New York and New Jersey campaign

Campaign in NJ

The New York and New Jersey campaign was a series of battles between the British forces and the Continental Army that decided who would take control of New York City and the U.S. state of New Jersey in the American Revolutionary War and were mostly British victories. One British purpose was to finish smashing the Rebel army after the Battle of Long Island. The battles happened near the end of 1776. The Continentals won the two small battles of Trenton and Princeton at the end of the campaign, and spent the winter in Morristown, New Jersey. The British controlled the area for most of the rest of the war.

New York and New Jersey campaign
Part of the American Revolutionary War

Map of the American Revolutionary War's New York and New Jersey campaign
DateJuly 1776 – March 1777
Location
Result

New York: British victory

  • British control New York City for the rest of the war
  • The city's strategic port and harbor remain in British hands
  • Constant military activity in the surrounding area for the remainder of the war
  • New York City becomes a haven for Loyalists fleeing other areas of the country and results in severe overcrowding
  • Thousands of Americans are taken prisoner and die in captivity

New Jersey: U.S. victory

Belligerents
United States

 Great Britain

Commanders and leaders
George Washington
Charles Lee Surrendered
John Sullivan
Hugh Mercer 
Sir William Howe
Sir Henry Clinton
Lord Cornwallis
Richard, Lord Howe
Wilhelm von Knyphausen
Carl von Donop
Johann Rall 
Strength
23,000 soldiers and militia[1] 32,000 soldiers[2]
Casualties and losses
1,500 killed & wounded 3,000 killed & wounded
1,400 captured[3]



  1. Peak strength, early September 1776 (Fischer, p. 381)
  2. Peak reported strength, late August 1776 (Fischer, p. 383)
  3. Fischer, p. 419