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THE
BATTLE FOR NEW YORK
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George
Washington
(Metropolitan Museum of Art) On July 3, 1775, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, Washington took command of his ill-trained troops and embarked upon a war that was to last eight grueling years. |
General
Charles Lee
(New York Public Library) Washington's second-in-command, Lee was born in England and fought for the Americans during the Revolution; he was particularly valued for his previous experience in the British army. |
General
George Clinton
(The City of New York, John Trumbull,1791) George Clinton commanded the troops at Battle of Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton (1776), while he was also Governor of New York State. In appreciation for his unswerving loyalty and effectiveness, George Washington and George Clinton rode together into NYC to formally take possession after the departure of the British (Evacuation Day, 1783). |
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General
Nathanael Greene
(Library of Congress) Nathanael Greene was one of the most trusted generals of the Revolutionary army as well as a friend and comrade-in-arms of Washington. |
Lord Stirling
(Wadsworth Atheneum) William Alexander, Lord Stirling, considered himself a British Lord through his family lineage and it is a curious inconsistency that he was called Lord Stirling throughout the war, even by Washington. Stirling commanded troops from New Jersey and appears to have been in charge of the Artificers, skilled craftsmen who repaired camp and military equipment. |
General
John Sullivan
(New York Public Library) While a prisoner of war, Sullivan served as an intermediary between Gen. Howe's brother, Adm. Richard Howe, and the Continental Congress, carrying the admiral's peace proposals. |
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Comte
de Rochambeau
(New-York Historical Society) Rochambeau and Washington designed an elaborate plan of attack to trap Gen. Cornwallis in Virginia. They rushed their troops south from New York to Virginia and surrounded the city of Yorktown. |
Comte
d'Estaing
(Library of Congress) D'Estaing was one of the earliest French military leaders sent to America by France. He arrived in July of 1778. His fleet suffered severe damages during the Seiges of Newport and Savannah. |
Comte
de Grasse
(Library of Congress) After a naval battle with Admiral Thomas Graves in September of 1781, Admiral de Grasse controlled the Chesapeake. This was vital because he cut off Cornwallis from any reinforcements by way of the sea. He also eliminated Cornwallis' escape route, since the Yorktown River emptied right into de Grasse's hands. Without de Grasse's naval blockade of the Chesapeake Bay and Yorktown River, Cornwallis could have easily evaded the combined Franco-American troops and the war would have continued. |