Chatterton Hill

A War of Maneuver

The campaign of conquest in New York involved both land and sea maneuvers. In the late summer of 1776, the British landed on Long Island and pushed the Continental Army back to the Island of New York (Manhattan), where they faced a stalemate at Harlem Heights.

After the fighting at Harlem Heights, General George Washington’s Continental Army continued to hold onto upper Manhattan. By mid-October, Washington learned that the British were again on the move, planning to land in what is now Westchester County and surround him. Washington moved most of his forces across King's Bridge, leaving a garrison of about 1,500 men under General Nathanael Greene to hold Fort Washington. 

The British landed at Pell’s Point, and a cat-and-mouse game ensued as their advance was slowed by a series of brave American riflemen's holding actions. Eventually, Washington decided to stand against the British, who were pushing west toward the North (Hudson) River, which would cut Washington off from his supply line. He established a defensive position in the hills of White Plains, where the terrain would favor a defensive stand. The armies were roughly evenly matched, though Washington’s force of 14,500 men was far less trained and equipped than Howe’s force of 13,00 British regulars and Hessian professionals.

Gen George Washington's initial overlook
of Chatterton Hill gave the British an opportunity

A Place of Battle

Present-day White Plains offers few reminders of the American Revolution. In this Westchester County suburb of New York, office buildings and a bustling downtown area are surrounded by residential neighborhoods. It was in White Plains that the youthful version of your author took the road test for his driver’s license. At the time, I, like the thousands who live and work in the city, had no idea that nearby was once a bitterly contested battlefield.

Washington's HQ was at the Elijah Miller House in North White Plains

Washington Decides to Stand His Ground

Col Joseph Spencer

By October 28, 1776, Washington’s forces occupied a crescent-shaped three-mile line stretching from the Bronx River to the east to the Croton River to the west. Washington set up his headquarters at the Elijah Miller House in North White Plains and chose a defensive position fortified with two lines of entrenchments. The trenches were dug on elevated terrain, with the right flank protected by swamps near the Bronx River and steep hills further back serving as a retreat. Divisions under Israel Putnam and William Heath were positioned on the right and left flanks. Washington himself held the center. Beyond the right flank of this line was Chatterton Hill, which dominated the ground over which the British would have to advance. Interestingly, Washington initially only posted some militia companies under Connecticut Colonel Joseph Spencer to guard this strategic piece of terrain. He would soon need to send more troops.

White Plains

Sir William Howe

Around mid-morning, news reached Washington that the British were approaching in two columns along the East Chester Road. When they arrived, the British army deployed in an open area about a mile in front of the American line, where their formation was clearly visible to the defenders. Was this an attempt by British commander Sir William Howe to intimidate the Americans and lower their morale? Who knows what the delay cost him in real terms. Could another Bunker Hill be on the horizon? That had always been Howe’s fear since he played a key role in Britain’s costly victory outside Boston. Combined with his hope for reconciliation with the rebels, it seemed to hold him back from launching a massive attack that might have cost both sides greatly.

Seize the Good Ground

This time, Howe made a series of smart decisions. He scanned the American defenses ahead of him and realized he had enough manpower and firepower to launch a frontal assault. However, Howe quickly recognized there was another option - a way to move Washington without causing a bloodbath. The lightly guarded high ground known as Chatterton Hill, just to Washington’s right, is the key to the battlefield. Taking control of that would secure victory over the Americans. Howe discussed with his staff and decided that the main attack would target Chatterton Hill, while the rest of the army would keep the main American line busy. He began preparing to assault the hill, assigning the task to General Alexander Leslie (see the Yankee Doodle Spies blog on Leslie), with two British infantry regiments supported by Hessian troops. Soon, a fierce but inconclusive battle would unfold.

View of White Plains from Chatterton Hill

Finally, Washington recognized the danger he faced if the British seized the key terrain. He hurried to reinforce the heights with another 2,000 men under Colonel Joseph Reed. The critical outpost on Chatterton Hill was eventually held by about 4,000 men under Colonel Alexander McDougall. His force included two New England militia regiments under Colonel Rufus Putnam and Spencer's men. Even as Howe and his staff conferred, his Hessian artillery began firing on the hilltop. A force of 1500 skirmishers under Colonel Joseph Spencer was positioned along the front. The American defenses seemed strong. But when the British finally launched their attack, they quickly pushed aside the skirmishers, who scattered before the advancing troops. However, the arrival of McDougall and his brigade helped rally the defenders, and a defensive line was formed, with the militia on the right and the Continentals along the top of the hill.

Washington rushes reinforcements to the heights

Although he now faced a well-orchestrated onslaught, McDougall made a stubborn defense of it. He managed to hold Leslie’s column at the ford, repelling several attempts to cross the Bronx River. In response, Howe ordered more men, while a force of Hessian infantry under Colonel Johann Rall, supported by British dragoons, moved on the American right flank. The Hessians managed to cross the river and charge up the steep slope, but the determined and well-positioned Americans drove them back. Not to be outdone by the Rebellen, Rall rallied his men and organized a second attack with additional firepower. The artillery fired at the Americans defending the crest of the hill, causing the militia troops to run. However, despite the intense barrage, the Continentals stubbornly held on until the Hessians finally turned their right flank, forcing them back as well.

Hessians advancing under fire

A Timely Retreat, An Untimely Pause

With his flank exposed and crumbling, Washington ordered a retreat, and the Americans withdrew from the hill. Unfortunately for the British, William Howe stays true to form and does not follow up on his success with a vigorous pursuit that might have destroyed the Continental Army and ended the war. Instead, he waits for reinforcements from the rest of his army and simply bivouacs his men on Chatterton Hill. This gives Washington time to move his army to stronger positions at nearby North Castle a few days later. Although the Americans lost the Chatterton Heights along with approximately one hundred thirty killed and wounded, taking the heights cost Howe around two hundred fifty irreplaceable British and Hessian troops killed and wounded. In a sense, Howe came out ahead in that Washington ultimately evacuated New York and abandoned the defenders of Fort Washington to their ultimate demise. But the war of posts would now evolve into a war of maneuver, this time across the Jerseys.

A  Halloween Connection?

Little remembered in history, the action at Chatterton Hill has a link to American folklore and the spooky celebration of Halloween. Washington Irving’s story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and the film, Sleepy Hollow, focus on the haunting by a “Headless Hessian Horseman.” According to some accounts, Irving based the story on an incident during the Battle of White Plains when a Hessian soldier, decapitated by a cannon shot on Chatterton Hill, roams the Westchester night seeking vengeance. So, Chatterton Hill leaves a legacy of little military importance but an eerie contribution to American folklore… oh yes, and your humble author passed his road test - first time.

A Hessian's death at Chatterton Hill may have inspired
one of America's earliest legends - Sleepy Hollow

Mister Smith fights for Washington

Coincidence?

Lord Stirling

While writing The Patriot Spy, I researched and continued to explore various people, places, and events involved in the campaigns around New York in 1776. One key event in the campaign—and in the book—was the daring attack of the "Maryland 400." The number of Marylanders was about 250, with remnants of Haslet's Delaware Regiment joining in to make up the difference. 

This was a desperate hope attack led by New Jersey General "Lord" Stirling against a large force of redcoats commanded by General Lord Cornwallis. While Stirling claimed the title of lord (or, in his case, laird, as he claimed Scottish peerage), Cornwallis held real authority. 

Cornwallis had the advantage of good ground and about 2,000 of the best troops in the army, along with two guns, to face the small American force, which was now hopelessly cut off. Stirling led attacks that showcased some of the bravest moments of the entire eight-year war. Intense musket fire was exchanged, and the Americans from Maryland and Delaware made several attempts to reach the British line, but in the end, the force was decimated. All were killed, wounded, or captured, except for the Maryland commander, Major Mordecai Gist, and a handful of others, including the resolute Captain Samuel Smith.

Major Mordecai Gist

In The Patriot Spy, a young officer named Lieutenant Jeremiah Creed, a mysterious Irish immigrant, performs a daring withdrawal and escapes across Gowanus Creek. That act of heroism is observed from the American defenses by General George Washington, who then decides to recruit the talented Creed for an intelligence war against the British. The rest you will have to discover in the novel.

 

In my research, I, of course, read about the event and the escape of several, including Gist. However, with literary license, I included the fictional Creed, commander of the Maryland Light Infantry company. What I did not know at the time was that a very real commander of the light infantry had indeed escaped with a few of his men.

Haslet's Delaware Line on Long Island

Fact Meets Fiction

The high point of the Battle of Long Island

So, who was this real-life person I unintentionally channeled in my novel? His name was Captain Samuel Smith. Oddly, although he was born in Pennsylvania, he also had Irish roots, as his family came from County Tyrone. 

Smith's family moved to Baltimore when he was young, and he eventually worked in his father's successful merchant business. Young Smith sailed to Europe, where he traveled widely. The fictional Creed also visited various parts of Europe and other locations before settling in Maryland. 

Smith returned to America after the battles at Lexington and Concord in 1775. By early 1776, he was appointed commander of the 6th company in First Maryland, Colonel Smallwood's Regiment. 

As noted in The Patriot Spy, Smallwood was absent from the action on Long Island while serving (with Colonel John Haslet) on court-martial duty in Manhattan. Ironically, it was an espionage trial!

Mordecai Gist, urging the Maryland 400 to glory on Long Island

As an 18th-century company commander, Smith would lead his troops in the attack and be at the rear during the withdrawal. He likely faced enemy fire many times because, make no mistake about it, this was a battle of hellish proportions: massed volleys, withering skirmish fire, smoke everywhere, the crack of muskets, and the boom of cannon, overpowering the screams and cries of the dead and dying. 

The evacuation by Smith and his men was no small feat. To do this, they had to withstand enemy musket and cannon fire, avoid the close pursuit of bayonet-wielding regulars, navigate rough terrain, and finally cross swampland and the Gowanus Creek itself. 

During the battle, Washington watched the action from a redoubt on nearby Cobble Hill (the intersection of today's Court Street and Atlantic Avenue). Upset by the destruction of the best troops, he is reported to have said, "Good God, what brave fellows I must this day lose!"

Captain Samuel Smith leads his men on Long Island

I should note that the action there was the largest and bloodiest of the war—and the first pitched battle fought by the United States as a nation, happening just weeks after the Declaration of Independence. Smith's military career kept gaining momentum after the action on Long Island. He fought prominently at White Plains and Brandywine. In 1777, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and tasked with defending Fort Mifflin, located on an island in the Delaware River.

Mifflin was one of two key forts protecting Philadelphia from Admiral Lord Richard Howe's British fleet. The fort was mainly made of mud walls and had a garrison of just 400 men. Still, Smith repelled a determined attack by a squadron of British ships in October. A ship of the line and a sloop-of-war both ran aground under intense fire from Mifflin's defenders. 

However, the British returned in force in November, this time with frigates, floating batteries, and land-based artillery. They battered Mifflin from all sides with a brutal bombardment, often at close range. The defenders fought bravely but paid a heavy price. They kept firing until all their guns were silenced by the more powerful British shot.

Toward the end, Smith was seriously wounded and had to be evacuated. Soon after, the remaining defenders also left the fort. But not before they had done an admirable job against great odds. Smith received a commendation from Congress for his actions and was awarded a commemorative sword. He recovered and went on to fight at the Battle of Monmouth in 1778. After the battle, he resigned his commission and returned to Baltimore, where he became a privateer, sending ships out to harass and seize the British merchant fleet.

Sketch of British naval assault on Fort Mifflin in 1777

A Man of Peace... and then again of War...

 Following the war, Smith resumed his mercantile pursuits and became one of Maryland's wealthiest men. In 1791, he was appointed commander of the state militia to help suppress the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania. His popularity earned him a seat in the House of Representatives in 1792, where he served four terms. 

Smith supported Thomas Jefferson in the 1800 election and served as Acting Secretary of the Navy until 1803. Afterwards, he became a U.S. Senator. When tensions with Britain escalated, Smith opposed going to war. Yet, he donned his uniform again in 1814 when a combined fleet attacked Baltimore.

As a major general and militia leader once more, Smith organized the city’s defenses against a combined land and sea attack. The results are legendary: the naval victory at Fort McHenry (which inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner") and the lesser-known defense at North Point of the British landing force under another Irishman, British General Robert Ross. 

The British land forces at North Point were routed—a rare feat of arms that was overshadowed by the more famous defeat at New Orleans. In many ways, Samuel Smith saved the nation. If the British had captured America's most strategic port and split the states geographically, the outcome could have been disastrous.

Major General Smith  at Baltimore in 1814

Final Years

Smith served multiple terms in the Senate before becoming the mayor of Baltimore in 1836. During his career, he helped establish the Bank of Maryland and was among the founders of the Washington Monument and the Battle Monument in Baltimore.

Samuel Smith as Senator

The brave captain of the Maryland 400 passed away in his city on April 22nd, 1839. His funeral was a tribute to one of Maryland and Baltimore's greatest, as well as one of America's earliest patriots.

One of his biographers reminds us that these last rites were:

"...a tribute to the political achievements of the man who represented his State in the national legislature through the administration of seven presidents. As the procession reached Baltimore Street and turned east along the waterfront, the ships in the Patapsco lowered their colors to half-mast for the merchant whose ships had known the ports of the world from Europe to China. And as the throng of citizens watched the hearse with its military escort ascend Hampstead Hill, the guns of Fort McHenry boomed a final salute..."

Samuel Smith's life was noteworthy and well-lived by any measure. The former Captain of the Maryland 400 became one of the most popular and accomplished men of his time, although sadly, he enjoys little fame today. First Patriot Samuel Smith is buried at the Old Western Burying Ground, at the intersection of Fayette and Greene Streets, Baltimore, Maryland.

Samuel Smith Burial Site

The Taking of Pelham 1 7 7 6

Readers of The Cavalier Spy might recall some of the maneuvers by the British commander-in-chief, Lord William Howe, as he tried to trap George Washington's forces near Kingsbridge (the Bronx). This led to a series of battles and skirmishes in the New York campaign, which could have crushed the spirit of '76. The small engagement at Pells Point, or Pelham, was one of these minor but strategically important fights.

An Excellent Plan:

In the summer of 1776, the British and their Hessian (German) allies defeated Washington’s forces in Brooklyn and Manhattan. However, Washington’s ability to organize timely retreats and General Howe’s reluctance to aggressively pursue the rebels prevented total destruction. In September, the Continental Army was holding defensive positions at Harlem Heights on the northern tip of Manhattan, with the British army in front and the Royal Navy (under Howe's brother Richard) controlling the North (Hudson) and East Rivers. But the Continental Army's Harlem defenses were strong, so in mid-October, Howe attempted a flanking move by water, taking advantage of the Royal Navy's dominance. His goal was to cut across Westchester County and trap the Americans.

A Clever Strategy:

Leaving behind a holding force in Manhattan, Howe moved about 4,000 troops, mostly Hessians, up the East River toward Long Island Sound for a landing at Throg’s Neck, which is now part of the Bronx. Howe’s objective was to cut off the American supply line to Connecticut, and the British commander also hoped to lure Washington into a major battle or to crush the Americans from the right flank while the holding force launched a frontal attack. Intelligence reports warned General Washington that the enemy was surrounding him with a naval landing at his rear. In desperation, the besieged American commander-in-chief positioned the few forces available along strategic points. The numerous stone fences and marshy ground made the British approach challenging and his position defensible. However, he realized that a determined British effort was likely to succeed. Additionally, they might have been planning other landings as well.

Prelude at the Neck:

General Clinton

On October 12, the British landing force under General Henry Clinton landed under the cover of fog at Throg’s Neck, a marshy peninsula that was not part of the mainland. There were only two ways to reach the mainland: a causeway and bridge at the lower end, and a ford at the other. The Americans guarded both. American Colonel Edward Hand and a detachment of 25 men from the 1st Pennsylvania Regiment were determined to slow the British until help could arrive. The brave Pennsylvanians tore the planks from the bridge and took position behind a stack of cordwood lining the causeway. Checking flints and powder, each man took a good firing stance and waited. At last, the British arrived. The Pennsylvanians' accurate musket fire startled the advancing British troops. Puffs of smoke, the crack of muskets, and the zing of lead balls had their effect. The British frontline retreated and tried to cross at the ford to bypass the rebels, but they faced another group of defenders. Soon, both American defense points were reinforced, bringing the total American forces to more than 1,800. Howe wisely decided it would be better to retreat and land elsewhere. While the Americans had the advantage of position and interior lines, they also had the advantage of mass and maneuver. The British camped on Throg’s Neck and stayed there for six days while supplies and reinforcements, including 7,000 Hessian soldiers under Gen. Wilhelm von Knyphausen, arrived from New York. When he was confident his force was ready, Howe ordered the move. To surprise the enemy tactically, they moved at night. Just after midnight on October 18, Howe launched his army again and landed at Pell's Point, near Pelham, a few miles north. Maneuvering by sea provided a huge advantage when you control the waters, as the British did.

Taking of Pelham:

The British landed at dawn, with General Clinton commanding the operation. His forward unit of 4,000 British light infantry and Hessian Jägers led the way. Near Eastchester, waiting for them, was a 750-strong brigade led by Massachusetts Colonel John Glover. (Note: Glover is a minor but important character in the first two books of the Yankee Doodle Spies series.) Glover himself spotted the British landing from atop a hill overlooking the coast. He requested orders from his immediate commander, General Charles Lee. Lee, Washington's second in command (and also a key figure in the second book of the Yankee Doodle Spies, The Cavalier Spy), however, gave no orders. Recognizing that the narrow causeways and inlets favored a defensive stand, Glover, the resolute Yankee he was, decided to act on his own. He ordered his brigade into action, consisting of the 14th, 13th, 3rd, and the 26th Massachusetts Continental Regiments. 

Continental Line Infantry

Glover held 150 Continentals in reserve. His force soon engaged enemy skirmishers. Glover deployed his Marblehead Regiment (former seamen) at the front. At Breed's Hill, Glover had seen the carnage caused when the British advanced in ranks against well-positioned infantry. He sent a company forward as an advance guard to keep the British in check. This allowed him time to prepare a defense before the expected assault. Glover arranged a series of ambushes by placing his forces in staggered positions. They cleverly used the stone walls lining each side of the lane that led from the beach inland. His orders were to hold as long as possible and then fall back to a rear position, with the next unit doing the same. Glover planned a classic fighting withdrawal to delay the enemy's progress. He positioned himself with his advance guard. The Marbleheaders opened fire on the advancing British. The sound of muskets and puffs of smoke to the front caused the British to pause. Once again, heavy lead balls zinged past the advance guard, which quickly deployed and returned fire. Volleys were exchanged, and for a time, the Americans held the enemy's advance.  

When the British called for reinforcements, Glover's men withdrew in good order. Seeing the Americans retreating, the British fixed bayonets and advanced. But 200 troops of the 13th Massachusetts Continentals waited anxiously behind the next stone wall. On command, the Americans rose and fired a devastating volley into the British at 30 yards - point-blank range. Surprised, the British column suffered heavy losses and retreated to the main body of the invading army.

Glover's Marblehead Regiment in action at Pelham

Not to be denied, the British reorganized and attacked again with all 4,000 men and seven cannons. They bombarded the Continentals behind the stone wall. Under cover of artillery fire, the infantry launched its attack. Most British shells fell short or flew high, and the few that hit the stone walls caused little damage. The bombardment had little effect. Prepared, the Americans unleashed another deadly volley on the advancing infantry at 50 yards. This time, the British responded with volley after volley. The firefight lasted a full 20 minutes. Finally, British artillery moved closer in support, and this time, their fire was effective. Under pressure from combined arms, the lead American regiment fell back. The next regiment provided strong covering fire to keep the British at bay until their allies could retreat. The British then turned to attack the position of the 3rd Continentals, stationed behind a stone wall on the other side of the road. Both sides kept firing steadily. The British advanced several times, but each time, American fire broke their lines.

 However, the British's superior numbers eventually began to overpower the Americans. Realizing this, Glover pulled the regiment back to another stone wall atop a hill. The next regiment in line, the 26th Continentals, soon engaged the advancing enemy. Once more, using the cover of a stone wall, the 26th fired one last volley before Glover ordered a retreat. Moving in good order, Glover's brigade crossed a bridge over the Hutchinson River. Glover left a rearguard of 150 men from the 14th Massachusetts Continentals to cover them. True to form, Howe chose not to exploit the situation. He camped his forces on a hill on the opposite side of the stream but made no attempt to cross. This allowed Glover to pull his brigade back to Yonkers.

Glover's smartly executed defensive withdrawal
was as classic as the British amphibious tactics

What was the (Pell's) Point?

With the British advance delayed, Washington left a small garrison at the fort on the heights that bears his name and safely evacuated the main American army north through Kingsbridge to Westchester. Howe's army slowly moved through New Rochelle and Scarsdale. This marked the beginning of the Battle of White Plains. The series of skirmishes resulted in relatively few casualties for both sides. However, the clever American actions at Throg's Neck and Pelham bought Washington time to prevent his army from almost certain entrapment. A war of posts would soon evolve into a war of movement.

Author's comment:  

People who live in or are familiar with the New York area might be amused to see famous place names where they have lived, worked, or commuted mentioned as part of a great military campaign and one for the life of the nation at that. Our First Patriots had no idea that the swampy lowlands and rugged uplands of the Bronx and Westchester, where they fought, would become part of arguably the greatest metropolis in the world. What neighborhoods and byways are today are also hallowed ground. We should never forget that.

Heath in the Highlands

First Patriot

I often use the term "First Patriot" to describe those who served in the American War for Independence or who otherwise played a role in the political thought and action leading to it. Many of my Yankee Doodle Spies Blogs describe these men and women. As I did the research for the first few books in the series, a name kept appearing: Heath. More precisely, the name "Heath" was often printed across maps depicting activity around new York, primarily in the lower Hudson Valley, western Connecticut, and the area today known as the Bronx (Kings Bridge). William Heath was one of those serious men, a New Englander as so many were, who remained solidly with the cause for beginning to end and served it in whatever way deemed appropriate. To be sure, there were many American officers self-serving and easily out of sorts to slights and second-tier work. Not Heath, who in my opinion served professionally and effectively throughout the war.

Citizen Soldier

William Heath

William Heath was born in 1737. He made his home at his farm in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Like many of his generation, he became active in the militia as a young man, by 1770 he was a colonel and leader of the Suffolk County militia. At the beginning of the war, Massachusetts named him a brigadier general and he commanded Massachusetts forces during the last stage of the Battle of Lexington and Concord in April 1775. As the siege of Boston began, Heath devoted himself to training the militia involved in the siege. In June of that year, Massachusetts named him a major general in the state troops, and the Continental Congress made him a brigadier general in the new national army, the Continental Army.

Solid Service

Charles Lee

In 1776 Heath participated in the defense of New York City, where he saw action at Long Island and was one of those who urged General Washington not to abandon the city. Heath's role involved managing the defense of the northern approaches to Manhattan. He did a credible job in maintaining a watch on potential British approaches to the island, dispatching intelligence mission,s and gathering supplies. Heath served in commands under Washington at Harlem Heights and White Plains, where he commanded the left flank of the Continental Army. In November he was placed in command of forces in the Hudson River Highlands. When Washington waged a frantic rearguard action across New Jersey to avoid annihilation in the latter months of 1776, he left Major General Charles Lee and Heath to guard the vital communications between the mid-Atlantic and New England. When Lee finally heeded Washington's summons to join him in the Jerseys, William Heath stalwartly defended the Hudson Valley. It was a command that offered no glory, only duty. After the British occupied New York City in 1776, the defenses just north of there became critically important. The continuing presence of British land and naval forces in New York emphasized the importance of the Hudson River, and both sides in the war recognized the importance of controlling that vital waterway. The Americans created fortifications, including West Point with its chain across the river. Washington assigned Continental troops under General Heath to the Highlands on November 12, 1776, and there was a Continental Army garrison in the Highlands from then until the end of the war. Heath's assignment thus created a de facto military department. The British sought to gain control with the Saratoga campaign in 1777 and frequently raided into the southern reaches of the department to interfere with the movement of military goods and personnel. One of the most notable incidents in the history of this department was the defection of Benedict Arnold in September 1780.

Hessians Advance at White Plains

The Dog House?

Robert Rogers

Heath comes under some scrutiny around this time, however. In January 1777, Washington instructed Heath to attack Fort Independence (in the Bronx) in New York in support of General George Washington's actions at Trenton and Princeton.  During ten days in the heart of a bitter winter, Heath led a force of  6,000 men in three attack columns south to seize the fort that covered the approaches from Spuyten Duyvel to the Kings Bridge crossing into Manhattan. At first, things went well as the British outposts were quickly overrun. But when they closed on the fort they faced 2,000 disciplined Hessians.  Unimpressed by the Americans, they answered Heath's entreaty to surrender with a blistering barrage of artillery. Heath then tried to envelop the position but a sudden thaw made crossing the creek impractical. Several days of skirmishing were followed by an unexpected movement of British troops on the American flank and rear. The weather now worsened as well and at a council of war Heath and his commanders decided to withdraw. Washington censured Heath for his failure, but as Washington himself had demonstrated in his retreat across Jersey, living to fight another day was a wise strategy. Had Heath's forces been beaten outright, or even captured, New England might have been cut off from the Middle Colonies and the strategic situation made untenable.

But Heath was never again given command of troops in action. Still, he remained in important posts as was common at this time. Heath was a solid commander of this American army of observation (my words) covering the no man's land north of Manhattan. His presence maintained the valuable link between the colonies, protected the Hudson, and served to keep the British in check. Heath's forces helped gather and send intelligence to Washington. Reading his dispatches one realizes he had a good eye for terrain, people, and the enemy situation. Heath worked diligently at logistics and overall helped maintain the Patriot presence in a vital state. His handling of the  Daniel Strang Court Martial for espionage is indicative of his wide range of duties as a commander and administrator. He approved the sentence of death and it was duly carried out. Strang was found guilty of spying and recruiting for the notorious Loyalist Colonel Robert Rogers.  Heath was later placed in charge of the Convention Army of John Burgoyne's surrendered troops after the Battle of Saratoga in October 1777. But in 1780 he returned to command the Highland Department after Benedict Arnold's treason.  And in July 1783 he was given command of the Lower Hudson District while George Washington was in Yorktown with Main Army. Again standing watch on the powerful British forces in New York.

Post War Patriot

After the war, Heath was a member of the Massachusetts Convention that ratified the United States Constitution in 1788. He served in the state Senate 1791-1792, and as a probate court judge. In 1806 he was elected the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts but declined the office. Heath was listed as an original member of the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati. Our First patriot, died at home in Roxbury, on January 24, 1814, and was buried nearby in Forest Hills Cemetery. The town of Heath, Massachusetts, is named in his honor.

Heath's Monument at
Forest Hills Cemetery