NY, USA

George Washington

1732–1799 · Continental Army Commander-in-Chief · General

1732–1799

Continental Army Commander-in-Chief · General

George Washington arrived in New York in the spring of 1776 as the newly appointed commander-in-chief of the Continental Army, charged with holding a city that both sides recognized as the most strategically important in North America. He had spent the previous year organizing the siege of Boston and forcing the British evacuation, and he brought to New York a reputation for tenacity, though his experience managing large-scale conventional engagements was limited. The army under his command was a mix of veteran soldiers and newly enlisted men, poorly equipped and facing a professional British force that would arrive with overwhelming naval and land strength.

The campaign for New York proved to be the most dangerous sequence of weeks in Washington's military career. The British landing on Long Island on August 22, 1776, and the subsequent Battle of Long Island on August 27 shattered his defensive line and nearly trapped the entire army. Only a masterful nighttime evacuation across the East River preserved his forces from capture. The following weeks brought a cascading series of retreats — from Manhattan at Kip's Bay, from Harlem Heights where he briefly held the British off, and ultimately from White Plains and across the Hudson into New Jersey. The fall of Fort Washington on November 16 delivered nearly 2,800 Americans into British captivity and seemed to many observers to signal the collapse of the Continental cause.

Washington's return to New York on November 25, 1783 — Evacuation Day — completed a seven-year arc that had begun in catastrophic defeat and ended in total British withdrawal. He rode through cheering crowds to the same city he had been driven from in disarray, and within days he delivered his farewell address to his officers at Fraunces Tavern. The New York campaign had demonstrated both the limits of his generalship in set-piece battle and the qualities — resilience, strategic patience, and the ability to hold an army together through disaster — that ultimately made American victory possible.

In New York City

Aug 1776
Battle of Long Island(Continental Army Commander-in-Chief)
The Battle of Long Island on August 27, 1776, was the largest engagement of the Revolutionary War. General Howe landed approximately 20,000 troops on the western end of Long Island and executed a flanking march through the unguarded Jamaica Pass that rolled up the American left. Washington's army of roughly 10,000, many of them inexperienced militia, was driven back to Brooklyn Heights with heavy losses. The disaster was compounded by a two-day rainstorm that made evacuation difficult. On the night of August 29-30, Washington organized a desperate retreat across the East River to Manhattan, using every available boat. The entire army crossed in a single night, with a fortuitous morning fog covering the final boats. The army was saved, but the defeat made clear that New York could not be held.
Sep 1776
British Occupation of New York Begins(Continental Army Commander-in-Chief)
British forces landed at Kip's Bay on September 15, 1776, and took control of Manhattan after American militia units broke and ran under naval bombardment. Washington reportedly cried out in frustration as his troops fled without firing a shot. The British occupation of New York that began that day would last over seven years — the longest occupation of any American city during the war. New York became the British military headquarters, a Loyalist refuge, and a center of intelligence operations. The occupation transformed the city's population, economy, and physical landscape. Many patriot residents fled, replaced by Loyalists from across the colonies. The city that the British eventually abandoned in 1783 was fundamentally different from the one they had captured.
Sep 1776
The Great Fire of New York(Continental Army Commander-in-Chief)
A massive fire broke out in lower Manhattan on September 21, 1776, just days after the British occupied the city. The blaze destroyed approximately 500 buildings — roughly a quarter of the city. The British suspected American sabotage, though the cause was never definitively established. Washington had proposed burning the city to deny it to the British, but Congress had refused. Whether the fire was arson or accident, the destruction devastated the city's housing stock and contributed to the overcrowding and suffering that characterized the occupation. Burned-out districts remained rubble throughout the war, and many residents were forced into makeshift shelters.
Nov 1776
Fall of Fort Washington(Continental Army Commander-in-Chief)
Fort Washington, the last American position on Manhattan, fell to a British and Hessian assault on November 16, 1776. Nearly 3,000 American troops were captured — the largest loss of prisoners until the fall of Charleston in 1780. Margaret Corbin was wounded during the battle while manning her husband's cannon after he was killed. The loss was a blow to American morale and demonstrated the futility of trying to hold fixed positions against overwhelming force. Washington had been persuaded against his better judgment to maintain the garrison, and the capture reinforced his growing conviction that the Continental Army must avoid pitched battles it could not win.
Nov 1783
Evacuation Day(Continental Army Commander-in-Chief)
On November 25, 1783, the last British troops departed New York City, and Washington led the Continental Army into the city in a triumphal procession. The event, known as Evacuation Day, was celebrated in New York as a holiday for decades. A final act of British defiance — nailing the Union Jack to a greased flagpole at the Battery — was overcome when an American soldier climbed the pole and replaced it with the Stars and Stripes. The departure marked the end of over seven years of occupation and the effective conclusion of the war. Washington hosted a farewell dinner for his officers at Fraunces Tavern on December 4, where he famously embraced each officer in an emotional farewell before departing for Annapolis to resign his commission.
Dec 1783
Washington's Farewell at Fraunces Tavern(Continental Army Commander-in-Chief)
On December 4, 1783, George Washington gathered his remaining officers at Fraunces Tavern in lower Manhattan for a farewell dinner. After eight years of war, Washington was preparing to resign his commission and return to private life — a decision that astonished Europeans accustomed to victorious generals seizing power. Washington reportedly said, "With a heart full of love and gratitude, I now take leave of you." He then embraced each officer individually. Henry Knox, his chief of artillery, was the first. Many men wept openly. Washington then walked to the Whitehall slip and boarded a barge for New Jersey, beginning his journey to Annapolis. The scene at Fraunces Tavern became one of the most celebrated moments in the nation's founding narrative.
Apr 1789
Washington's First Inauguration at Federal Hall(Continental Army Commander-in-Chief)
On April 30, 1789, George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States on the balcony of Federal Hall at the corner of Wall and Nassau Streets. Chancellor Robert R. Livingston administered the oath. Washington wore a suit of American-made brown broadcloth — a deliberate gesture toward domestic manufacturing. The crowd that gathered below was enormous by the standards of the day. Washington's inaugural address, delivered in the Senate chamber inside, was brief and uncharacteristically hesitant — he was genuinely uncertain about his fitness for the role. He received no salary for his military service and initially intended to decline the presidential salary as well, though he was persuaded to accept it. After the ceremony, Washington and members of Congress walked to St. Paul's Chapel for a service of thanksgiving, establishing a precedent followed by several of his successors.

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