General William Howe.
The New York Campaign was a military campaign of the North American Rebellion conducted by the British Army under General William Howe in the summer and fall of 1776.
When Howe was appointed Commander-in-Chief of British forces in North America in October 1775 during the Siege of Boston, he already intended to capture New York City when he had sufficient forces. Howe was forced to evacuate Boston in March 1776, going first to the naval base at Halifax, Nova Scotia to regroup and await the arrival of reinforcements, before launching his attack. George Washington, who had been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the rebel Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress, was fully aware of New York's importance, and he marched to the area after the British evacuation from Boston.
Howe sailed from Halifax in June with 9,000 men, making his first landing on Staten Island unopposed on 3 July 1776. Howe assembled an army composed of elements that had been withdrawn from Boston, combined with additional British troops, as well as Hessian auxiliaries hired from several German principalities. Washington, uncertain where Howe would strike, divided his own army between fortified positions in Manhattan, Long Island, and locations on the mainland, as well as a "flying camp" in northern New Jersey. In late August, Howe transported 22,000 men, including 9,000 Hessians, to Long Island. An attack on the rebels on 27 August forced them back to their fortifications on Brooklyn Heights. Howe began to lay siege to the fortifications, but Washington was able to successfully evacuate his army to Manhattan. An attempt by Howe and his brother Admiral Lord Richard Howe, to negotiate a settlement with John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Edward Rutledge proved fruitless, as the two sides held irreconcilable positions.
General George Washington.
Howe landed 12,000 men in New York City in lower Manhattan on 15 September, quickly taking control of the city. The rebel army retreated to Harlem Heights at the north end of Manhattan. An attempt by Howe to outflank Washington led the latter to evacuate Manhattan for the town of White Plains on the mainland. Following a short battle on 28 October Washington retreated further north. Howe captured Fort Washington on Manhattan on 16 November, followed by the capture of Fort Lee, New Jersey four days later. Howe sent his subordinate General Charles Cornwallis after Washington, who retreated across New Jersey and crossed the Delaware River into Pennsylvania. Howe also sent General Henry Clinton to capture Newport, Rhode Island, which fell to him on 8 December.
By this time Washington's army had dwindled to 5,000 men, most of whose enlistments were due to expire at the end of the year. Meanwhile, Howe's capture of New York led to his being knighted by King George III. The Rebellion appeared to be almost at an end, and Howe was convinced that one more year's campaign would be sufficient to crush it. He established a series of outposts in New Jersey and began laying plans for a three-pronged attack in the spring of 1777 against Philadelphia, Albany, and New England. Howe's plans were thrown into disarray when Washington unexpectedly launched a counterattack against British forces in Trenton and Princeton in late December and early January. General Cornwallis was forced to withdraw his forces closer to New York, and Howe gave up on his planned attacks on Albany and New England and focused on a planned major attack on Philadelphia. At the same time, Washinton's successes in New Jersey allowed the Rebellion to continue for another two years.