Washington's Immortals

by Patrick K. O'Donnell

  Stymied at Throgs Neck, General William Howe ordered a retreat. But instead of immediately reembarking on their landing boats, he and his men camped on the tip of the peninsula for several days, giving Washington precious time to regroup. Eventually, Howe ordered his men back on their boats and headed three miles up the coast to Pell’s Point, near present-day Pelham Bay. Again, the Patriots were ready and waiting. The officers devised a unique strategy to take advantage of the terrain. They ordered their men to lie behind the numerous stone walls in the area. When the Redcoats approached, the first line of riflemen rose, fired a volley, and retreated. Believing the entire American force was on the run, the British mounted a bayonet charge. As the enemy approached, the second line of Patriots rose up and fired at point-blank range.

  Pell’s Point provides an example of the evolving style of war in the Revolution. As the war progressed, Marylanders were in the forefront of helping pioneer an American style of combat. That reflex to adapt flourished from the start and it remains evident to the present day. Tactically, the Americans tended to concentrate their firepower on a specific point in the battlefield where it had the greatest impact. They also developed defensive maneuvers that wore down the enemy, taking advantage of the terrain and making the best use possible of the militia and Continentals they had at their disposal. At the strategic level, the Americans used intelligence as a force multiplier, helping them position their troops to the best advantage. In addition, the Marylanders and the rest of the American troops relied on speed and flexibility, combined with judicious risk taking; they avoided needlessly wasting men’s lives for operations that didn’t produce results.

  The British army had already mastered its style of combat when the war began. It had established rules for its soldiers to follow in battle—a European style of fighting. As the war progressed, it began to see the need to revise those rules, and it adapted. Both the American army and the British army were readjusting their forces, tactics, and strategy to fight the Revolution. A race ensued. The winner would be the army that could reshape itself faster.

  Pell’s Point also demonstrated the decisive impact elite units could have on the battlefield. The delaying tactics used by the skilled Patriot defenders killed and wounded around two hundred British and Hessians; but more important, these tactics gave Washington time to reposition his men. On the recommendation of his chief rival, General Charles Lee, Washington moved the main body of his army from Harlem north to White Plains, leaving a group of twelve hundred men behind to reinforce the garrison at Fort Washington on the north end of Manhattan, at the highest point on the island. Lee had recently returned from Charleston, South Carolina, where he successfully repelled a British invasion.14 Based on this success combined with his prior command experience, Congress held Lee in very high esteem, and he now appeared as an alternative for the position of commander in chief. The Marylanders once again formed part of the rear guard and were one of the final regiments to leave Westchester County before rejoining the army at White Plains.

  14. The bulk of the British army in the summer of 1776 was concentrated in New York, but a small expedition led by Sir Henry Clinton attempted to seize Charleston, South Carolina, on June 28, 1776, in an effort to roll back the Revolution in the South. The British had not yet devised a coordinated strategy to deal with the rebellion, nor did they have an accurate view of the scope or magnitude of the rebellion and the number of Loyalists and Patriot Americans—a flaw in strategy that persisted throughout most of the war. To take Charleston, Clinton first had to neutralize its harbor defenses at Fort Moultrie. The operation turned into a disaster when three ships ran aground in the shallow waters around the fort and the American garrison repelled a British landing force. The British navy shelled the fort to no avail; many of the cannonballs reportedly bounced harmlessly off the spongy palmetto log walls of the fort, inspiring South Carolina’s nickname, the Palmetto State. After thirteen hours of intense combat, the British withdrew from Charleston and most of the South.

  Lee was one of the most bizarre and brilliant general officers in the American Revolution. He began his career in the French and Indian War and later saw action in Portugal and the Russo-Turkish War. Returning to America, he married the daughter of a Mohawk chief, who gave him his nickname Boiling Water, a reference to his quick temper. His mercurial temperament has led some biographers to surmise that he may have been bipolar. Physically, he was often described as gangly, with a head too big for his body. Lee was also fairly careless with his appearance and somewhat slovenly. Known to be somewhat coarse, Lee frequently used obscene language. A great dog lover and rarely seen without his train of dogs, the general once quipped that dogs, unlike men, were faithful. In 1773 he moved to Virginia and volunteered to join the Patriots. He longed to be named commander in chief and viewed Washington as an incompetent rival.

  Despite his prickly demeanor, Lee offered Washington a piece of excellent advice and recommended the move to White Plains because it was more defensible and contained a supply depot. The move saved the army, which was about to be enveloped by the latest British landing. Taking full advantage of the topography, Washington placed his troops on the high ground behind the Bronx River. He sent the Maryland and Delaware forces, as well as some Connecticut regimentals and some militia to Chatterton’s Hill, a 180-foot-high crag on the right flank. There, approximately two thousand men hastily dug in and began constructing fortifications.

  While bivouacked outside White Plains, the Marylanders were, at times, within sight of the enemy on the opposite side of the Bronx River. Captain Samuel Smith recalled that on one occasion, he “conversed with a British officer on the opposite bank.” Smith asked about his friend, Major John André, with whom he had crossed the Atlantic prior to the war. The charismatic André was later hanged as a spy for his role in Benedict Arnold’s treason. During the conversation, “the British officer advised him to retire, lest he might be shot by the [Hessian] Yagers, over whom he had no control.”

  This was a time of great sickness and hardship for the American army. During the retreats from Long Island and Brooklyn, it had lost the bulk of its baggage, including the tents. As a result, many soldiers became ill from exposure to the elements. One of the Maryland officers reported “near two hundred men unfit for duty and most them without any assistance from the Doctor.”

  By the time Howe had his entire army in place on October 28, the Americans had constructed a solid defense. Henry Clinton reported to Howe that he “could not from what I saw recommend a direct attack. . . . Their flanks were safe and their retreat practicable when they pleased.” The two armies exchanged cannon fire for several days. Washington deployed a force of approximately fifteen hundred, including some of the Marylanders, to check the advance of the British. Smallwood approached his men “and asked how many would go with him, to draw the British out.” According to a Maryland private, John Hughes, thirteen men volunteered. He continued describing the action:

  [I] with Twelve others from [my] company went out to the British Breast Work, made of rails etc. to keep off the musket Balls, and fired upon the Sentinels. A Cannon Ball was immediately returned by the British, which struck a Fence Rail upon the Breast Work, and threw a half of the Rail against [my] thigh, and shivered the bone to pieces from the knee up. [I] was immediately carried off in a litter, and did no more actual service after this accident.

  Howe put his army into formation. As the Marylanders gazed down from the top of Chatterton’s Hill, the situation must have looked insuperable to the now battle-hardened veterans. “The sun shone bright, their arms glittered, and perhaps troops never were shown to more advantage,” recalled one participant. Thirteen thousand strong, the British advanced. Smoke from artillery and shot filled the air. Captain Smith recalled, “A cannon commenced. . . . The enemy’s object appeared to be to disarm our artillery.”

  Howe detached several thousand of his men and twelve pieces of artillery to attack
Chatterton’s Hill. However, in order to get there, they had to get across the Bronx River, which was running high following recent rain. They paused to “construct a rough bridge by felling trees and laying fence rails across them.” Seeing the enemy temporarily halted, Smallwood led his men “more than halfway down the hill and opened fire, throwing the Hessians into disorder.” When they finally made it across the river, the Hessians charged through burning fields ignited by the artillery fire. As they navigated their way through a hail of lead and flame, they held their cartridge boxes above their heads to keep them from exploding. Four thousand men, led by the Hessians, surged forward toward the Marylanders atop the hill.

  One Marylander recalled the British approach: “The enemy advanced toward our lines in full view of headquarters, while a large body approached to the right, a warm engagement became and now continues with great fury.” Despite the approaching onslaught, Smith could not help admiring the British advance. “It was a gallant sight to see them, steadily, without falter, march up a very steep hill,” he wrote in his autobiography. “As the grenadiers ascended, however, they became the targets of their own artillery, which had to desist when the soldiers reached the top of the slope.”

  The Americans fired canister and grape into the oncoming enemy masses; the Royal Artillery responded with solid shot. One ball found its deadly mark. It “first took the head off . . . a stout heavy man and dash’d it open; then it took off Chilson’s arm, which was amputated. . . . It then took Taylor across the bowels; it then struck Sergt Garret of our company on the hip—took off the point of the hip bone. What a sight that was to see . . . men with legs and arms and packs all in a heap.” Marylander William Brooks recalled that “in this Battle he got his right leg broke and was sent from there to the hospital,” where he spent two months recovering. Captain Smith, whose company was in the rear of the action, reported the lethal effect of British artillery: “A ball struck the ground, and, in its rebound, took off the head of Sergeant Westlay,” after flying directly over Smith’s shoulder.

  The Americans repelled the first wave of the attack, which came up the east side. “[We marched] down the hill to attack the enemy . . . and a smart conflict ensued, in which the enemy gave way, but rallying again, and attacking the right of the brigade, lying again, and attacking compelled the militia aforeward.”

  Taking heavy casualties, the Hessians fought up the southern side of the hill. The militia panicked and “fled in confusion, without more than a random, scattering fire,” reported Colonel John Haslet, who commanded the Delaware troops on the hill positioned near the Marylanders. Since Brooklyn, the two forces had typically deployed together and often the Delaware men were operationally under the command of the Marylanders. The British pelted the Marylanders and the Delaware Regiment with a “very heavy fire of their artillery and musquetry for about half an hour.”

  At White Plains, Captain John Eager Howard of the Flying Camp was engaged in the battle. Now Washington sent Howard and his militia to the hill to cover the retreat of their fellow Marylanders serving under Smallwood.

  Delaware Captain Enoch Anderson reported watching as “a soldier of our Regiment was mortally wounded in this battle. He fell to the ground;—in falling, his gun fell from him. He picked it up,—turned on his face,—took aim at the British, who were ­advancing,—fired,—the gun fell from him,—he turned over on his back and expired.” Balls nipped Smallwood in the arm and hip, and scores of Marylanders went down under the fire.

  Even the dependable Marylanders were forced to withdraw. “The Americans overpowered by their numbers, were compelled to save themselves, as best they could,” recalled Smith. He himself “was so deeply engaged, that unapprised of their departure, he escaped with great ­difficulty—his men saving themselves by his orders.” In the course of the retreat, Smith was struck in the left arm “by a spent ball” but continued fighting. Later Smith “stopped with two men, behind a stone [wall]; where they took deliberate aim at an advanced party of the enemy. On visiting the spot afterwards blood was found.”

  Eventually, he found Colonel Smallwood, who was wounded in the wrist, and was able to round up “about a hundred stragglers, and marched them within the lines.” As he led his men into camp, they passed a New England regiment that was eating a meal. “A young private [from the other unit] rose and said, ‘I guess you have been in the action?’”

  “Yes,” Smith replied.

  “And maybe you have eat nothing today?” the private continued.

  “No, not for twenty-four hours,” answered Smith.

  Hearing those words, “The men all rose and would eat no more, until we had satisfied ourselves,” Smith said.

  In the larger battle, both sides took heavy casualties. According to Gist’s report, Maryland alone lost forty-six men and officers. A single Hessian volley reportedly took out ninety-two Americans, but the Patriots remained steadfast. One of the British officers observed, “The rebels had excellent positions at White Plains. They had made their defenses better than usual, and maintained their posts with extraordinary tenacity.”

  After ejecting the rebels from the hill, the British went about improving the defenses and then continued the pursuit. Gist recalled,

  Since the skirmish the Enemy have been exceedingly busy in erecting a Breast work on the Eminence they took from us. Yesterday morning having got prepared to open it upon us, the General [Washington] ordered us to abandon our front lines, which in our present situation was rendered useless to us. The Enemy immediately took possession of them, and Judging that we were making a precipitate retreat, formed the line, and advanced upon us with a large column to bring on the attack, the artillery on each side keeping up a smart fire, and they soon found their situation disagreeable, and as if ashamed of the attempt they sneakily skulked behind a wood, and retired unseen to the lines in much haste.

  Fighting and the harsh conditions that accompanied an army living in the field for several months continued to take a toll on the Marylanders. William Beatty wrote that the same day the Americans left White Plains “I being very unwell Crossed the North river for the purpose of going in the Country to recover my health and remained there for two weeks.”

  The Patriots reportedly inflicted more than three hundred casualties during the Battle of White Plains. When Washington ordered the entire army to retreat, they maintained order rather than fleeing as they had done at Kips Bay. The British had won the day, but at a heavy price. Washington and his men escaped the next day in a downpour, leaving the men at Fort Washington as the only American forces still on the island of Manhattan.

  Chapter 13

  Fort Washington

  At an elevation of 280 feet above the Hudson River, the stout earthen walls of Fort Washington bristled with more than 140 Patriot cannon. Rocky slopes and a sheer cliff gave the citadel a false aura of impregnability. Nearly three thousand Americans, including a contingent of Marylanders, manned its ramparts. Against his better judgment, George Washington had left the troops behind to guard the fort that bore his name. He relied on the advice of General Nathanael Greene, who argued that it was necessary to hold the fort to prevent the British navy from approaching up the Hudson River. Although the fort had an impressive array of works, it was poorly designed.15 There was no fuel, artillery casements, or a well within the fort. Water had to be hauled from the river below. A week earlier, American Adjutant William Demont, one of the war’s worst yet least known traitors, had fled the fort and deserted to British lines, revealing to the enemy the fort’s order of battle and its plans. This act of treason made it even more likely that the British would be able to overcome its flawed defenses.16

  15. The fort stretched for more than a mile from present-day George Washington Bridge.

  16. For the British, William Demont served as commissary of prisoners after the fall of Philadelphia and as an officer during the war.

  A group of Maryl
anders and Virginians, led by Colonel Moses Rawling and Major Otho Holland Williams, defended the northern slopes of the hill. Williams had spent his boyhood on a farm in a rural area of Maryland and then was apprenticed to be a clerk after his father died when Otho was only thirteen. He joined the Continental Army in 1775 as a first lieutenant and participated in the Siege of Boston, the Patriots’ successful attempt to keep the British bottled up in that city, before being assigned to the defense of Fort Washington. Williams’s inner circle of friends included Samuel Smith, Jack Steward, and Nathaniel Ramsay.

  To crush Fort Washington, General William Howe gathered the bulk of his army, nearly thirteen thousand men. In the morning hours of November 15, the British converged on three sides at once. Three thousand Hessians, including Colonel Johann Rall, landed in the north, while General Hugh Percy pressed from the east and Charles, Earl Cornwallis hit the fort from the south. The Hessians scaled a steep grade on the north side of the fort, fighting and maneuvering around the obstacles the Americans had placed in their path, all the while facing a deadly hail of bullets. For more than two hours, the Marylanders and others kept the mercenaries at bay by holding a crucial pass. During the extended fighting, many of their rifles became clogged from overuse. At first, Washington had “great hopes the enemy was entirely repulsed.” Eventually, however, the determined Hessian fighters made it to the top of the hill. Rall barked to his men, “All that are my grenadiers, march forwards!” The Hessians yelled, “Hurrah!” in response as the drums and horns sounded. As one, they surged toward the defenders.

  Rall pushed back the Americans on the southern and eastern slopes to the fort; therefore, more than twenty-eight hundred Americans were now trapped in a fort devoid of water and vulnerable to bombardment from British ships on the Hudson.

  After breaching the main ramparts, Rall sent a messenger with a white flag tied to a rifle to request the fort’s surrender. He demanded that the men give up their arms and ammunition. He assured them that they would be allowed to keep their personal effects. The Americans had just thirty minutes to decide. While Washington sent messages from the other side of the Hudson River encouraging them to hold out, Colonel Robert Magaw, the fort’s commander, didn’t believe they could last much longer. Rather than see his men slaughtered, Magaw surrendered. The British took 2,838 prisoners along with 140 brass and iron cannon.