrophic with regard to the loss of men and the damage to morale. He also recommended burning the city; once the British had control, it could never be recovered without a comparable or superior naval force. There was no American benefit to preserving New York City, Greene summarized, and recommended that Washington convene a war council.[18] By the time the council was gathered on September 7, however, a letter had arrived from John Hancock stating Congress's resolution that although New York should not be destroyed, Washington was not required to defend it.[19][20] Congress had also decided to send a three-man delegation to confer with Lord Howe—John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Edward Rutledge.[21]
Preparations
On September 10, British troops moved from Long Island to occupy
In a September 12 war council, Washington and his generals made the decision to abandon New York City. Four thousand Continentals under
General Howe had originally planned a landing for September 13, recalling the date of James Wolfe's key landing before the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759. He and General Clinton disagreed on the point of attack, with Clinton arguing that a landing at King's Bridge would have cut Washington off once and for all. Howe originally wanted to make two landings, one at Kip's Bay and another at Horn's Hook, further north (near modern 90th Street) on the eastern shore. He struck the latter option when ship's pilots warned of the dangerous waters of the Hell Gate, where the Harlem River and waters of Long Island Sound meet the East River. After delays due to unfavorable winds, the landing, targeted for Kip's Bay, began on the morning of September 15.[26]
Landing
Admiral Howe sent a noisy
Around eleven, the five warships began a salvo of broadside fire that flattened the flimsy American
Although Washington and his aides arrived from the command post at Harlem Heights soon after the landing began, they were unable to rally the retreating militia. About a mile (1.6 km) inland from Kip's Bay, Washington rode his horse among the men, trying to turn them around and impose some order on them, cursing furiously and violently. By some accounts, he lost control of his temper; he brandished a cocked pistol and drew his sword, threatening to run men through and shouted, "Take the walls! Take the cornfield!" When no one obeyed, he threw his hat to the ground, exclaiming in disgust, "Are these the men with which I am to defend America?"[28] When some fleeing men refused to turn and engage a party of advancing Hessians, Washington reportedly struck some of their officers with his riding crop.[29] The Hessians shot or bayoneted a number of American troops who were trying to surrender. Two thousand Continental Army troops under the command of Generals Samuel Parsons and John Fellows arrived from the north, but at the sight of the chaotic militia retreat, they also turned and fled. Washington, still in a rage, rode within a hundred yards of the enemy, "stupefied, immobilized by his seething fury, was heedless. One of his men grabbed the reins of his horse and hurried Washington to a safer place."[30]
More and more British soldiers came ashore, including light
General Putnam had come north with some of his troops when the landing began. After briefly conferring with Washington about the risk of entrapment to his forces in the city, he rode south to lead their retreat. Abandoning supplies and equipment that would slow them down, his column, under the guidance of his aide Aaron Burr, marched north along the Hudson.[33] The forced march of Putnam's men was so quick, and the British advance sufficiently slow, that only the last companies in Putnam's column skirmished with the advancing British.[34] When Putnam and his men marched into the main camp at Harlem after dark, they were greeted by cheers, having been given up for lost. Henry Knox arrived later after a narrow escape made possible by seizing a boat on the Hudson and he too received an excited and enthusiastic greeting, and was even embraced by Washington.[35]
Aftermath
The British were welcomed by the remaining New York City population, pulling down the Continental Army flag and raising the Union Flag. Howe, who had wanted to capture New York quickly and with minimal bloodshed, considered the invasion a complete success. Not wanting to continue battling with the Americans that day, Howe stopped his troops short of Harlem.[36][37]
Washington was extremely angry with his troops' conduct, calling their actions "shameful" and "scandalous".[38] The Connecticut militia, who already had a poor reputation, were labeled cowards and held to blame for the rout. However, others were more circumspect, such as General William Heath, who said, "The wounds received on Long Island were yet bleeding; and the officers, if not the men, knew that the city was not to be defended."[38] If the Connecticut men had stayed to defend York Island under the withering cannon fire and in the face of overwhelming force, they would have been annihilated.[38]
The next day, September 16, there was further fighting when a clash of outposts escalated into a running battle below Washington's lines on Harlem Heights.[39] After several hours exchange of musketry, the forces engaged returned to their start lines, and the position of the two armies on Manhattan remained relatively unchanged for the next two months. Having held their own against picked British troops, the American army received a much needed boost to their morale after the debacle of the previous day, while the British acquired a renewed respect for the American ability to stand and fight.
See also
- American Revolutionary War §British New York counter-offensive. The ‘Landing at Kip’s Bay’ placed in overall sequence and strategic context.
Notes
- ^ McCullough, 1776
- ^ a b c McCullough, 1776, p. 211
- ^ a b McCullough, 1776, p. 210
- ^ Brooks, Victor and Hohwald, Robert, How America Fought Its Wars, p. 64
- ^ Lengel, General George Washington, p. 154
- ^ Schecter, The Battle for New York, pp. 85, 97
- ^ Schecter, The Battle for New York, pp. 100, 118–127
- ^ McCullough, 1776, pp. 188–191
- ^ Gallagher, John. Battle of Brooklyn 1776, p. 158
- ^ McCullough, 1776, pp. 201–202
- ^ McCullough, 1776, p. 203
- ^ See accompanying map.
- ^ Schecter, p. 181
- ^ Schecter, p. 182
- ^ Schecter, The Battle for New York, pp. 171–174
- ^ McCullough, 1776, pp. 203–204
- ^ Grizzard, Jr., Frank E. George! A Guide to All Things Washington, p. 167
- ^ McCullough, 1776, pp. 205–206
- ^ McCullough, 1776, p. 206
- ^ Middlekauff, The Glorious Cause, p. 354
- ^ McCullough, 1776, p. 207
- ^ McCullough, 1776, pp. 207–208
- ^ McCullough, 1776, p. 208
- ^ a b c Fischer, Washington's Crossing, p. 102
- ^ a b McCullough, 1776, pp. 208–209
- ^ Schecter, The Battle for New York, pp. 179–182
- ^ McCullough, 1776, pp. 210–211
- ^ McCullough, 1776, p. 212
- ^ Middlekauff, The Glorious Cause, p. 355
- Wikidata Q59297825
- ^ McCullough, 1776, pp. 211–213
- ^ McCullough, 1776, p. 213
- ^ Schecter, The Battle for New York, pp. 184–188
- ^ Schecter, p. 191
- ^ McCullough, 1776, pp. 213–214
- ^ McCullough, 1776, pp. 212–213
- ^ Matloff, American Military History, p. 65
- ^ a b c McCullough, 1776, pp. 214–215
- ^ McCullough, 1776, p. 216
References
- Brooks, Victor; Hohwald, Robert (1999). How America Fought Its Wars. Conshohocken, PA: Combined Publishing. ISBN 978-1-58097-002-0.
- Grizzard, Frank E Jr. (2005). George! A Guide to All Things Washington. Mariner. ISBN 0-9768238-0-2.
- ISBN 0-7432-2671-2.
- ISBN 0-19-517034-2.
- ISBN 978-0-19-516247-9.
- Lengel, Edward (2005). General George Washington. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks. ISBN 978-1-4000-6081-8.
- Matloff, Maurice (1969). American Military History. Washington, D.C.: ISBN 0-938289-72-1.
- Schecter, Barnet (2002). The Battle for New York. New York: Walker. ISBN 0-8027-1374-2.