Battle of Fort Lee

Battle of Fort Lee was an engagement during the American Revolutionary War that occurred on 27 November 1776 near Fort Lee, New Jersey. Following the Battle of Fort Washington and part of the New York and New Jersey campaign, the action resulted in the evacuation and capture of Fort Lee by forces under General William Howe. The operation forced George Washington and the Continental Army into retreat across the New Jersey countryside toward Princeton, contributing to the crisis that preceded the Crossing of the Delaware River and the subsequent Battle of Trenton.

Background

In the autumn of 1776 the British Army under William Howe executed an amphibious and overland campaign to seize New York City and control the Hudson River. After the Battle of Long Island and the British occupation of Brooklyn Heights, Howe aimed to isolate rebel forces by capturing Fort Washington and Fort Lee on opposite banks of the Hudson River. Washington, coordinating with Nathaniel Greene, Henry Knox, and Charles Lee, deployed detachments from the Main Army and local militia drawn from New Jersey militia units, New York militia, and elements arriving from Connecticut and Pennsylvania to hold river strongpoints. The fall of Fort Washington on 16 November 1776 allowed Howe and his subordinate, Charles Cornwallis, to threaten the position at Fort Lee and to secure control of the Harlem River approaches and Piermont supply lines.

Forces and Fortifications

Fort Lee, situated on the Palisades high ground overlooking the Hudson River, was garrisoned by Continental regulars and New Jersey militia under local commanders including William Alexander, Lord Stirling and Edward Hand. The fortifications included earthen works, abatis, and improvised breastworks facing the riverfront and land approaches toward Edgewater and Hackensack River. British forces marshaled regular infantry from units such as the 42nd Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Regiment), the 17th Regiment of Foot, grenadier and light infantry companies, and Hessian auxiliaries from contingents like the Hessische-Kürassier-Regiment. Naval support included ships of the Royal Navy that bombarded positions along the Hudson River shoreline and provided landing parties at Closter Landing and nearby coves. Intelligence and local guides, sometimes drawn from Loyalist communities in New Jersey, aided Howe and his brigadiers in identifying weak approaches. Washington’s logistical constraints — including shortages of artillery from Fort Ticonderoga shipments, depleted ammunition, and limited entrenchment tools — weakened the fort’s defensive utility despite efforts by engineers from the Continental Corps of Engineers.

The Battle

Following orders from Howe and reconnaissance by light infantry and guides, British columns under Cornwallis and Robert Pigot moved to cut off Fort Lee’s retreat routes on 27 November 1776. Skirmishing erupted along secondary roads near Hackensack, Palisades Interstate Park areas, and the Edgewater shoreline as British detachments advanced from New York City and aboard transports up the Hudson River. Continental pickets and rear guards, including elements from regiments commanded by John Sullivan and Alexander McDougall, fought delaying actions while Washington coordinated a withdrawal across the Hackensack River and toward Crosswicks and the Delaware River crossings at New Brunswick and Trenton. British artillery and naval guns harassed the fort from river positions, while Hessian jägers and British light infantry outflanked inland defenses near Bergen Neck. With routes threatened and supplies vulnerable, the garrison abandoned heavy ordnance, spiked guns, and several wagons; many men retreated toward Morristown and New Brunswick, while others were captured in rearguard actions. The action involved intermittent musketry, limited artillery exchanges, and several hand-to-hand clashes as British forces secured Fort Lee and established control of the riverbank.

Aftermath and Casualties

The British occupation of Fort Lee tightened Howe’s control of the Hudson Highlands and exposed Washington’s army to a dangerously demoralizing retreat through New Jersey during the winter of 1776. Continental losses included prisoners taken in rear-guard fights, abandoned matériel, and an erosion of manpower from units such as the 1st New Jersey Regiment, the 2nd New Jersey Regiment, and detachments of the Pennsylvania Line. British reports from units including the 22nd Regiment of Foot and grenadiers claimed fewer killed and wounded than Continental estimates recorded in muster rolls and correspondence from officers like Washington and Henry Knox. The strategic consequence was significant: the collapse at Fort Lee compelled Washington to execute the audacious Delaware River crossing on 25–26 December and the surprise attacks at Trenton and Princeton, which reversed British momentum.

Legacy and Commemoration

The capture of Fort Lee entered Revolutionary historiography alongside episodes like the New York and New Jersey campaign, the Retreat across New Jersey, and the Christmas night crossing of the Delaware River. Sites associated with the engagement are preserved in parts of the Fort Lee Historic Park and commemorated by markers placed by organizations such as the New Jersey Historical Commission, the National Park Service, and local historical societies in Bergen County. The event appears in memoirs and dispatches by participants including Washington, Howe, Cornwallis, and chroniclers like David Hackett Fischer and John Ferling in later histories. Annual reenactments, interpretive trails, and artifacts in institutions like the New Jersey Historical Society and the Museum of the American Revolution maintain public memory of the action and its role in shaping campaigns such as Sullivan's Expedition and subsequent operations in New Jersey.

Category:Battles of the American Revolutionary War Category:1776 in New Jersey