General Lee Fails to Reinforce

After White Plains, Washington ordered General Charles Lee to bring his force from the Hudson Highlands south to reinforce the main army for the New Jersey campaign. Lee was slow to comply — inexplicably slow, given the urgency of Washington's situation. He delayed for weeks, offering various justifications and at times appearing to pursue an independent strategy of his own.

Lee was captured by a British patrol at Basking Ridge, New Jersey, on December 13, 1776 — partly the result of his own carelessness in lodging away from his troops at a tavern. His capture removed him from the equation and forced Washington to absorb his force under other commanders. Washington had mixed feelings about Lee: he was a former British officer with professional credentials Washington lacked, but his conduct during the retreat demonstrated that his judgment could not be relied upon.

The episode illustrated a recurring problem in the Continental Army's command structure: Washington commanded in theory but did not always command in practice, because Congress had created a system in which senior generals could challenge his decisions and Congress itself might intervene. Lee's delay cost the army reinforcements it needed during one of the most dangerous weeks of the war.