Battle of Fort St. George

Last updated
Battle of Fort St. George
Part of the American Revolutionary War
FortSaintGeorgeLongIslandByTallmadge.jpg
Sketch by Benjamin Tallmadge of Fort St. George
DateNovember 23, 1780
Location
present-day Shirley, New York
Result American victory
Belligerents
Flag of the United States (1777-1795).svg  United States Union flag 1606 (Kings Colors).svg  Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Benjamin Tallmadge
Strength
80 61
Casualties and losses
1 wounded 7 killed
54 captured
numerous non-combatants also captured

The Battle of Fort St. George (or Fort George) was the culmination of a Continental Army raiding expedition led by Benjamin Tallmadge against a fortified Loyalist outpost and storage depot at the Manor St. George on the south coast of Long Island on November 23, 1780, during the American Revolutionary War. Tallmadge's raid was successful; the garrison was surprised, and many provisions and prisoners were taken.

Contents

Raid

Loyalist refugees from Rhode Island were resettled onto Long Island after the British withdrew their forces from Newport, Rhode Island in 1779. Some of these were established at Manor St. George on the southeastern part of the island (in present-day Shirley, New York). [1] They fortified the property, erecting a stockade 12 feet (3.7 m) high in a roughly triangular shape around the manor house. The stockade was lined with abatis (tree branches with sharpened points facing out) and a deep ditch. [2]

Major Benjamin Tallmadge led a force of about 80 men (drawn from his 2nd Continental Light Dragoons) that crossed Long Island Sound in whaleboats from Fairfield, Connecticut on November 21, 1780, landing at present-day Mt. Sinai. Leaving a guard of 20 men with the boats, the remaining men began to march across Long Island that evening, but bad weather forced them to return to the boats. After the weather improved, Tallmadge again set out on the evening of the 22nd, arriving near the property before dawn on the 23rd.

Ordering his men to leave their muskets unloaded and with bayonets fixed, Tallmadge divided his force into three, with each unit to attack one of the stockade's sides. Tallmadge's party was not spotted in the early dawn light until it was within 40 yards (37 m) of the stockade, and a sentry fired his weapon to raise the alarm. At this point Tallmadge's men rushed the stockade. Tallmadge's unit cut its way through the stockade while the other two units scaled the wall. According to Tallmadge's report the surprise was sufficient: the main house was surrounded and surrendered "in less than ten minutes". [2] However, some of the Loyalist garrison managed to reach a fortified house that formed part of the stockade. These men surrendered after a brief firefight. [2]

Aftermath

Tallmadge's force destroyed stores and took captive not just the armed defenders but a number of non-combatants as well. These were then marched across the island, and taken on Tallmadge's boats across to Fairfield. Tallmadge reported that only one of his men was wounded. Of the enemy he claimed that seven were killed and 54 wounded. [2]

Participating in the battle was Sgt. Elijah Churchill who would be awarded the first Badge of Military Merit, predecessor to the Purple Heart. [3]

The route Tallmadge used to cross the island is now known as the Tallmadge Trail. The Smith Estate and its 127 acres (51 ha) grounds are now a museum and public park operated by the township of Brookhaven.

This battle is depicted in season 4, episode 1 of the Revolutionary War spy thriller series, AMC's Turn: Washington's Spies .

See also

Notes

  1. Ward 1952, p. 623.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Ward 1952, p. 624.
  3. "History Of The Purple Heart Recipients". Essortment. High Speed Ventures. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2018.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathanael Greene</span> American military officer and planter (1748-1786)

Major-General Nathanael Greene was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as one of George Washington's most talented and dependable officers, and is known for his successful command in the Southern theater of the conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Charleston</span> 1780 battle of the American Revolutionary War

The siege of Charleston was a major engagement and major British victory in the American Revolutionary War, fought in the environs of Charles Town, the capital of South Carolina, between March 29 and May 12, 1780. The British, following the collapse of their northern strategy in late 1777 and their withdrawal from Philadelphia in 1778, shifted their focus to the North American Southern Colonies. After approximately six weeks of siege, Major General Benjamin Lincoln, commanding the Charleston garrison, surrendered his forces to the British. It was one of the worst U.S. defeats of the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Hope Bay raids</span> Series of military raids by British troops during the American Revolutionary War

The Mount Hope Bay raids were a series of military raids conducted by British troops during the American Revolutionary War against communities on the shores of Mount Hope Bay on May 25 and 31, 1778. The towns of Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island were significantly damaged, and Freetown, Massachusetts was also attacked, although its militia resisted British attacks more successfully. The British destroyed military defenses in the area, including supplies that had been cached by the Continental Army in anticipation of an assault on British-occupied Newport, Rhode Island. Homes as well as municipal and religious buildings were also destroyed in the raids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Great Bridge</span> Battle of the American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Great Bridge was fought December 9, 1775, in the area of Great Bridge, Virginia, early in the American Revolutionary War. The victory by colonial Virginia militia forces led to the departure of Royal Governor Lord Dunmore and any remaining vestiges of British power over the Colony of Virginia during the early days of the conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benjamin Tallmadge</span> 18th-century American military officer (1754–1835)

Benjamin Tallmadge was an American military officer, spymaster, and politician. He is best known for his service as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He acted as leader of the Culper Ring during the war, a celebrated network of spies in New York where major British forces were based. He also led a successful raid across Long Island that culminated in the Battle of Fort St. George. After the war, Tallmadge was elected to the US House of Representatives as a member of the Federalist Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Springfield</span> 1780 battle of the American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Springfield was fought during the American Revolutionary War on June 23, 1780, in Union County, New Jersey. After the Battle of Connecticut Farms, on June 7, 1780, had foiled Lieutenant General Wilhelm, Baron von Knyphausen's expedition to attack General George Washington's army at Morristown, New Jersey, Knyphausen and Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton, British commander-in-chief in North America, decided upon a second attempt. Although the British were initially able to advance, they were ultimately forced to withdraw in the face of newly arriving rebel forces, resulting in a Continental victory. The battle effectively ended British ambitions in New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culper Ring</span> 18th-century American spy ring

The Culper Ring was a network of spies active during the American Revolutionary War, organized by Major Benjamin Tallmadge and General George Washington in 1778 during the British occupation of New York City. The name "Culper" was suggested by George Washington and taken from Culpeper County, Virginia. The leaders of the spy ring were Abraham Woodhull and Robert Townsend, using the aliases of "Samuel Culper Sr." and "Samuel Culper Jr.", respectively; Tallmadge was referred to as "John Bolton".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Rhode Island Regiment</span> Continental Army regiment

The 1st Rhode Island Regiment was a regiment in the Continental Army raised in Rhode Island during the American Revolutionary War (1775–83). It was one of the few units in the Continental Army to serve through the entire war, from the siege of Boston to the disbanding of the Continental Army on November 3, 1783.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manor St. George</span>

Manor St. George or St. George's Manor was a large tract of land purchased by William "Tangier" Smith in the 17th century on Long Island, in central Suffolk County, New York. Parts of the original parcel, which was approximately 64,000 acres (260 km2) of land, are preserved in bits and pieces: 127 acres (0.51 km2) and the main house and buildings are called the Manor of St. George and located in Shirley; 35 acres (0.14 km2) and another house are called the Longwood Estate and located in Ridge; and 35 acres (0.14 km2) became part of the William Floyd Estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meigs Raid</span> Military raid by American Continental Army forces

The Meigs Raid was a military raid by American Continental Army forces, under the command of Connecticut Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs, on a British Loyalist foraging party at Sag Harbor, New York on May 24, 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. Six Loyalists were killed and 90 captured while the Americans suffered no casualties. The raid was made in response to a successful British raid on Danbury, Connecticut in late April that was opposed by American forces in the Battle of Ridgefield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Sullivan's Island</span> 1776 American Revolutionary War battle

The Battle of Sullivan's Island or the Battle of Fort Sullivan was fought on June 28, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War. It took place near Charleston, South Carolina, during the first British attempt to capture the city from American forces. It is also sometimes referred to as the first siege of Charleston, owing to a more successful British siege in 1780.

The Battle of Hanging Rock took place during the American Revolutionary War between the American Patriots and the British. It was part of a campaign by militia General Thomas Sumter to harass or destroy British outposts in the South Carolina back-country that had been established after the fall of Charleston in May 1780.

33°28'12.00"N, 81°58'30.00"W

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Associators</span> Military unit

Associators were members of 17th- and 18th-century volunteer military associations in the British American thirteen colonies and British Colony of Canada. These were more commonly known as Maryland Protestant, Pennsylvania, and American Patriot and British Loyalist colonial militias. But unlike militias, the associator military volunteers were exempt from regular mandatory military service. Other names used to describe associators were "Associations", "Associated", "Refugees", "Volunteers", and "Partisans".

Tryon's Raid occurred in July 1779, during the American Revolutionary War, in which 2700 men, led by British Major General William Tryon, raided the Connecticut ports of New Haven, Fairfield, and Norwalk. They destroyed military and public stores, supply houses, and ships as well as private homes, churches, and other public buildings. The raids were ineffectually resisted by militia forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Fort Slongo</span> 1781 battle of the American Revolution

The Battle of Fort Slongo was fought on October 3, 1781 between American Continental Army forces, under the command of Benjamin Tallmadge and Lemuel Trescott, and the British defenders of Fort Salonga, in the American Revolutionary War. The fort was located near the border of present-day Huntington Township and Smithtown, New York, overlooking Long Island Sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Setauket</span> Part of the American Revolutionary War

The Battle of Setauket was a failed attack during the American Revolutionary War on a fortified Loyalist outpost in Setauket, Long Island, New York, by a force of Continental Army troops from Connecticut under the command of Brigadier General Samuel Holden Parsons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Savage's Old Fields</span> 1775 Siege of the American Revolutionary War

The siege of Savage's Old Fields was an encounter between Patriot and Loyalist forces in the back country town of Ninety Six, South Carolina, early in the American Revolutionary War. It was the first major conflict in South Carolina in the war, having been preceded by bloodless seizures of several military fortifications in the province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Bull's Ferry</span>

The Battle of Bull's Ferry on 20 and 21 July 1780 saw two American brigades under Brigadier General Anthony Wayne attack a party of Loyalist Americans led by Thomas Ward. The Loyalists successfully defended a blockhouse against an ineffective bombardment by four American artillery pieces and a failed attempt to storm the position by Wayne's infantry. During the action, American light dragoons under Major Light Horse Harry Lee drove off a large number of cattle that were kept in the area for the use of the British army in New York City. The clash inspired British Major John André to write a satirical ballad entitled The Cow Chace. The skirmish was fought at Bulls Ferry, New Jersey in the Northern theater of the American Revolutionary War after Saratoga. At this stage of the conflict only raids and minor actions occurred in the north.

Caleb Brewster was a member of the Culper spy ring during the American Revolutionary War, reporting to General George Washington through Major Benjamin Tallmadge. He carried messages across Long Island Sound between Major Tallmadge and the ring's main spies on Long Island, New York, and in New York City. He also made direct reports to Washington concerning naval activities in the New York City area.

References

40°45′21.9″N72°52′50.9″W / 40.756083°N 72.880806°W / 40.756083; -72.880806