Falling morale and short-term militia enlistments eroded Washington’s New York army in September 1776

Evidence

Washington held out as little hope for the conference as Adams and, when Greene renewed his call for withdrawing from New York, Washington convened another war council on September 12. This time, Washington wrote, “after seeing our divided State,” his generals voted to abandon the city for posts further north. By order of Congress, the Americans did not burn any buildings or dismantle fortifications but did manage to carry away most of their equipment. Washington moved his headquarters to Harlem Heights on September 14, leaving Putnam in charge of a rearguard wrapping up operations in New York before leaving the city. … The decision to retreat again further discouraged many of the troops and added to the exodus of deserters that began with the arrival of the British fleet in July and accelerated after the Battle of Long Island and evacuation of Brooklyn Heights in August. On paper, the Americans still had 19,000 troops in and around New York, but sickness and desertion hollowed out the ranks, particularly of state militia units. Typically enlisted for only short terms anyway, many militia members simply left. — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 253

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Washington underestimated the British forces massing against New York; Colony-specific regiments and troop turnover weakened the American force’s effectiveness — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 155

Broader Connections

• Colony-specific regiments and troop turnover weakened the American force’s effectiveness #expands (0.85) — Edward J. Larson, Declaring Independence, 155