Fort Washington (New York)
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Fort Washington
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Layout of Fort Washington from an 1850 book
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Location in New York City
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| Nearest city | New York City, New York |
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| Coordinates | 40°51′10″N 73°56′17″W / 40.85278°N 73.93806°WCoordinates: 40°51′10″N 73°56′17″W / 40.85278°N 73.93806°W |
| Built | 1776 |
| NRHP Reference # | 78001871 |
| Added to NRHP | December 06, 1978 |
Fort Washington was a fortified position near the north end of Manhattan Island (now part of the New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights) and was located at the highest point on the island. The Fort Washington Site is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
During George Washington's defense of New York, during the American Revolution, Fort Washington and Fort Lee (on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River) were created both to prevent the British from going up river and to provide a secure escape route. General Washington realized he would have to defend New York but did not think he could hold it against the British.
Fort Washington was held by American forces under the command of Colonel Robert Magaw, who refused to surrender the fort to the British. He informed the British that he would fight to the last extremity.
In the Battle of Fort Washington, British General William Howe ordered the Hessian soldiers under Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, and other British soldiers, totaling around 8,000 men, to capture the fort from the Patriots. They did so on November 16, 1776, taking 2,818 prisoners and a large store of supplies. The British renamed it Fort Knyphausen.
The English had been materially assisted by one of Magaw's officers, William Demont, who on November 2 had deserted and furnished Howe with detailed plans of the American works. The American losses were 53 killed and 96 wounded in addition to the rest of the garrison taken prisoner. The British and Hessian troops suffered 132 killed and 374 wounded. 2838 American troops were taken prisoner and marched through the streets of New York to the jeering and mockery of the pro-British populace. Most of the prisoners were interned in British ships in New York harbor, where they were deliberately starved, or died of disease and cold in the bitter winter. At the exchange a year later, only 800 had survived.
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