Page:Cassell's Illustrated History of England vol 5.djvu/171

A.D. 1776.] annihilating the American army, and he now turned back to invest Fort Washington, on York Island, where Washington had imprudently left a garrison of three thousand men, including the works on Harlem Heights. This consisted of Macgaw's and Shea's Pennsylvanian regiments, Rawlin's Maryland rifles, and some of the militia of the flying camp. Greene, who commanded on the Jersey side, was of opinion that the position might be maintained.



The situation, indeed, was strong, the fortifications good, though not completely finished, and must be approached under a destructive fire. Yet it was too much isolated from the main body of the army to remain long defended. Washington hastened to examine its condition as soon as Howe fell back upon it, and led over some fresh reinforcements.

On the 15th of November Howe summoned the fort to surrender, on pain of being put to the sword. The next morning four different columns of English and Hessians began to ascend the heights. They had serious difficulties to overcome, various creeks and woods to cross, and; as they drew near the fort, were exposed to a most murderous fire. They had eight hundred men killed and wounded; but lord Percy carried the advanced works, and then the garrison threw down its arms and surrendered.

On the 18th lord Cornwallis crossed the North River with six thousand men, and, landing on the Jersey side, attacked Fort Lee, standing nearly opposite Fort Washington. The garrison fled, leaving behind all its tents standing, all its provisions and artillery. Washington was compelled by this to fall back from his position on the Croton, thence to Brunswick, Princeton, Trenton, and finally, to the Pennsylvanian side of the Delaware. Lord Cornwallis followed on his heels. "As the retreating Americans," says Ramsey, in his "History of the American Revolution," "marched through the country, scarcely one of the inhabitants joined them, whilst numbers were daily flocking to the royal army to make their peace and obtain protection." Not only the common people adopted this expedient, but many of the leading men in New Jersey and