Northern Theater

The New York and New Jersey campaign was the opening major struggle of the American Revolutionary War fought for control of New York Harbor and the surrounding region, running from the summer of 1776 through January 1777. It pitted the British army of General Sir William Howe against George Washington's Continental Army. Howe succeeded in pushing Washington's forces out of New York City, but his attempt to extend British control across New Jersey collapsed, leaving Britain with only a handful of outposts near the city by the campaign's end. New York Harbor itself remained in British hands for the rest of the war, serving as a launching point for later operations elsewhere in North America.

The fighting began when Howe landed unopposed on Staten Island on July 3, 1776, with an army built from troops evacuated from Boston earlier that year, fresh reinforcements from Britain, and hired Hessian soldiers from various German states. Washington's army, drawn from ten of the thirteen colonies including troops from as far away as Virginia, faced Howe on Long Island in August and suffered defeat in the largest battle fought in North America during the war. Despite this, Washington managed a skillful nighttime retreat to Manhattan under cover of fog. More setbacks followed in Manhattan, though the Americans won a small victory at Harlem Heights before Washington withdrew to White Plains. Howe then turned back to Manhattan and seized the remaining American garrison there.

Washington led his shrinking army across the Hudson into Rockland County, then through New Jersey and over the Delaware into Pennsylvania, losing men steadily to expired enlistments, desertion, and low morale. When Howe settled his troops into winter quarters stretching from New York City to Burlington, Washington struck back, capturing the Trenton garrison on December 26, 1776, an attack that lifted American spirits and forced the British to pull their outposts back toward New Brunswick and the coast. Washington then made his winter camp at Morristown, and both armies spent the following months in frequent small clashes across New Jersey as the British searched for supplies. Britain kept its hold on New York City until the war's end in 1783. The next year, Howe shifted his focus to capturing Philadelphia while Sir Henry Clinton took charge around New York, and General John Burgoyne's push south from Quebec to seize the Hudson Valley ended in defeat at Saratoga.

Written by Aubrey Research from New York and New Jersey campaign on Wikipedia, cited as a reference and not reproduced.

Chronology

Fighting in the northern theater spanned 1775 to 1782. Select a year to see the engagements of that campaign season across all theaters.

Where these engagements were fought

Select a marker to see the engagement and open its page.

Notable engagements

Plus 115 further documented engagements in the Northern Theater record.

By state

Each state hub covers the engagements fought there, the forces involved and its chronology.

Battlefield locations and boundaries are compiled from public records, including the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program (public domain) and the American Revolution GIS work of Charles E. Frye (CC BY-SA 4.0).