Fort Lee

“New York is a Post of infinite importance both to them and us, and much depends on priority of possession.” General George Washington to Jonathan Trumbull, Sr., Governor of Connecticut, March 14, 1776

It’s November 1776—the ink had barely dried on the Declaration of Independence, and the new United States was well into its second year of war against the British. All summer, all eyes had been on New York City. The British badly wanted to win and keep control of the city, strategic for its deep-water harbors, significant Loyalist population, and the many advantages of its location on the Hudson River. So far, British General Sir William Howe kept it firmly in his embrace, and American defeats at Long Island, Kip’s Bay, and White Plains were devastating tactically and for patriot morale. Patriots only had two footholds in Manhattan now, under the direction of General Nathanael Greene. Everything that stood in the way of a total British occupation of New York City surrounds you--a 2,000-man garrison at Fort Lee, and a 2,900-man garrison across the river at Fort Washington. The British victories here at Fort Lee and Fort Washington will secure New York for the British, drive Washington to undertake a series of daring maneuvers that became known as the 10 Crucial Days.