Wilhelm von Knyphausen
general from Hesse-Cassel
Years: 1716 - 1800
Wilhelm Reichsfreiherr zu Innhausen und Knyphausen (4 November 1716 Lütetsburg (Ostfriesland)–7 December 1800 Kassel) is a general from Hesse-Cassel.
He fights in the American Revolutionary War, during which he leads Hessian mercenaries on behalf of the British Empire.
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Glover and his force retreat to the town of Yonkers the next day.
American casualties are eight killed and thirteen wounded.
British and Hessian casualties are not known.
Howe's official dispatch lists British casualties as three killed and twenty wounded, although the report does not include Hessian casualties.
As the Hessians make up the majority of the landing force, it is reasonable to expect they make up the majority of the casualties.
Over the ensuing few days, from knowledge collected from British deserters, the Americans will estimate that the British have lost between eight hundred and one thousand killed or wounded, likely an exaggeration.
Colonel Loammi Baldwin, who was present at the battle, estimated that the Americans had killed two hundred British and Hessians, but historian David McCullough says this was "undoubtedly an exaggeration."
Historian George Athan Billias argues in support of Baldwin's estimates, due in part to the corroborating admission of another British deserter.
Regardless, the combined British and Hessian casualties are almost certainly larger than those of the Americans.
After hearing of the landing on Throgs Neck, Washington had known he risks entrapment on Manhattan.
He had made the decision to move his army to White Plains, where he believes they will be safe.
By October 17, the Continental Army was on its way to White Plains, leaving behind two thousand men to garrison Fort Washington.
At dawn, the British begin to land on the shore, Clinton's advance guard of four thousand British light infantry and Hessian jägers landing first.
Inland, opposing them, is a brigade of some seven hundred and fifty men under the command of John Glover, commander of the 14th Continental Regiment.
Composed almost entirely of Massachusetts fishermen, this regiment has become known as the "amphibious regiment" for their vital nautical skills.
Glover is atop a hill with a telescope when he notices the British ships.
Glover sends an officer, Major William Lee, to report to Charles Lee, Washington's second in command, and ask for orders.
However, Lee doe not give any orders, and in the absence of orders Glover chooses to attack.
Glover turns out his brigade, which consists of the 14th, 13th, 3rd and the 26th Continental Regiments.
Glover leaves the 1one hundred fifty men of the 14th Continentals behind in reserve.
He has not closed half the distance when he runs into approximately thirty skirmishers.
Glover orders a Captain and his forty-man company forward as an advance guard to hold the British in check, while Glover organized the rest of the force.
Glover prepares an ambush by placing the main body in staggered positions behind the stone walls that lined either side of the laneway leading from the beachhead to the interior.
Glover instructs each of the regiments to hold their position as long as they could and then to fall back to a position in the rear, while the next unit took up the fighting.
Glover then rides up to take command of the advance guard.
The advance guard and the British begin to engage each other, both sides taking casualties.
After a little while the British are reinforced, and Glover orders a retreat, which is done without confusion.
The British troops begin to advance at the retreating Americans.
However, the two hundred troops of the 13th Continentals that Glover has stationed behind the stone wall stand up and fire at the British when there are only thirty yards yards away.
The ambush works, and the column of British troops takes heavy losses and falls back to the main body of the invading army.
The British wait half an hour before attacking again.
This time when they attack, they attack with all four thousand men and seven cannon.
The British bombard the American position behind the stone wall as their infantry advances.
The cannon fire is ineffective, and when the British are fifty yards away the Americans fire a volley that stops the British infantry.
The British return fire, and musket and rifle fire ensue for twenty minutes, the British supported by cannon, at which point the lead American regiment falls back under cover of the next reserve regiment.
The 3rd Continental Regiment is stationed behind the stone wall on the opposite side of the road.
The British attacks the position of the 3rd Continentals, and an engagement ensues.
Both sides keep up constant fire, the Americans breaking the British lines several times.
However, after seventeen volleys, the British numbers begin to overwhelm the Americans, and Glover orders a withdrawal to another stone wall on the crest of a hill while the next regiment in line, the 26th Continentals, engages the British.
A reconnaissance party of thirty men is sent out from behind the third stone wall to see if the British would try and flank the American position. The party runs into the British, who have continued to advance, and they fall back to the stone wall.
The Americans behind the wall fire one volley before Glover gives the order to retreat.
The Americans withdraw across a bridge over the Hutchinson stream, their retreat covered by the one hundred and fifty men of the 14th Continentals who engage in an artillery duel with the British.
Howe camps on a hill on the opposite side of the stream but makes no attempt to cross the stream
Howe had chosen not to follow, instead attempting without success to draw Washington out.
On November 5, he had turns his army south to finish evicting Continental Army troops from Manhattan, a task he accomplishes with the November 16 Battle of Fort Washington.
After the Hessians under Knyphausen enter the fort, the American officers attempt to placate the Hessian commander, Captain von Malmburg, who is in charge of the surrender.
They invite him into their barracks, and offer him punch, wine, cake, with compliments.
As they leave the fort, the Hessians strip the American troops of their baggage and beat some of them.
Their officers intervene to prevent further injuries or deaths.
The British capture thirty-four cannons, two howitzers, along with many tents, blankets, tools and much ammunition.
The British and Hessians suffer eighty-four killed and three hundred and seventy-four wounded.
The Americans lose fifty-nine killed, have ninety-six wounded casualties, and two thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight men captured.
Under the usual treatment of prisoners of war in the American Revolutionary War, only eight hundred will survive their captivity to be released eighteen months later in a prisoner exchange; nearly three-quarters of the prisoners will have died.
General Washington positions eleven thousand men between Howe and Philadelphia but is outflanked and driven back at the Battle of Brandywine on September 11, 1777 and suffers over one thousand casualties, while the British lose about half that number, though Howe fails to follow-up on the victory and destroy Washington's army.
Washington launches an unsuccessful surprise attack on Germantown on October 4, then retreats to watch and wait for the British to counterattack.
Again, Howe does not follow up on his victory, leaving the American army intact and able to fight.
Meanwhile, the British need a supply route along the Delaware River to support their occupation of Philadelphia.
On June 7, an invasion of six thousand men under Hessian general Wilhelm von Knyphausen meet stiff resistance from the local militia.
Though the British hold the field, Knyphausen feared a general engagement with Washington's main army, and withdraws.
A fortnight later, Knyphausen and Clinton decide upon a second attempt, which is soundly defeated at Springfield, effectively ending British ambitions in New Jersey.
