In what proved to be the largest battle of the Revolutionary War in terms of total combatants, Washington’s forces on August 22, 1776, were flanked out of their positions atop the Gowanus Heights (part of today’s modern Brooklyn) and soundly defeated by William Howe's roughly 20,000 man force on Long Island.Ĭonfronted by a powerful British army to his front and the East River to his back, Washington rapidly formulated a risky plan to save his threatened army atop Brooklyn Heights.
Unlike the successful Siege of Boston, the efforts to defend the city of New York ended in near disaster for the Continental Army and the cause of independence. Washington and the Continental army narrowly escaped total destruction in the New York campaign of 1776 This man sent home to you, one after another, five of your best generals, baffled, their Heads bare of Laurels, disgraced even in the Opinion of their Employers.” And as Benjamin Franklin would famously state, “n American planter, who had never seen Europe, was chosen by us to Command our Troops, and continued during the whole War. His verve, impressive physical presence, and command instincts helped to hold together an ill-equipped force that outlasted his more experienced opponents. He also witnessed, firsthand, how vulnerable British formations could be in the rough, timbered frontier land that predominated in North America.
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Washington had learned many important command principles from the British regular officers that he marched with during the French & Indian War and British army manuals that he studied. In 1754 Washington commanded roughly 100 regulars and 300 militia at the ill-fated Battle of Fort Necessity.ĭespite this seeming lack of experience in managing large army formations, Washington brought a number of strengths to his new position as commander of the Continental Army. Leading up to the French & Indian War, Washington had ably commanded the Virginia Regiment, but this provincial military unit never had more than 2,000 men in its ranks. But by European standards Washington’s experience in commanding large conventional armies was non-existent. George Washington was but one of only a handful of candidates considered by the Second Continental Congress who possessed any significant military experience. Prior to his appointment as head of the Continental Army, Washington had never commanded a large army in the field During this visit, Washington and Rochambeau refined their plan for defeating Charles Cornwallis’ forces trapped on the York Peninsula. In September 1781, as the combined American and French forces made their way down to Yorktown, Virginia, Washington was able to make a brief visit to his home along the Potomac River. What Washington did not realize at the time was that it would be six long years of battle, marching, siege, crises, and winter encampments before Washington had an opportunity to return to his beloved Mount Vernon. Not only did Washington have the most military experience amongst the Congressional delegates, but as John Adams pointed out there were also great political advantages in having a someone outside of New England take command of a military force that was congregated around Boston and largely made up of New Englanders.Īrriving shortly after the conclusion of the Battle of Bunker Hill, Washington moved swiftly to assume command of the ragtag forces surrounding besieging the British garrison within the city of Boston. On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress, responding to the growing crisis near Boston, directed that one of its own constituents – George Washington – take command of the newly designated Continental Army. Washington was appointed commander of the Continental Army on June 14, 1775
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